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lostbetweenvampiresandmusic · 4 months

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Captive

I saw someone on here who said that there aren't enough dark fics about the lost boys, so I was kind of inspired to write one. After all, i do intend to forget that 'our' boys are also viscous killers. That being said, this is dark. Like really dark. Tw for torture, broken bones, needles, blood drinking, taunting, and murder of the oc. So, read at your own risk.

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The first thing I noticed after waking up was the cold. Water - or at least, I assumed it was water - dripped on my head, dampening my hair. I couldn't help but shiver as some drops fell down my face, running down my nose and over my chin.

The second thing I noticed was that I was not wearing the clothes I had on before falling unconscious. I had been wearing a shirt and some pants, but now I was in a thin dress. I frowned - why would someone change my clothing? The dress wasn't smooth. It was hard in some places, as if blood had dried there and stiffened the fabric. Had I been bleeding?

The third, and probably the most important thing I noticed, was that I couldn't move my leg. My left leg was hurting, and when I slid my hand down my leg to feel why, I hissed quietly, tears burning in my eyes. My hand hadn't just run over skin, instead bumping into something sharp. Something that was probably my bone, I realised.

Before the horror of my leg being so horribly broken could consume me, the room I was in was lit up. A guy with bleached blond hair and completely dressed in black entered, carrying a torch. Fear crossed my face as I looked at him.

"Who are you?"

The guy stopped, staring at me. His look held something terrifying.

"What do you want from me?"

He moved forward, placing the torch in a metal holder on the wall. He ignored me still, and I wasn't sure if it was because he was the one who did this to me, and he wanted to intimidate me, or if it was for some other reason.

"Why won't you answer me?"

I gasped as his hand closed around my throat, lifting me up in the air until I was held above him. "Shut up."

He let go, and I fell to the ground, gasping for air. I looked at him, realising now that I had seen him before. He and three other men always hang out on the boardwalk. He had been banned from several stores, and a couple of nights ago, I had been forced to enforce the ban they had from the videostore.

"Is this because I sund you away from the videostore?"

Once again, I was ignored, but I could have sworn I saw a smirk on his face. He left the room, only to return less than ten seconds later with some needle and thread.

"You're not that important," he chuckled as he pulled the thread through the needle and pushed it through my lip, grinning as I cried - both from fear and from pain. "We just wanted a new plaything." He continued, slowly but surely stitching my lip together. When he was done, he opened a bottle of vodka he had brought in and poured some over the wounds he made. I screamed, crying and whimpering as I desperately tried to ignore the stinging pain. The guy just laughed, getting up. "We'll be back later. Better behave, doll."

We? Did he mean that the other three boys also played a part in this? I was terrified. This guy was enjoying hurting me way too much. God knows I couldn't run - not with the way my leg was broken. But I had to try, didn't I? I couldn't just give in, right?

I must have fallen unconscious because when I woke up, it was to one of the blond guys - I think his name was Marko - biting my wrist. I tried to pull away, but he yanked my arm back quickly, bruising it badly. He didn't say anything as he eventually let go, leaving the room. I felt exhausted, though, realising that he probably drank my blood. What kind of freak would drink my blood? Feeling lightheaded, I tried my best to focus on my surroundings. I couldn't stay here. As I looked up, I noticed something.

The door was still open, and I knew that this was it. I knew it could be a trap, another cruel game, but i could not risk it. Either I got out now, or I would die here. That was how it was going to be. I cried quietly as I moved to stand up, almost throwing up when a sudden flash of pain rolled over me. Limping, I made my way to the door, hoping that no one was outside.

Luck seemed to be with me, and as quickly as I could - which wasn't very quickly, mind you - I made my way through the hallway. I walked, and limped, and cried, and somehow it felt like the hallway just wasn't ending. When, after what felt like hours, I was more than ready to give up, I saw a small light in the distance. The light of a fire, or maybe the rising sun. I didn't know. It gave me hope, and no matter how much pain I was in, I realised I had to go on. Hissing with every step I took, I slowly made my way out.

It was a fire that I had seen. A fire burning inside a cave that was empty. Empty - I sighed quietly. I could get away. I limped through the cave, to the opening, deciding that crawling was my best bet on getting out. I don't know how I managed, I felt more horrible than I had done in days, but in the end, I managed to reach the opening of the cave. The stairs leaving towards the opening were tall, but i realised I could just sit on the stairs and try to make my way up like that, moving step by step without using my injured leg as much.

After what seemed like hours, I was exhausted. I was dead on my feet, but I was upstairs. I had escaped. I was free, I was - something heavy hit my head, and I fell to the ground, losing consciousness.

"I told you she would try to escape," a voice above me laughed loudly.

