Lance sat as
patiently as he could in the waiting room of the hospital. He hated hospitals...they were so
depressing. He didn't know what to
do...patience was never his strong suit.
Lance had already called Sven, Pidge, and the police. This waiting was driving him nuts!
Sven burst
in through the hospital doors like a gust of wind. He glanced briefly around
the room, spotting Lance sitting in the far row of chairs. He sprinted like a
jackrabbit over to Lance. Lance was
amazed he wasn't even breathing hard. His dark blue eyes were filled with
worry. “Where…how…how's Keith?” Sven asked as stumbled over the words, his
voice thick with concern and fear of the worst possible answer.
"I
don't know...the doctors haven't said anything yet." Lance shrugged, though his own eyes were
full of worry.
“What
happened?” Sven asked. He was barely
even aware of Jeff coming up behind, until the other man laid a hand on his arm
causing Sven to jump slightly.
Jeff smiled
sadly. "Take it easy. Let's sit down first."
Lance sighed
as he quickly retold everything that had happened. "I immediately called you as soon as I got Keith here. I still haven't heard from the police."
“What did
that bastard do to my brother?” Sven asked. His voice was quiet and filled with
both rage and concern.
"I am
not sure...I could tell that Keith was beaten up pretty badly." Lance growled as he stared off into the
distance. "I just know that the
bastard tried to bury him alive!"
Sven's face
paled as a tremble ran through his body. One of the many thoughts that crossed
his mind was if he hadn't agreed to Lance's plan Keith would be dead and buried
right now and not in the hospital. The other thought was to track down the
bastard who had kidnapped Keith and kill the man. “Is he…was he…” Sven paused,
taking a deep breath as he tried to regain his senses. “Was he still alive when
you got him here?”
"Barely...he
wasn't breathing." Lance smiled
weakly at Sven. "But Keith's
tough. He doesn't die easily."
Sven smiled
slightly. “No, he doesn't. His soul has always seemed to have a strong will to
survive…” His voice trailed off for a moment. “And he had you there to save
him…thank you.”
Lance smiled
warmly at Sven before returning his attention to the emergency room doors. He jumped up when the doctor walked in. "Is Keith okay?"
The doctor
frowned. "Well, he has several
bruised ribs...a few broken. He also
has a number of bruises and a mild concussion.
Though he hasn't regained consciousness yet, I believe Keith will be
okay. However, I want to keep him under
observation for a few days...just in case."
“Can we go
see him?” Sven asked, jumping up from the chair and not intending on taking no
for an answer.
"Since
Keith is still in recovery, I can only allow family to see him." The doctor said. "However, once he's placed in a room, friends can see
him. But that probably won't be until
sometime tomorrow."
“Keith is my
brother.” Sven told the doctor.
Lance smiled
as Sven looked at him. "Go ahead. I will see him tomorrow. I'm just grateful he is okay!"
“Are you
sure? You have just as much right to see him now as I do.”
"I'm
sure. He really needs his brother right
now. I will come by tomorrow."
Sven nodded
slightly. “And thanks again for everything
you have done for Keith.”
"I
couldn't have done any less. Just take
care of him for me, okay? And let me
know how he is doing. Though..."
Lance grinned. "...if he is being
a little too friendly to the nurses,
I really don't want to know!"
“That's not
something you have to worry about.” Sven said, smiling slightly.
Lance
laughed. "I hope so! Tell him I will see him tomorrow if he wakes
up before then." Waving goodbye,
Lance left the room.
Sven grabbed
Jeff's hand, pulling the other man to his feet. “Now where is my brother?”
There was look of ice in Sven's eyes, daring the doctor to say anything about
not allowing Jeff in to see Keith. With his little brother in comma and injured
he really needed the support of his friend and lover, and nobody was going to
say that Jeff couldn't go into the room with him. Besides, with as long as he
had been friends with Jeff Keith had thought of Jeff as almost being another
brother.
The doctor
coughed nervously. "Um...just
follow me please." He quickly led
them to the recovery room.
Sven
followed the doctor to the room. He gasped when he saw Keith looking so small
lying on the hospital bed, his pale skin covered with bruises. Sven had to
close his eyes to push the image of the last time Keith had been in the
hospital from his mind. The time right after the car accident that had taken
Keith's parents' lives…and almost took Keith's.
Jeff
comfortingly wrapped his arm around Sven's shoulder as he gently guided him
toward Keith's bed.
Sven looked
down at Keith, and gently brushed the hair away from Keith's eyes, before
kissing Keith's forehead in a very paternal fashion. “You have to get
better…and wake up soon. Everyone is waiting for you to wake up… “ Sven paused
for a long moment. “And don't worry about being caught between fights between
Lance and I. The two of us really got
things worked out…You were right about him, little brother...He sure is
something else.”
Jeff
chuckled. "Lance and Keith both
are...like fire and wind. Totally
unpredictable and explosive."
Sven smiled
slightly. “Yeah…they're a perfect combination.” Sven rested his hand against
Keith's arm. Not knowing what else to say, he leaned into Jeff's embrace and
stood silently watching his brother sleep.
Jeff gently
pulled Sven into his lap as he sat down in a chair next to Keith's bed. "Keith is going to be okay...you'll
see."
“I hope…I know, Keith is strong.” Sven said, but
he didn't take his eyes off of Keith as he watched Keith closely.
Sighing,
Jeff pulled Sven closer as he rocked him.
"He's strong. Just wait and
see."
“I know…”
Sven relaxed back into Jeff's arms. He had faith that Keith would wake up…he
just prayed that it happened soon.
**********
Lance rushed
into his room, face ghostly pale. 'This CAN'T be happening! It can't!
What do I do?' He grabbed a
backpack and began stuffing clothes and items into it.
Pidge
stepped into the doorway of Lance's room. “What are you doing?”
"Leaving. At least for a little while." Lance paused in his packing, his eyes wide
with fright.
“Leaving?
Why are you leaving? I thought…why would you leave now when Keith needs you?”
"I...I
don't want to...I have no choice."
Lance couldn't stop his voice or hands from shaking. "I killed
that janitor!"
Pidge's eyes
widened slightly. “So, you did it so save
Keith's life. If you hadn't Keith would be dead and he would've killed
you…besides it was an accident. You said he fell and hit his head, you didn't
out and out kill him.”
"I...I
know that. But I have never killed
someone before...only hurt an attacker so I could get away." Lance sat down on the side of the bed,
staring at his hands. "Coming back
I heard some of the other janitors talking.
They said that since there were no witnesses, the cops said they were
going to put me into juvenile hall until Keith wakes up to be sure."
“They can't
do that. Can they? I mean you saved Keith's life…” Pidge paused. “We can think
of something else without you running away…I mean he'll wake up soon and I'm
sure you want to be right there when he does.”
"I
do! But I...I don't know Pidge. I've spent some time in juvenile hall for
something I didn't do. I...I was nearly
beaten to death by my inmates before the courts figured out that I didn't commit that crime! And I was only there for three days!" Lance stared wide-eyed at Pidge. "I...I can't risk going back, even if
only for a day! And there is no telling
when Keith is going to wake up!"
“But…”
Pidge's voice trailed off as he couldn't think of anything to say to change
Lance's mind. He had never seen Lance
so frightened before! “You are coming back right? Once Keith wakes up…”
"I'm
only going to lay low for awhile."
Lance smiled sadly. "If
things...clear up, then I'll come back.
If not...I don't know." He
knelt down and gave Pidge a huge hug.
"Don't worry though. Even
if I can't come back here, I will always be watching you...looking for a chance
to be with you. The same with
Keith."
“And just
how am I suppose to tell Keith…how do I tell him that you ran because you saved his life?” Pidge asked, his eyes
filled with tears.
"Just
tell him the truth...just tell him that I love him and will come back when I
can." Lance sighed. "I do
love him. And I love you too,
little bro."
Tears began
to roll down Pidge's cheeks as he clutched Lance. “You better come back…I need
you…Keith needs you….”