"You'd almost pitty the poor human," another laughed, "tried so hard to escape and then still failing."

I pulled my eyes shut again. No, this - this couldn't be true. I got out, I escaped, I-

"We know you're awake," I was yanked up by my hair, causing my eyes to snap open. The four guys from the boardwalk stood in front of me, their faces looking distorted.

"Shame you got out," one of them - Paul, you thought - said, "We would have let you go if you just stayed."

You looked horrified, as you saw how sincere he looked. Was it true? Could you have been freed, just by listening to them? By staying put? Tears welled up in your eyes.

"Pwwss," you tried, but your mouth was still sewn together. The guys laughed before one of them, the only brunet, grabbed your face and slowly dragged your jaw down, tearing your lips open. Your screamed, your lips bleeding, your mouth burning.

"Please let me go..." You cried, " I won't tell anyone, please just-"

"Why would we let you go? Because you tried so hard to escape?"

David grinned, causing you to shiver. "You can try to escape. Go ahead. But when we catch you, remember that this will seem like a good memory."

I didn't need to be told twice, I ran. I hurried, I cried, I limped, I hopped, I tried everything I could to stay ahead of them.

I can hear them now, their motorcycles going faster than I could ever go. I can hear their laughter, their taunting, and I know that it is pointless. I can't outrun them. I can't. I try to move further, but I can't - a tree branch causes me to fall over, and within seconds, all four of them are on top of me. Fangs bared, sinking deep into my skin. They drink and drink, and I know this is it.

Quietly, I stare up to the sky, closing my eyes as I feel the last drops of blood being drained from my body. The last thing I hear is their laughter. And then, I hear nothing.

Total silence.

#the lost boys #marko #david #paul #dwayne #tlb #tlb 1987 #david tlb #dwayne tlb #paul tlb #the lost boys 1987 #dark lost boys #tlb fic #tw torture #tw blood #tw needles #tw dead

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the-kittens-of-vol-tron · 1 year

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Enchanted

First Chapter! Previous Chapter!

AO3!

Chapter 9: Until I See You Again

Summary: The fight ends and the aftermath unfolds

Word Count: 6,516

Trigger Warnings:

- Blood - Injuries - Slight Drug Use - Death/Discussion of death (Please trust me and read before yelling lol)

Lance’s POV

Pain. So much pain. Coran made getting stabbed look less painful than this.

Blood rushed to his mouth, dripping out of the corners of his lips. His mouth twisted due to the injury. His eyes trying to squeeze shut at the burn in his body. Trying to slip into a painless slumber.

Sendek matched his face, growling as Lance pushed his sword into him more. He clearly wasn’t anticipating that.

Lance forced himself to take a couple of breaths. His mind was racing. Something he couldn't afford right now. One stab to the gut wasn't enough to take down Sendek. This was his chance to finish it.

“Yo-you-'' Sendek began to spit out the start of another monologue of some sort. Lance didn’t care to hear it.

Expand. Expand. Expand! His sword finally shifted. A metal piece tore through Sendek. Right out of his head.

His arm immediately shut down. His eye went dark and his body fell backward. His hand yanked out of Lance.

Lance gasped at the pain, finding his own body falling to the ground. His knees buckled underneath him.

The ground was cool. It felt nice. He could deal without his armor tightening around him. Digging and squeezing around his gut. Applying an uncomfortable pressure. He knew it was doing what it was supposed to do. But he was dying, did he really need more discomfort?

He laughed, which turned into a wet cough as blood moved up his throat. He was dying.

He closed his eyes, not even caring he was choking slightly on his own blood. He just wanted peace.

“Lance!” Hands grabbed his head, turning him to the side. Assisting the warm liquid out of his mouth.

He tried to focus on the voice. The voice he had memorized months ago. Keith. He tried to open his mouth to speak but he released a groan instead.

“Holy sh-shit. You-you’re going to be okay. Pl-please be ok-okay.” Keith was babbling. His eyes filled with tears as he stared down at his knight.

Lance found himself staring at him. Even through the pain, he was clear to him. He was the only thing he wanted to look at.

“Somebody help!” Keith’s voice echoed around them as he called to no one. It was just them. Lance wanted to tell him help was coming. The others were alerted before the fight started. He just didn’t know when.

“Keith.” His voice was hoarse. He couldn’t raise it above a whisper. He put all his effort into his right hand. Trying to lift it.

Keith reached for his hand, holding it tightly between both of his hands. “You can’t die on me! I forbid it! You can’t-” he closed his eyes. A sob escaped his chest.

“You’re beautiful.” Not dying Lance would be horrified if those words slipped out. But he was dying. He didn’t care as much.

Keith opened his eyes, lending down to pressing his face against their hands. “That’s my line.”