"And I
need you too, Pidge. Keith too. But I know that I will not survive a day in
that hell hole hall! It's a hundred times worse than the
streets! It will kill me this
time!" Lance quickly stood up,
only to pause and look back at Pidge.
"Can you give him something for me?"
Pidge nodded
slightly. “Of course…”
After
handing Pidge something with a few more instructions, Lance picked up his
backpack. He paused at the door to give
Pidge one more hug. "Don't worry
about me. I'll be fine. You just take care of yourself...okay? Try to keep Hunk in line."
Pidge
nodded, not trusting his voice and wondering if Lance really was ever going to
come back.
"I will
see you as soon as I find out it's safe.
Love ya bro." With that
Lance quickly walked out the door.
************************************************************************
Keith began
to float somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness. Pain was slowly starting to seep into his
body and panic set in. He was trapped and the pressure on his lungs was so
great that he felt as though he couldn't breath and he started gasping for air,
his body shuddering. He wasn't sure if he was dead or still the prisoner of the
wacko janitor…though figured he was in too much pain to be dead so the latter
was the only possible answer. That thought increased his panic causing his
heart race and his blood pressure soar, setting off various alarms on the
machines that monitored his condition.
Sven jumped
out of Jeff's lap, grabbing Keith's hand.
"KEITH! Take it easy! You're safe! It's okay!"
Keith didn't
seem to be hearing Sven's voice and he began to try to twist away from Sven.
"Keith! It's me...Sven. You're okay." Sven
gently brushed Keith's face with his other hand. "It's me, little brother.
You're in the hospital. You're
going to be okay."
Keith's eyes
snapped open and he stared at Sven with wide frightened eyes before recognition
finally set in and he slowly began to calm down. “Sven…” Keith started to say
with a trembling voice, the rest of the sentence trailing off.
"Yeah...it's
me." Sven smiled as tears rolled
down his face. "You're safe
now." Jeff stood up behind Sven,
smiling down at Keith.
“I
thought…he was going to…” Keith started to say but he still couldn't seem to be
able to get the words out.
Jeff smiled
warmly. "Well, he didn't. Lance was able to find you and get here in
time."
“Where is
Lance?” Keith asked, as he tried to look around the room. Not seeing Lance his
heart sank.
Sven
frowned. "They only allow family
in here. The doctors wouldn't let him
in. Though once they move you to a
room, Lance will be allowed to visit."
“Oh.” Keith
said quietly laying his head back down against the pillow. “Since I'm awake,
can't they let him in now?”
"I
don't know." Jeff said. "However, now that you're awake I'm
sure they will put you in your own room soon.
Lance can see you then."
“Okay...”
Keith said. He tired to keep his eyes
open but could feel himself drifting back towards sleep.
Sven smiled
as he brushed back Keith's hair from his eyes.
"Go to sleep. We will take
care of everything. You just rest now."
**********
Keith slept
soundly for several hours before waking up again. He slowly opened his eyes and
looked around the room, seeing Jeff was the only one in the room with him.
"Heya
Twirp! How are ya feeling?" Jeff
smiled warmly.
“Kinda like
I've been hit by a bus.” Keith replied with a soft sigh. He wondered if he went
asleep again if the next time he opened his eyes he would be completely alone.
“Where's Sven?”
Jeff
smirked. "I threatened to never
cook again and have him cook every night if he didn't go back to the dorms and
change clothes. He'll be back soon. Sven just needs some fresh air. He hasn't left your side for over a day
now."
“Has Lance
been here yet?” Keith asked.
"Not
yet. We called and Pidge said he was
coming up, but he didn't say anything about Lance." Jeff smiled. "Lance has probably crashed...it was over 24 hours before he
was able to find you."
“Yeah,
you're probably right.” Keith said, smiling weakly. “At least you stayed here
with me…thanks.”
"No
problem Twirp! You know you're really
never alone." Jeff was going to
say more, but the door opened and Pidge stuck his head into the room.
"How ya
doing Keithie?" Pidge snickered.
“I've been
worse.” Keith replied.
Pidge walked
over to stand next to Keith. "Glad
to hear it! Ya had us worried for a
while." He glanced around the room
before looking at Jeff. "Don't
tell me you killed Sven? I figured he
would be glued to Keith now."
“He left to
get cleaned up under dire threats from Jeff.” Keith explained even though he
was still a little shocked that Sven had actually left.
Pidge looked
shocked. Jeff snickered. "I know how to work the man. In the state he was in, Sven would have only
worried Keith instead of helping him."
He smiled at Keith. "Don't
worry. He will be back...as over
protective as ever!"
“Where's
Lance? I figured…I kinda thought he might come with you…” Keith asked Pidge.
"He
wanted to...he has been worried sick about you." Pidge played with his hands.
"But...he got scared."
“Scared of
what?” Keith asked concernedly. “Is it because of that fight we had before…
before any of this happened?”
"That
might have been part of it...I'm not sure.
I have never seen him so frightened before. Hell, I've never seen him show fear ever!" Pidge frowned. "But
I think it was mostly because he accidentally killed that janitor. All the time living on his own, Lance made
sure that he never killed. He didn't
want to become like some of the losers out there. I think it really shook him up.
That and what he overheard when he left the hospital yesterday."
“What did he
hear?” Keith asked, his voice fraught with worry.
Pidge was
finding his hands very entertaining
at the moment. "He heard that
since there were no witnesses and you were still unconscious that they were
going to put him in juvenile hall until you woke up and told what happened. Lance was wrongly sent there once before,
and he said he was nearly killed before they got him out. Just the thought
of possibly being sent back there absolutely terrified him!"
“How could
they even think of sending him there?
He saved my life and they were going to send him to juvie?” Keith questioned,
almost laughing at the absurdity of it. “So…where is he staying? I mean if all
they want is their witness they got
it…even though I don't remember much except that wacko trying to kill me...and
I would be dead if Lance hadn't saved me.”
"I...I
really don't know. All he told me was
he was going to lay low for awhile.
Lance said he would be back if it was possible." Pidge looked sadly at Keith. "I don't know though. He's so scared right now that he's not
thinking straight! I'm hoping that he
will calm down soon before he gets into any trouble."
“HOW COULD
YOU LET HIM LEAVE IF HE WAS SO UPSET!?” Keith yelled at Pidge.
Jeff fell
out of his chair while Pidge jumped 3 feet!
Pidge frantically waved his hands in front of him. "I couldn't stop him! You know how stubborn he is! Add fear to that and you need a crowbar to
knock any sense into him!
Besides...he's bigger than
me!"
“I'm sorry,
I didn't mean to yell at you. I know you did all you could to try to make him
stay… I just…wish he hadn't taken off…I mean between you, Sven, and Jeff you'd
all found a way to make sure nobody tried to put Lance in juvie…”
Pidge nodded
sadly. "I know...he just wasn't
thinking. The only people he turns to
is me, you, and Candy." He broke
out into a huge grin. "I bet
that's where he is! Lance is probably
staying with Candy right now!"
“Well…can
you contact him there?” Keith asked hopefully. “Let him know it's safe to come
home.”
Pidge shook
his head. "I'm afraid not. She doesn't have a phone."
“Oh.” Keith
frowned. “And you don't know when he will be back?” Keith closed his eyes to
force back the tears that were burning in his eyes. “How could he
just…leave…I…”
Jeff patted
Keith's hand. "Lance is just
scared right now. And he feels guilty
for what happened to you. I know Sven
does."
“I know he's
scared...but that is more reason for him not
to run. He should know he can't keep running back to the streets…” Keith
paused. “That each time he does he
prevents himself from ever escaping that life.”
I
know." Pidge smiled. "But I'm sure Candy will knock some
sense into him. They grew up together. He considers her his sister. Hell, he was always going to her for advice
on what to do about you. Lance was
always scared that he would run you off."
He suddenly snapped his fingers.
"Oh, I forgot...he wanted me to give you something."
Pidge
quickly placed something into Keith's hand.
"He said he couldn't soar on broken wings. But you can still fly. He hoped this would give you the courage you
needed till he could see you again and that he loved you." He rolled his eyes. "I have no clue what he was talking about.
He was definitely not thinking straight!"
Keith stared
at the golden eagle pendant, the color quickly draining from his face as a
couple of tears streaked down his cheeks. “He really is never coming back…I
thought I was just being paranoid…but he's really gone…and he ain't coming
back. He left…he never said goodbye…he just left…Why does everyone always leave me?”
Jeff looked
puzzled. "What are you talking
about Keith?"
“He wouldn't
have given me this if he was going to come back…because of what it means! He's given up the dream that
he'll ever be able to fly.” Keith said as he struggled to get out of bed. “I
have to go find him…make him see he can fly…make him come home.”
Jeff placed
his hands on Keith's shoulders, gently pushing him back down. "Take it easy Keith. First you need to get better. Besides, you don't know where to look."
“I've got a
place to start…though if I waste too much time he will only start to run
farther and slip further away.”
"Sven
is going to kill me!" Jeff
groaned. "Look, I'm not going to
stop you. You have always been like the
wind. But it took fire to warm you and
give you direction." He smiled at
Keith. "However, without air fire
flickers and dies. It needs wind in
order for its flames to reach the sky."
Pidge
nodded. "Though, before you
leave...could ya send us on an errand?
I really don't want Sven to
find out that we let you go!"
“Just…tell
him you went to get something to drink and I snuck out on you. I'll take all
the blame. Don't worry about it. Just
one other thing...where's my clothes?”
"You
probably don't want to leave here in that!" Jeff smirked as he walked to the closet and tossed Keith his
clothes. His face turned serious. "Be careful, okay?"
"And
try not to beat Lance up too badly."
Pidge grinned. "He's an
idiot at times but I still love him."
Keith
grabbed his clothes and started to change. “I promise to be careful…just try
not to let Sven freak out too much.” Keith said and grinned at Pidge. “And
don't worry, half pint, I won't bruise him too badly.”
Pidge stuck
his tongue at him. "Just knock
some sense into him. Lance listens to
you. And I am sure Candy will back you
up!"
“Yeah, I'll
do my best to make him come back… but the final choice is really his.” Keith
said.
************************************************************************
Keith walked
along a busy street, trying not to look too much like a fish out of water as he
had never even seen the downtown
area. He was drawing a bit of attention from the bruising on his face but
otherwise he came across as though he knew where he was going and what he was
doing. Though he was having little luck in finding where Lance was…or even
Candy for that matter. Keith's ribs reminded him of the pain his body was in,
forcing him to take a break from all the walking he had been doing. He leaned
against the warm bricks of a building as he waited for the pain to subside and
his breathing to return to normal.
"Look
what we have here...a lost little boy."
A tall guy with dirty blond hair smirked as he stood in front of
Keith. His buddy, a shorter guy with a
brown crewcut, closely followed him.
Both were dressed in loose second hand shirts and torn jeans.
The shorter
guy laughed as he blew cigarette smoke in Keith's face. "Where's your mommy?"
Keith just
glared at the two men with cold black eyes. He refused to show any reaction to
their taunting or the smoke.
"Oooh. We have a tough guy here." The blond snickered. "So tough guy...what will ya give us to
let ya live?"
“How about I
give you a warning. Leave now and I won't have to hurt you.” Keith grinned
nastily. “If you think I look bad, you should see the other guy.”
"I'm so scared! Look! My knees are
shaking!" Shorty burst out
laughing. "Ya are in our territory, so ya are expected to pay
a fine. And that necklace ya're wearing
will do nicely."
Keith's eyes
hardened as the glared at the man. He thought of everything Lance had taught
him about fighting and was confident in his own abilities to take both of these
men down. “Didn't anyone ever tell you that smoking is bad for your health?”
Keith questioned. With a lightening fast movement he grabbed the man's wrist
and pulled the cigarette from the man's fingers. He then pressed the burning
end against the man's hand, snuffing it out. “If you try to take it, you'll get
burned a lot worse.”
"Stupid
move punk!" The blonde jumped
forward, grabbing Keith by the collar.
But before he could do anything, Keith slammed his fist into the
blonde's stomach. At the same time
Keith brought his heel down hard on the blonde's toe, never showing the least
bit of fear nor panic in his black eyes.
The shorter
man growled as he pulled out his knife.
"Ya are gonna pay for that bastard!" He rushed forward, aiming for Keith's heart.
Keith
quickly shoved the blond away from him and turned his attention to the shorter
man. Just as the shorter man reached him, he grabbed the man's wrist and spun
slightly to shove him against the wall, twisting the man's arm behind his back.
“Drop the knife.” Keith ordered in growl.
Femamine
laughter came from behind them. "I
suggest y'all do what he says boys.
He'll sweep the floor with you two." A young woman dressed in a tight leather black mini skirt, black
boots up to her knees, and a white extremely
low cut blouse stepped out of the alley.
Keith turned
to look at her, almost losing his hold on the shorter man and forgetting for a
fraction of a second to keep an eye on the blonde. There was sure not much left to the imagination with the outfit
she was wearing!
The woman
calmly walked forward, flipping her long red hair behind her ear as she put out
a cigarette. "I thought I told
y'all to get lost. I want to talk to
cutie here. Unless y'all want to piss
off Jian...he's visiting today."
Keith shoved
the shorter man at the blonde, grinning as the two of them took off running.
"Name's
Angel." Angel looked over Keith in
approval. "I haven't seen ya here
before...looking for something special?
I might be willing to give you a taste for free if you're
interested."
Keith looked
at her with a shocked expression. “Um…ah…that is I…”
"Aaahh! So gorgeous here is shy." Angel smiled as her finger traced Keith's
chest. "I wouldn't mind giving ya
an education."
Keith
blushed a very dark red and took a step backwards. “Um…thanks for the offer
but…actually I am looking for someone…a friend of mine.”
"Pooh! Well, ya could at least tell me your
name." Angel smiled slyly at
Keith.
“Keith.” He
told her.
Angel
blinked. "Ya wouldn't happen to be
Keith McLane, would you?"
“Yeah…why?”
Keith asked nervously.
Angel burst
out laughing. "So you are the guy that Candy is always talking
about! Ya are famous out here
sugar!"
Keith
blushed wondering if that was a good thing or a bad thing, then exactly what
she said dawned on him. “Do you know where I can find Candy…and if Lance is
with her?”
"I sure
do sugar! I think Jian is still with
her. The only reason he comes down
anymore is to see her." Angel
snickered. "A lot of women hate ya
though...they have been after Jian for years.
Sweet guys out here are hard to find.
They weren't too pleased to hear when he fell head over hells for
ya."
Keith raised
an eyebrow slightly at the name she was calling Lance, but didn't comment. He
wondered how accurate everything she had been saying was…not sure if Lance
truly was 'head over heels'. “I would really appreciate it if you could tell me
where he is.”
"She
lives in that building over there, on the corner. Candy's in room 314. Ya
came in time though. Candy finally got
that college scholarship she's been wanting.
No more prostituting for her.
She figured if Jian could get out of here, she could too. Right now he's helping her pack...he
probably won't stay once she leaves.
Once Candy is safe out of here, Jian will split."
“Thanks.”
Keith said, with a big smile. He was relieved that he followed his instincts to
get out of the hospital and find Lance right away.
Angel
smiled. "No problem. I hate to see both of them go. People like those two provide encouragement
for the rest of us. I live in room
122...if ya ever change your mind."
Winking at Keith, she turned and walked away.
**********
Keith ran to
the building and up the stairs to the third floor. He slowly approached the
door marked 314 and knocked hesitantly.
"I'm no
longer working, so GO AWAY!!" A
female voice yelled from the other side.
“Um…I'm
looking for Lance…” Keith called back.
Before Keith
could move, the door flew open and he was pinned to the wall with a knife at
his throat and staring into the angry brown eyes of a young oriental
woman. "WHY?" She growled.