Lance smiled, “you flirt.”

Keith pressed a kiss into his palm. He had never done that before. “Please stay with me…I can’t lose you.” His voice was weak and tiny. A sound Lance had never heard before.

“You’ll be okay.” He pushed each word out, his senses beginning to fade some.

Keith shook his head, “no. I need you Lance…please just. I can’t-” his chest hiccupped. “I love you…you can’t just leave me.”

“Wh-what?” more pain moved in his chest as Lance tried to sit up. Nearly blacking out from the motion.

Keith gripped his hand tighter. Seeming to try and keep him alive just by holding his hand. “I love you.”

Lance laughed slightly, coughing up more blood in the process. “How unlucky am I?”

“What?”

He closed his eyes. The man I love feels the same. But I won’t be here to enjoy it. His chest sputtered slightly, his lungs failing to fill with air. Everything slowly went cold. And quiet. He allowed himself to fall.

His eyes shot open, his body moving forward quickly. Gloved hands quickly pressed him back down. “Easy my boy. No need to ruin your healing process.”

He didn’t need to look at the source to know who it was. “Coran!” He turned slightly, the cords attached to him going unnoticed. “Where’s Keith?! I need to-” He tried to slide off the bed he was laying in.

The older man placed his hands on his shoulders. Gently pushing him down. “Shhh, the Crown Prince is fine. He’s safe and treated. And so are you.”

He let himself be moved back down on the bed. Resting his head on the silk pillow beneath him. His eyes looked up at the familiar architecture. “I’m on Altea.”

Coran hummed, “you were brought here once you were stabilized. The Galran’s pods are only set up for other Galran’s. Well for long-term healing.”

Lance was silent. Trying to remember what happened. He was dead. He was dead. How was he? “I was dead.”

The older man sucked in a tense breath. Crushing any doubt Lance may have had.

“Coran…I was dead.” He looked at the older knight. Letting his own words sit heavy on him.

The orange-haired man nodded, his eyes filled with a mix of exhaustion, sadness, and something else he couldn’t label. “You were briefly. According to Shay, at least a minute.”

Lance frowned. “How did?” He paused, trying to calm his mind. Questions swam around in his head, making it hard to navigate or concentrate. “I don’t understand.”

He had accepted his death. He was dead. None of this made any sense.

Coran leaned back in the chair he was in. Crossing his arms loosely in front of him. His right leg crossed over his left. “We arrived as soon as we could. All of us.” He shook his head some, his eye closing as he recalled the details. “I’ve never heard Romelle scream so loud before. And Adam,” he chuckled slightly. “I’ve never seen him speechless before.”

He took a deep breath, his eye staring at the edge of the bed. “You were alive when we got there. Barely. But alive. The poor Prince. He wouldn’t stop crying. He wouldn’t let you go. He was begging for us to help you. To save you. The Empire and Empress had to pull him off you. Nearly pinning him down.”

“I went into autopilot. I ordered Adam to take off his chest plate and he helped me snap it on you. So at least you had something that could properly stop the bleeding. I carried you to our ship, immediately demanding we headed back to Altea. But,” he paused, blindly reaching for Lance’s hand. Giving it a supportive squeeze.

“We didn’t want to move you if it was too late. Thankfully, we were on the Emperor's ship which had a small med bay. The devices they had mainly worked for Galran’s but it was enough to stabilize you. The entire flight to Altea you were in and out. Mumbling about the pain, and how tired you were. Asking where your mom was, telling us it was okay. You were okay. It was painful.”

Lance felt his heart drop. He couldn’t imagine how that must have felt for everyone else. He didn’t remember any of that.

“As soon as we landed on Altea you were mostly gone. But Shay and her team met us with a stretcher. They were working on you as we rushed you to the pod room. I’ve never heard Shay swear before. But she was cursing like a space pirate as your heart stopped.” Coran laughed at the memory. “Yelling at you to pull yourself together, and how dare you be her first patient to die on her.” He paused, staring at their hands for a couple of moments. His shoulders were shaking some.

“I’m not sure what she did but she got you back. And shoved you in a pod as soon as your armor was removed. And three days later you were released. You’ve been here for two days. Which Shay said was to be expected. The pods could heal you but your body would still need rest.”

“I pushed myself too far.” Lance chewed on his lower lip. “I let my emotions cloud my judgment during the fight. If I didn’t let that happen it would have turned out differently.” He looked down at himself, a bit scared to see the damage that rested under his clothes. “This wouldn’t have happened.”

Coran frowned. “Sendek played you. The Prince told us what he said.”

Lance squeezed his free hand, anger quickly returning. “He’s dead, though, right? I actually killed him?” He hesitantly asked, worried he may have imagined him falling off his sword. Cold. Lifeless.