Keith's eyes
were wide with shock and a hint of panic.
He defiantly hadn't anticipated that! “I...um…I guess you are Candy…Well
hi, I'm Keith,”
"Oops! Sorry about that! Guess I'm a little protective." Candy stepped back, blushing.
She was wearing torn jeans with a red tank top and had her long black
hair braided. "Never expected to
see you here. I...I was hoping to meet
you once I got out of here. Come
in."
“Don't worry
about it…You're no worse than my brother.” Keith joked as he followed her into
the apartment.
Candy
laughed as she nervously played with her long braid. "So I heard."
She led him into a small apartment.
Boxes were everywhere. Most of
the walls either had holes in them or were covered with graffiti. "Um, ignore the mess. I'm in the middle of packing."
Keith looked
around the apartment, a place that looked like it should've been condemned a long time ago. “I heard you got the
scholarship you wanted. That's great.” Keith said, genuinely happy for her.
"Thanks!" Candy beamed. "I'm so excited! I
don't have to...work the streets anymore."
“That's
fantastic.” Keith said.
Candy
grinned warmly at Keith. "Lancer
is not here right now. He went to get
me some more boxes. He should be back
soon." She shifted nervously. "I've been trying to convince him to
come with me...since he thinks he goofed up so bad with you."
“If he won't
come back with me, I hope that he will go with you. I know he really don't seem
to like it at the Academy…and I doubt he wants to go back…but that don't mean
he should crash and burn.”
"He
does, but the idiot thinks he made too big of a mess to go back! He doesn't belong here. Sometimes he needs to stop being the big
brother and take care of himself!"
Candy mumbled a few choice and better left not repeated words under her breath. "Don't worry...I haven't used my ultimate weapon on him
yet. It's guaranteed to make him come
with me if he doesn't go back with you."
"He's
not the one who messed up…or at least not the only one." Keith said.
"And just what is your secret
weapon?"
Smirking,
Candy wrapped her arms around Keith's neck.
Then she looked up at him with the saddest
puppy dog eyes he had ever seen! Her pouting lip started to quiver as she
began whimpering.
Keith
laughed. "Now that's just mean." His expression sobered slightly. "I would
try that one…and I know it might work…but I don't want to force him. It's like
when you see a beautiful bird that sings a lovely song…you take the bird and
put it in a cage. It may sing for you for a while, but it will eventually stop
singing…I want it to be his choice to come back and fly…even if it means he'll
fly away from me."
Laughing
Candy nodded. "It does
work...Pidge has almost mastered it.
The trick is to include whimpering like a lost puppy in the act. It always nails him!" Then she smiled warmly at Keith. "I know what you mean...Lancer won't be
caged. If it was otherwise the streets
would have claimed him a long time ago."
Stepping
back, Candy started rocking on her heels.
"However, sometimes that bird needs to be shown that there're more
options out there that he hasn't seen yet.
Otherwise he won't make the best choice for him."
"Well,
he hasn't listened to me yet…and I doubt he will now…but I have to try. All I
care is that he is happy and safe…even if it's not with me." Keith told
her.
"Lancer
listens to you more than you realize.
He just doesn't know how to handle it." Candy sighed. "It's
really hard to explain and I think he might do a better job at it than me. But if it makes you feel better, all of us
out here are kinda like that. When
you're told one thing all your life and then someone tells you something
different, it can leave you very
confused!"
Keith smiled
slightly. "Life is like that everywhere. Life can be cruel whether or not
you have any money. Might not be the same cruelties but cruel just the
same."
Candy
pinched Keith's cheek. "You are as smart as Lancer says! I like
you! Well, he should be back any
minute. How about I go get us all
something to eat for dinner? That way I
can be gone so that you can talk to him...without worrying that I may hit him
if he gets too stubborn."
Keith
laughed. "That sounds good."
"Great! I'll just pick different stuff. That way I'll be scarce for a
while." Candy smirked. "Oh, and he's not as freaked out as
when he got here. He was almost in
hysterics...but he is calmer now. So
you should have no problems talking to him.
Make yourself at home!"
Waving goodbye, she quickly left.
Keith found
himself feeling quite exhausted after the more then long day he was having. He
curled up on the old, lumpy couch, lightly rubbing his aching ribs and wishing
he had at least been smart enough to bring something for the pain. He laid his
head down on a pillow and waited for Lance.
**********
Keith jerked
awake when the door opened. Lance came
stumbling in with a tower of boxes. He
tossed them into a corner. "That
is the last of the boxes I'm getting,
Candy! How the hell did you get so much
stuff?" Lance grumbled looking
down as he messed with his leather jacket zipper.
Keith sat
up, swallowing nervously before speaking. "Candy ain't here...she went out
to get something for dinner."
Lance jerked
back in shock, crashing down into the boxes.
"KEITH! What...how...
when...why?" His mouth moved up
and down with each word as well as his eyes.
Well, actually eye since his left eye was bruised and almost swollen
shut.
Keith slowly
pulled himself up from the couch, hiding a wince as he did so. He stepped over
in front of Lance. "Because you left…"
"Why?" Lance's shock was quickly replaced with
concern as he looked up at Keith from the floor. "Never mind. Um, are
you okay? I tried to call the hospital,
but all they would tell me was you checked out."
"I feel
just fine." Keith said sarcastically. "I checked myself out to look
for you. You wouldn't come to me, so I came to you."
Lance
flinched. "I know...I should've
been there. I...I wasn't thinking. Candy straightened me out." He laughed uneasily as he stared at the
floor. "She has an awesome left
hook...calmed me down real quick. But
the damage had already been done."
"You're
right, you weren't thinking." Keith agreed. "You never should've
ran. Nobody would've let anything
happen to you, you wouldn't have been sent to juvie. What happened was an
accident…"
"I...I
know that now. I was being stupid. I...I have never killed someone, and it
spooked me." Lance sighed, still
not looking at Keith. "But it
doesn't excuse what I did to you..."
"Did
what? Saved my life? Taught me to believe in myself? Taught me how to take care
of myself?" Keith paused for a moment. "For being my friend and
showing me what love is? Which of
those things exactly are you sorry about?"
"Don't
play dumb Keith! You know exactly what I mean!" Lance jerked his head up and glared at
Keith. "I fucking RAN! I deserted you when you needed me the
most! I have become exactly what I was trying NOT to
become!"
"You
got scared and you ran. It wasn't a smart thing to do…it's not the end of the
world. Yeah, sure it hurt that you weren't there when I woke up…that you were
gone completely…but I got over it.
Instead of staying there and wallowing in self pity, I came looking for
you."
Lance turned
his attention to one of the tears in his jeans. "Why? I don't
understand. You deserve someone who's
not such a coward...who won't let you down or hurt you."
"Because
I love you. It's as simple as that."
Keith replied. "You have given me so much these past few months,
more then I could ever repay you for. I just wish that you would at least let
me help you the way you've helped me…"
"I'm
scared." Lance took a deep breath
though his attention was still focused on fingering the tears. "I'm scared that if I let you or anyone
else in that I'll be alone again."
"That
makes absolutely no sense. If you let people in you will never be alone again."
Lance chewed
on his bottom lip as he tossed what Keith said around in his head. "I thought I could change. But you made it clear the other night that I
can't change fast enough for you."
He looked up at the man standing in front of him. "I can't become what I'm not. In the gym, you were right that I'm not just
a street rat...I do listen to
you. But I'm not in your league
either."
"I
never said you had to be in my league…just be yourself. You're the only one who
said that you weren't changing fast enough for me. I never asked you to change.
All I said is I want to help you…I just want to help you be able to fly…to make
you see for yourself how good of a person you truly are inside." Keith
said, his eyes focused on Lance. "Yeah I got upset over you and Sven
fighting, over things that were said. I can handle who you are, but that
doesn't mean ignoring any nasty things that are said about you…any more then
you ignore nasty things said about me…"
"Even
if some of those nasty things are true?"
"If
it's true, then it's a part of who you are and I can handle it. I love you for
who you are. For all the good…" Keith paused and smiled at Lance
"...and despite any bad."
As Lance
stared up at Keith, there was still some fear and confusion in his eyes, but
they were slowly being replaced with a growing spark of hope. "So, I didn't completely blow it?"
"It's
only over if you want it to be. I
love you...I'll always love you. But...I'm not exactly going to force you into a
situation that you don't want to be in because in the end you'd only end up
hating me."
"I love
you...with all my heart." For the first time, Lance smiled. "I just thought you hated me for being
such a dumb ass."
"If
that were true, would I be here?" Keith asked, smiling brightly at Lance.
His expression turned serious. "I guess the only question left then is…if
you're willing to come back with me."
"As
long as you'll be there with me...yes.
I'm going to need all the help I can get." Standing up, Lance nodded slowly, afraid
that he may be asking too much too soon.
"I'll always be there for you."
Lance
reached for Keith, only to stop remembering Keith's injuries. "Can...can I hold you? I don't want to hurt you."
Keith smiled
at Lance. "It would hurt less if I were being held by you."
Slowly,
Lance stepped forward and carefully wrapped his arms around Keith. Sighing, he rested his head on Keith's
shoulder. "I thought I had lost
you forever."
Keith leaned
into the warm embrace, wrapping his arms around Lance. "No…you will never
lose me. I'll be yours forever."
Lance smiled
as he pulled Keith closer, only to be stopped by a squirming mass in his
jacket. As Lance pulled back, a small
feline head popped its black head out of his jacket below his neck. "Meow." The kitten looked at Keith with its huge brown eyes.
Keith
laughed. "Is that a kitten in your jacket or are you just happy to see
me?"
Lance turned
bright red as he pulled the little squirming fur ball out of his jacket. "Oops!
Kinda forgot about him."
"I'm
back!" Candy burst into the room
only to stop short when she saw the kitten.
"Damnit Lancer! You and
your damn strays!"
"But
he's so cute!" Lance pouted, tilting his head at Keith.
"Yeah,
he's a cute little devil." Keith agreed with Lance. He looked at Candy.
"So, what's for dinner?"
Candy
smiled. "Well...I have Chinese,
Mexican, and Italian. Take your
pick." She smirked at Keith. "It is getting late...you may want to
call someone and let them know that you will be staying here...if you don't
mind sleeping on the couch. Angel said
you could use her phone. But using my
friend's phone next door may be safer."
"Yeah…I
guess I should call Sven…he is no doubt beyond freaking out at this point… and
probably is still yelling at Jeff and Pidge for letting me 'sneak out' of the
hospital."
Lance
choked. "Is it too late to change
my mind? Not only am I going to have to
face Sven, but Pidge is going to slaughter me for putting him through
that!"
"How
can you be afraid of Sven when Candy is just as insane as he is?" Keith
asked with a teasing smile.
Lance eyes
widened before he turned to glare at Candy.
"Tell me you didn't greet
him like I think you did."
Candy
smirked. "And if I did?"
"Why
you..." Growling, Lance took off after a shrieking Candy. That left a laughing Keith to find a phone
to use.
**********
Keith tried
Candy's friend's door but there was no answer. He recalled seeing a pay phone
near the front when he had came inside so he head back down the three flights
of stairs, hoping the phone actually worked. Keith picked up the phone and
breathed a sigh of relief when he heard a dial tone. He dug through his pockets
to find the correct amount of change and made the call. The gods seemed to be
in his favor when Jeff answered and not Sven…which meant he had a while longer
before having to deal with Sven's wrath and didn't have to hear it over the
telephone.
Keith made
it back up the first flight of stairs before his body felt too exhausted to
take another step. He managed to grab the railing to keep from falling.
However, he just couldn't seem to catch his breath and had to sit down on the
stair, leaning against the railing…hoping he could catch his breath before
Lance came looking for him so he wouldn't have to admit how badly he was
actually feeling.
Since
Lance's attempt to catch Candy failed miserably, he decided he might have
better luck catching Keith. After
having no luck with Candy's neighbor, Lance walked down the stairs...maybe
Keith went to see Angel, heaven forbid.
Chuckling at the idea, he froze when he saw Keith sitting and leaning
heavily on the railing. Seeing Keith
breathing hard, Lance flew down the stairs.
"Keith! What's wrong?"
“Nothing.
I'm fine.” Keith lied, trying to pull himself to his feet, wobbling like a
newborn colt. He only avoided falling
because of death grip he had on the railing.
"Sure
you are!" Lance rolled his
eyes. "You shouldn't have left the
hospital so soon!" He carefully
scooped Keith up into his arms and started to carry him back to Candy's
apartment.
Keith leaned
his head against Lance's shoulder. “And if I waited 'til the doctor checked me,
you'da been gone…”
Lance sighed
as he kissed Keith's forehead, gently pulling him closer. "I'm sorry. I'm such an ass to put you through all this."
“Yeah
maybe…but you're my ass.” Keith grinned.
"Ya got
that right! Yours and no one
elses!" Lance chuckled. "Though why you put up with me is a
complete mystery."
“Because you
are the most beautiful person I have ever met. A beautiful soul…kind and
gentle…you are you. That's why I love
you.”
Lance's eyes
shown with unshed tears as he gently laid Keith down on Candy's couch. He tenderly brushed some of Keith's hair
behind his ear. "I have to be the
luckiest person in the universe to have such a compassionate and patient person
in my life. I love you so much!"
Keith smiled
at Lance. “As much as I would love to lay here and tell you all the ways I love
you, I'm hungry and tired…and we both have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
Lance
cringed. "Tomorrow I am NOT
looking forward too!" Sighing, he
stood up. "But let's get some food
into you before you fall asleep. We
have Chinese, Mexican, and Italian.
What would the gentleman prefer?"
“I don't
know…maybe some Italian.” Keith decided, promptly ending the sentence with a
yawn.
"Italian
it is." Lance gave a bow. "I'll get it and some water for you to
drink." He quickly went into the
kitchen only to return a few moments later with a paper plate and a glass. Lance set them on the floor so that he could
prop Keith up enough to eat. "Now
eat this slowly. Eat it too fast and
you may get sick." Lance said as
he placed the plate in Keith's lap.
Keith rolled
his eyes. “You sound like Sven.”
Laughing,
Lance stuck out his tongue. "Hey,
you're the guest here. I'm only trying
to be a good host."
“Sure.”
Keith said before eating a couple bites of the food. “This is pretty good…not
as good as actually having it in Italy, but it's good.”
"It
probably is in Italy." Lance
laughed. "I wouldn't know...never
been there." He got up and
returned to the kitchen for his own food.
Lance plopped down on the floor in front of Keith. "However, we do have authentic
Chinese." He tilted his
plate. "The only reason I know that
is it is made by Chinese immigrants.
And it's much better than the
American Chinese crap!"
“Do you want
to go to Italy?” Keith asked. “I was going to go with Sven and Jeff touring
Europe this summer…but I'd rather go with you.”
Lance spit
his drink out before looking at Keith in shock. "I would love to...it'll depend if I can save up enough
money before the summer though."
“Don't worry
about the money…I'm sure I can find another way for you to pay me back.” Keith
said with a smile.
"There
is no way I could pay you back for that!" Lance shook his head, his eyes still wide.
“Just you
being there with me would be payment enough.” Keith said. “Look, I have…a bit of money as you have already figured
out. When my parents were killed in the accident, I inherited everything. They
would want me to use the money to make myself happy and nothing in this world
could make me happier then to be able to use it to make you happy. I've seen
your world today...now I would like to show you mine.”
Lance's
mouth opened and closed a few times, not sure what to say. Finally, he glanced down at his plate as he
played with his Chinese food. "I'm
not sure I am ready for your world yet."
Lance mumbled.
“And why
exactly is that?”
"Never
mind." Lance mumbled, his chopsticks
forming interesting whirls with his rice.
“Look at
me.” Keith said. Lance didn't. “I said look at me.” Keith said more firmly.
This time Lance looked up at him. “If you think that just because you're not
like the people at school…you're half right. You are not like them; you're
better then them. You don't have to change who you are to be a part of my world
because you are my world.”
"I...you..."
Stuttering, Lance stared dumbly at Keith.
"You...you mean that?"
“Of course I
mean it.” Keith replied.
Lance looked
like he had just seen a ghost.
"You...you sound like...my...my mother."
Keith wasn't
too sure how to reply and was quiet for moment. “Oh…that reminds me…” Keith
undid the clasp of the chain and handed it to Lance. “This belongs to you.”
Lance stared
down at the eagle, his hands shaking.
"I...I thought I had let both of you down...you and mother. That I let myself down. I never...never thought I would...be able
to...fly again." Tears were
falling down his checks as he lovingly fingered the pendant.
Keith
reached out and gently brushed his fingers across Lance's lips. “You have
always been able to fly, you just have to believe in yourself to be able to fly
even higher. You never let me down…you only taught me how to fly. Now I want to soar on those currents with
you.”
Too choked
to say anything, Lance got on his knees and leaned forward, wrapping his arms
around Keith's neck in a warm embrace.
For a few moments, he just clung to Keith, crying. He held on as if he was afraid to let go, one
hand clutching the necklace, the other gently threaded through the black silk
hair. Somehow Lance managed to whisper,
"Thank you. Thank you for never
giving up and being there. But mostly
thank you for loving me despite everything."
Keith
blinked back the tears he could feel building in his eyes as he held Lance even
closer, gently stroking Lance's back. “I will always love you...now and forever
my heart and soul belong to you.”
"And
you own mine...for as long as you want them." Lance pulled back, smiling sheepishly as he wiped his eyes. "I'm afraid I got your shirt wet
though."
Keith
chuckled softly and hugged Lance. “Oh well, it'll dry.”
Lance
laughed, putting on his necklace.
"Maybe...but you need to eat and then get some rest. So eat up Tiger! Or there will be no desert!"
“Actually
I've ate all I want…not as hungry as I thought I guess.” Keith said. “Right now
I just want to get some sleep…”
"Okay." Lance quickly stood up and took Keith's
plate. As he walked into the kitchen,
the door opened and Candy poked her head in.
"And where have you
been?"
Candy rocked
on her heels, grinning mischievously.
"I just wanted to give y'all some time alone, Lancer." She grinned at Keith. "Ya feeling better? I saw Lancer carry you in."
“I'll feel
better once I get some more sleep.” Keith said.
Candy mock
glared at Lance. "And just what are ya waiting for? Get him a blanket and put him to bed!"
Lance glared
right back at her. "I was just
going to do that! Pushy, pushy, pushy!"
"Ya got
that right!" Candy smirked,
bopping Lance in the head before turning back to Keith. "You can sleep in the bed. It's probably more comfortable than that
couch."
“No, the
couch will do fine. I'm not going to take your bed.” Keith said and tried to
hide a yawn.
"Okay." Candy turned to call for Lance in the other
room. "Hey Lancer! Get a blanket, ya slow poke!"
"I'm
trying to find one! It's not my fault
you do such a sucky job packing!"
“Don't worry
about a blanket.” Keith mumbled as he curled up on the couch, his eyes only
half open.
"I
found one." Lance smiled as he stepped out of the bedroom, pausing to
glare at Candy who was cussing in Chinese.
"Watch your mouth young lady!
Keith may not know what you're saying, but I sure the hell
do!" He quickly walked over and
laid the blanket over Keith as he gently kissed Keith's forehead. "Get some sleep."
Keith
reached out and took a hold of Lance's wrist. “Stay?” His question almost a
plea.
"Of
course Tiger. I'll sleep on the floor
next to you." Lance smiled,
glancing up to see Candy carrying two extra blankets and pillow. "Thanks sis."
Candy smiled
as she spread out one blanket on the floor.
"No problem. I'll clean up
the kitchen and turn in too." She
stood up and winked at Lance and Keith before leaving. "Sleep tight boys!"
Lance gave
her another smile before turning back to Keith. Keith had fallen into a peaceful asleep while still holding
Lance's wrist. Lance was not sure how
long he stood there staring at this beautiful sleeping angel that had entered
his life. Finally, exhaustion started
to take its toll. Lance laid down on
the floor, careful to never break Keith's hold. "I love you Tiger."
Lance smiled before falling asleep himself.
************************************************************************
It was the
middle of the night when Keith woke up...the pale light of a streetlight
shinning into the room from the outside seemed to give everything an eerie
glow. Keith sighed quietly and looked
down at Lance. Sometime during the
night he had let go of Lance's wrist and Lance had rolled over so that he was
facing away from the couch. Keith carefully shifted himself off the couch,
pulling the blanket and pillow down with him. He curled up on the floor behind
Lance, wrapping an arm around the other man's waist. “Love you, Lance.” Keith
whispered against the nape of Lance's neck as sleep began to slowly reclaim him
once again.
************************************************************************
Lance
mumbled as the morning light shined through his eyelids. He did not
want to get up. He tried to roll over
to his side, but some weight was on his chest, keeping him from turning. That woke him up! Lance immediately relaxed when he recognized the black hair. 'When
did he get off the couch?' Being
careful not to wake Keith up, he wrapped his arms around the man, one hand
tenderly rubbing Keith's back while the other petted the black hair. Lance was very grateful that Keith wasn't awake to see the goofy grin on his
face.
Keith leaned
against the gently caress but didn't wake up, instead only snuggled closer to
Lance. That somehow made Lance's grin
even sillier. He leaned forward enough
to kiss the top of Keith's head.
"I love you." Lance
laid back down and stared at the ceiling.
He really didn't want to go
and face the others today. 'Oh boy...this is gonna be interesting.'
Slowly Keith
opened his eyes...seeing Lance looking at him with such a huge grin made his
face light up with bright smile. “Good morning sunshine.”
"Good
morning yourself, Tiger. You feeling
better?" Lance smiled as he gently
brushed the hair out of Keith's eyes.
“Much better.” Keith replied. “Never felt
better in my life.”
"Good. I ..." Lance was interrupted by a black
furball jumping on his chest.
"Hey!" He quickly
moved the kitten off of him. "Now
look here squirt. He comes first!" Lance
laughed as he pointed at Keith, while scolding the kitten. "Ya got that?"
“He just
wants some attention.” Keith said scratching the kitten's ears. “Don'cha ya
little furball.”
Meowing, the
kitten jumped back on Lance's chest, butting his head against Keith's and then
Lance's faces. Lance laughed. "I guess so. Hell, he's as stubborn as you!"
Keith stuck
his tongue out at Lance and laughed. “Only when it comes to you.”
"Um...so
what should we name him?" Lance
coughed out, turning bright red.
“Um…good
question.” Keith said.
Lance smiled
as he petted the kitten, at the same time still softly rubbing Keith's
back. "Well, it can't be
Tiger...that's your nickname. How about
Onyx?"
“Sounds like
a good name. What do you think furball…do you like the name Onyx?” Keith asked
as he patted the kitten.
Lance
laughed as Onyx sat up on his hind legs to lick Keith's nose. "I think he does."
“I think so
too.” Keith laughed. “As much as I want to stay here…we both need to go back
and face the music.”
"I
didn't want to hear that." Lance
groaned, laying his head back down on the pillow. "Sven is going to tear into me! Followed by Pidge!"
“I think I'm
in more trouble from Sven…Jeff said Sven's been freaking out.”
Lance rolled
his eyes as he tightened his hold on Keith.
"That is not good!"
“I can deal
with Sven…I think. If not I'll hide behind you.” Keith grinned.
"Gee...I
can just feel the love here!" Lance
laughed. "Oh well, I probably
deserve that for being such an idiot."
“No. You
weren't being an idiot just… “ Keith shrugged slightly. “Scared...not that I
blame you. I was scared too, but was even more afraid of losing you.”
Lance sighed
as he gazed into those compassionate black eyes. "I thought I had lost you.
I felt so alone and empty, like half of my spirit was torn
out."
“You will
never lose me. And you will never be alone again. My heart and soul belong to
you.”
"I know
that now. Thank you." Lance smiled as tears rolled down his
cheeks. "And I will always belong
to you. I promise not to run from you
ever again."
“Don't cry
love.” Keith whispered as he tenderly wiped away Lance's tears.
Lance didn't
even know he was crying. Knowing just
made the tears come faster.
"Sorry. I...I'm just so
happy. Being with you...I feel at peace
and complete. Something that I...I
thought I would never feel after mom
died."
Keith smiled
at Lance. “And I will spend the rest of my life making sure you always feel
that way.”
"You
will?" Lance's eyes widened before he sat up to lean forward and gently
kiss Keith's lips. "I...I just
hope I can give to you what you have given me."
“You already
have.” Keith told him.
Lance stared
blankly at Keith. "I have?"
“You have
given me so much in both friendship and love.” Keith said. “And you showed me
how to be a part of the world and not hide from it.”
Lance
tenderly traced Keith's face with his fingers.
"And you have given me
confidence through your love. You have
made me feel that I am someone...not the street trash that everyone says I
am."
“Anyone who
says that is nothing. You are so much more…you are my world, the light of my
life.” Keith smiled. “I love you more then I could ever begin to tell you.”
"And I
love you more than my own life. You are my life." Lance whispered. "I can't live without you."
“You will
never have to.” Keith said wrapping his arms around Lance. “Now let's say we go
face our brothers…together.”
"Ah
man...things were just getting interesting." Keith and Lance turned abruptly to see Candy sitting cross-legged
about ten feet from them. She smiled
wickedly. "Morning guys!"
“Good
morning.” Keith said as he looked at her, wondering how long she had been
sitting there watching.
Lance
growled. "Your timing is as lousy
as ever sis!"
"Consider
it pay back for what you did to my
boyfriends!" Candy laughed as
Lance started sputtering. She smiled at
Keith. "Remind me to tell you of
some of the stunts he's pulled."
Keith laughed.
“I want to hear all about everything
he's pulled.”
"Hell
no!" Lance quickly got to his
feet. "I think we better leave
now!"
“I thought
you didn't want to go yet.” Keith laughed. “Is her telling me everything more
scary then Sven and Pidge?”
Candy
winked. "Let's just say he can be
a little terror when he wants to be.
And very creative!"
Lance turned
red. "I wouldn't be talking
Candy! If I recall, you always played a
hand in them!" Candy just stuck
her tongue out at Lance.
“You're just
getting me more interested in what
all you did.” Keith said, sliding an arm around Lance's waist.
Lance
coughed, turning redder.
"Well...um...I just seem to have a knack for getting into and out
of trouble." He glared at Candy
when she started to open her mouth.
"Though I'm usually getting her
out of trouble!"
"HEY!" Candy yelled, glaring at Lance before
launching into rapid Chinese.
Lance
quickly placed a hand over her mouth.
"Damn! Where did you ever
pick up such nasty words!"
“I don't
even want to know. I hear enough of those bad words in Swedish from Sven.”
Keith said.
"You
don't want to know." Lance
snickered as Candy struggled against him.
"She has quite a vocabulary."
He suddenly jerked his hand back.
"EWW! Ya didn't have to
lick it!"
"Yes I
did!" Candy glared. "I oughta kick your ass for
that!" Keith just laughed as he
stood back and watched the brother and sister fight.
**********
After a few
pillows and several exchanges of Chinese words, Lance was ready to leave. He wrapped his arms around Candy and gave
her a huge hug. "I'm sorry, but we
really need to leave now. I have a huge
mess that I need to clean up."
“It's not
that bad. The worse of it is already cleaned up.” Keith grinned.
"Glad
to hear that." Candy gazed up at
Lance. "You still going to help me
move and get settled in my new apartment once I'm finished packing?"
Lance smiled
warmly. "I wouldn't miss it for
the world, darling."
Candy
glanced at Keith as she gave Lance a fierce hug. "You gonna come visit?"
Keith grinned.
“Of course...as long as you promise not to open the door wielding a knife.”
"I
promise!" Candy laughed as she
gave Keith a hug, pausing to whisper in his ear. "But only if you promise to take care of him for me. He needs it more then he realizes."
“Don't
worry, I promise I'll take very good care of him.” Keith assured her as he
returned the hug.
Lance
blinked. "Okay, what are you two
devils scheming over there?"
“Who me?
Scheme?” Keith asked innocently with a huge grin.
"Yes
you!" Lance glanced back and forth
at Candy and Keith's grinning faces.
"Why do I have this feeling that I'm in deep shit?"
Keith
shrugged. “Let's just get back before Sven comes to get me.”
"Okay." Lance glanced warily at Keith and Candy for
a moment. "I really don't want to
know." He smiled and gave Candy
another hug. "Call me when you're
ready to move. Also feel free to call
me anytime. I'll come running."
"The
same thing applies to you, Lancer."
Candy smiled warmly at the both of them. "At least try to
stay out of trouble! Though I don't
think that is even possible with you,
Lancer. Especially with Onyx! Do they even allow pets in the dorms?"
“No, they
don't allow pets at all.” Keith said. “So you better not let them catch you
with Onyx. If you get yourself expelled, I will wring your neck.”
"Okay,
okay!" Lance laughed as he put his
jacket on, putting Onyx inside before zipping it most of the way. "There...he's well hidden!"
Candy rolled
her eyes as she kissed Lance's cheek.
"Still playing with fire I see.
You could never follow the rules.
I don't know what I'm going to do with you."
“The little
furball better keep himself hidden.” Keith laughed.
"He's
already asleep. I guess he likes it
there." Lance grinned. "Take care of yourself Candy. I'll see you soon."
"You
better!" Candy laughed as she
shoved the guys out the door. Good luck
with your brothers! Oh and say hi to
Angel if you see her, Keith!"
“Um…I'm
hoping I don't.” Keith said.
Lance
laughed, putting an arm around Keith's waist to steady him as they walked down
the stairs. "Don't worry. I know a different route to take. Though it would involve some more rule
breaking. Feel up to it?"
“Sure, why
not.” Keith laughed. “You lead I'll follow…I'd follow you anywhere.”
"That
may not be a wise move, Keith."
Lance laughed. "Don't
worry...you'll be safe. We will only
get yelled at for going into 'Authorized Personnel Only' areas. It is much safer then my normal route to
school."
“I wasn't
worried for a second. I had no doubt about it being safe or not. Not with you.”
Keith grinned. “I trust you with my life…after all you've already saved it
once.”
"I
would lay down my life for you."
Lance smiled warmly at Keith before glancing out the back door into the
alley. "Sven is going to have my
head for teaching you this!"
Keeping a firm grip on Keith's hand, Lance lead Keith out into the
alley, worming their way through alleys and the backdoors of stores and
residences back to the Academy.
**********
Keith felt
increasingly nervous as they neared the dorms of the Academy. He took a deep
breath, slowly releasing it as the door to his dorm room came into sight. “Time
to face the music.” Keith mumbled, squeezing Lance's hand before punching in
the code to open the door.
Lance
sighed. "Then why do I feel like
I'm about to face my executioner?"
“It won't be
that bad.” Keith said, though he was holding his breath as the door slid open
and he stepped into the room.
The moment
Keith walked into the door he was seized in a huge hug by a just slightly concerned Sven. "Are you okay? What the HELL were you thinking?"
Keith hugged
Sven back. “I'm fine, never felt
better.” Keith grinned as he stepped back from his brother. “And I was thinking
of finding Lance and bringing him home…and I did.”
"Of all
the idiotic, stupid stunts to pull!
Förbanna1 Keith!"
Sven was angrily swinging his arms around. He looked like he was ready to explode. "SKIT2!
You were NOT supposed to leave the hospital! You trying to get yourself killed!"
“No I wasn't
trying to get myself killed. In case you haven't noticed, I can take care of
myself.” Keith said firmly. He stood up straight and tall, not flinching once
during Sven's rant.
"I know you can take care of yourself, but
GOD DAMNIT! Leaving before the doctor
even had a chance to look at you is trying to get yourself killed!"
“So what? If
I didn't take the chance of checking myself out to find Lance, I would've lost
him.” Keith said. “You'd have done the same thing to find Jeff.”
Sven took a
very deep breath as he glanced at Jeff sitting on the couch trying
unsuccessfully not to laugh his head off.
He stared hard at Lance.
"And just what were YOU thinking?"
Lance
jumped. "Um...um...I wasn't?"
“Sven…just
chill out.” Keith said. “I'm sorry that I worried you, but I had no choice
other then to do what I did. It was a chance I had to take. If I hadn't at least tried I'd have spent
the rest of my life hating myself.”
"You
are both fucking insane!" Sven
closed his eyes. "Okay...I'm
chillin'. But förbanna1
Keith! I was worried sick!"
“I'm sorry
about that.” Keith squeezed Sven's shoulder. “Please just understand that it
was something I had to do…and I had to do it on my own.”
Sven pulled
Keith into a tight embrace.
"Okay...I guess I understand.
But you are going to have to
explain this to mom and dad! They're
going bonkers!"
“I didn't
even think about that…I thought they were still in Italy.”
Sven rolled
his eyes. "Not anymore! They flew in the moment they found out what
happened to you. They are pacing around
at home right now!"
“Uh-oh. At
least being here they can't ground me.” Keith said.
"True." Sven couldn't help but smile. "That still doesn't mean that you're
not in deep skit2!"
“Yeah…I
know…did you really have to call them?” Keith pouted.
"You
know...that has to be the dumbest question you have ever asked!"
“It's gonna
take a lot of explaining…” Keith grabbed Lance's hand. “And you are so going to be there when I have to do
it.”
Sven and
Jeff burst out laughing at the terrified look on Lance's face. Lance sputtered. "That is not the best way to meet your parents, Keith!"
“Well I
can't explain why I had to track down a person they've never met, now can I?”
Keith asked, teasing. “Besides you owe me big time for this.”
Lance looked
sick. "Hell...I am in soooo much trouble!"
Keith
laughed. “Well, you're not the only one.”
Sven shook
his head. "It's your turn to deal
with them! I got enough of an earful
when I had to call and tell them that you were missing Keith."
“I wasn't
missing. I knew where I was…mostly.” Keith grinned.
"I'm
sure you did Keith." Sven rolled
his eyes. "At least you're home
now. However..." He quickly grabbed Keith into a
headlock. "DON'T SCARE ME LIKE
THAT AGAIN!"
“ALRIGHT
ALREADY! I SAID I WAS SORRY! LET ME GO!”
Lance smiled
brightly at the brotherly exchange.
Poor Keith. Sven had a good grip
on him. Keith wasn't going anywhere for
awhile. "I guess I better go see
Pidge."
“I'll go
with you…if I can get away…ever again.” Keith said.
"I'm
afraid I can't help you there."
Lance laughed as Sven released Keith, only to hug him again. "You don't have to, Keith. You need to spend some time with Sven and
Jeff right now."
“Are you
sure?” Keith asked, reaching out with one hand to grab Lance's hand. “If you
want me to go with you just say so.”
"I'm
sure." Lance smiled as he gripped
Keith's hand with his other hand.
"Besides, I'm going to need some time to get over the shock that I
have to meet your parents so unexpectedly!
Most boyfriends would give a
guy at least a couple of weeks!"
“Well, not
this one.” Keith grinned.
"So I
noticed!" Lance laughed. "Well, I need to see to Onyx anyway and
see how Pidge likes him."
“Yeah…just…take
care, okay?”
Lance
snickered as Sven gave Keith a strange look. "Keith'll explain."
He smiled brightly at Keith.
"Don't worry, I will. You
just try to stay out of trouble."
“I don't
think I have much of a choice right now.” Keith grinned.
"I
figured you wouldn't with Sven and Jeff here." Lance gave Keith a quick peek on the cheek. "Talk to you later."
“You better.
I want to hear all about how it
went.” Keith said.
"You
will! You are sounding like my mother
again!" Lance chuckled. "Later guys!"
“Talk to you
later.” Keith said as Lance stepped out the door.
Sven shook
his head as Lance closed the door.
"So...do you want to call mom and dad now or later?"
“I guess I
should get it over with now.” Keith decided. “So if you'd let me go, I'll go
make the call.”
"Oh! Okay."
Sven smiled sheepishly, giving Keith one more hug before letting
go.
**********
Lance wasn't
sure how long he stood in front of his dorm room, just staring at the
door. He let his stupid fear hurt Pidge
once again. He may not be able to make
up for it this time. Taking a deep
breath, Lance quietly opened the door and stepped inside. "Pidge?"
“LANCE! You
came back.” Pidge said excitedly, jumping out of the chair and rushing up to
him. “I was so worried that you were never going to come back. That Keith
wouldn't find you or you wouldn't listen to him to come back…Keith did find
you, didn't he? I mean that's why you came back, isn't it?”
Lance fell
to his knees and wrapped Pidge up in a fierce hug. "Yeah...he did. But
that wasn't the only reason why I came back."
“It wasn't?”
Pidge asked in confusion as he hugged Lance.
"Nope!" Lance smiled, his eyes moist. "Once Keith showed me how stupid I was, I realized that by running
away I was not only letting myself and him down, but you as well. I'm really sorry for causing you so much trouble!"
Pidge
grinned brightly through his tears. “I'm so glad that you came home. I was so
worried that you'd never come back. Do you have any idea how much worry you
caused me?”
Somehow
Lance managed to pull Pidge even closer to him, tears running down his own
face. "I know. I...I know I can never make up for it. All I can say is I'm sorry."
“I know one way that you can make it up to me.”
Pidge grinned.
"How's
that?"
“By promising to never run off again. And I mean ever.”
Lance burst
out laughing. "Not even if aliens
bomb the school?"
“We'd all be
running then…or called up to fight the attacking aliens.”
"Good
point." Lance smiled. "Don't worry, I promise. I risk losing more by running. I promise to never, ever run from you again!"
“You better
not.” Pidge grinned.
"I
won't! I'm not that dense!" Lance
laughed, still holding onto Pidge.
"So...you manage to stay out of trouble?"
“Of course I
stayed out of trouble.” Pidge said.
"Good
boy!" Lance smiled. "I..." A quiet meow came from his
jacket.
“Um, your
jacket is meowing.” Pidge said.
"So it
is." Lance snickered as he reached
in and pulled out the kitten.
"Pidge, meet Onyx."
“What an
adorable kitten!” Pidge squealed, taking Onyx from Lance and snuggling the
kitten.
Lance smiled
as Onyx licked Pidge's face. "I
think he likes you. You don't mind if
we have an extra roommate for awhile, do you?"
“Not at
all…I just hope we don't get caught.” Pidge said.
"Well,
just keep your mouth shut and we won't.
Don't worry. I'll take the wrap
if we do." Lance smiled
reassuringly at Pidge. "But he's
just too damn cute to turn back out!"
“I agree.”
Pidge said. “He's just so adorable. Could never turn away a cute little face
like his.”
Lance shook
his head. "Then why the hell did
you keep me around?"
“That's a
good question.” Pidge teased. “Maybe someday I'll figure out the answer.”
"One of
the mysteries of life that will probably never
be solved!" Lance laughed, giving
Pidge another hug. "How about we
get something to eat? I'm starving!" He chuckled as Onyx started meowing. "I take it he is too."
“Okay.”
Pidge said. “I'm sure we have some milk in the fridge that Onyx will just
love.”
"Good
idea. I probably need to make more
Kool-Aid though. I'm sure you drank it
all already!"