“Yes…yes you did.”

Lance let his body relax, tears burning behind his eyes. The relief from the revenge he didn’t know he needed quickly consumed him. Did he finally avenge them? What that a goal he had? A desire he hadn’t identified in the past fourteen years of his life? But through the relief, he felt empty.

Killing Sendek didn’t bring his family back. It didn’t bring back anyone that he had selfishly taken away. He didn’t regret what he did but he was stupid to let his words affect him so much.

“Lance?”

His eyes snapped to Coran, “yeah?”

“Do you want me to get the Prince? He, admittedly, hasn’t left your side since today. Shiro basically dragged him out of here to make him shower and get some proper rest.”

“I uh,” Lance felt his face burn as he remembered their last conversation. The confession. How legit was that?

“Or we can sit together a bit longer.”

Lance smiled at the older man, squeezing his hand again. “I’d like that. I wanna hear what everyone’s been up to.”

They talked for hours. Coran rambled about what Altea was doing. The projects Pidge and her brother Matt had come up with. How Romelle and Allura finally told the King and Queen they liked each other. Adam laughed at them as they blushed in front of Allura’s parents.

Lance slipped back into a slumber as Coran talked. His body was heavy and exhausted.

The room was covered in a warm orange. Mixed with yellow and pink. Sunset. Something he missed. He turned his head to the side, trying to see if he could look out the window.

His eyes fell on a familiar flop of hair. A book held up, covering the majority of his face.

“Prince?”

He dropped the book, immediately scooching the chair closer so his knees were pressed against the bed. “You’re awake!”

“Yeah…I think I woke up earlier.” He squeezed his eyes closed before opening them again. Trying to blink away the sleepiness that sat on his consciousness.

“You did,” the Prince stared at his hand. “Coran came and got me after you fell asleep again.”

“Sorry.” He wasn’t sure why he was apologizing.

The Prince smiled, “don’t be sorry.” He grabbed his hand tentatively. Holding it light enough to let Lance know he was there. But lose enough he could easily slip his hand out. “Plus, Adam showed me where your bookshelf was. You have quite the selection.”

Lance found himself smiling slightly, focusing on the warmth of his hand. “I like to read.”

The Prince chuckled, lifting their hands up slightly. Twisting them slightly so the back of Lance’s hand was pressed against his lips. “I know. And I already have a pile of books you need to read me next.” He mumbled against his skin.

“Whatever you want, your majesty.”

The Prince frowned some, a million questions in his eyes. “Lance…about what I said when you were hurt. I just wanted-”

The door flung open. Keith immediately dropped his hand, pressing his back to the chair as Adam and Romelle stormed into the room. Shiro followed silently behind them.

“YOU’RE AWAKE!” Adam bolted toward Lance, immediately wrapping his arms around him.

Lance did his best to hug him back from his position. Romelle immediately took his place. “You really just barged in here screaming? What if I was sleeping?” Lance glared at Adam. Friendly banter.

Adam shrugged, sitting down at the end of the bed. “You’ve been sleeping too much. Time to wake up.”

“I’m literally healing from being impaled. I think I’m allowed to sleep.” Lance grumbled, Romelle sitting by his hip. Her hand on his hand.

Adam waved his hand in the air. “When Coran was stabbed he was up and about the next day.”

“Did Coran die though?”

The room fell silent and Lance ignored the way the Prince stiffened beside him. That was going to be a sore topic for a while.

Adam frowned, “no. Damn, you’re the first one to die out of all of us. How do you feel?”

Romelle chuckled, “Adam stop interrogating him.”

Adam crossed his arms, “it’s not an interrogation…more like an interview.”

Lance smiled to himself. Letting himself laugh as jokes were thrown around the room.

---

Keith’s POV

He silently tapped on the cover of the book he was holding. Watching Lance’s chest rise and fall softy. He glanced at the food that sat beside him. Dinner he couldn’t stomach. He hadn’t eaten since they put Lance in the pod. He needed to but the thought made him sick.

Lance died. He actually died. It wasn’t long but still. He died for Keith. To keep him safe.

He knew that was the reality of their agreement. That was Lance’s job. But, that was the reality he was “okay” with before he developed feelings for him. Before he fell in love with him.

He rubbed his eyes slightly. He needed to properly sleep. Another thing he lost when Lance went into the pod.

He tried. He really did. He wanted the time between Lance’s healing and his being awake to fly by. But every time he fell asleep he re-lived that moment. Holding Lance in his arms. The smell of blood, how pale he looked. How cold his skin got. His parents pulled him off him, trying to calm him down as Coran carried him away.

His throat finally stopped hurting from how loud he was screaming.

He was completely useless. And Lance almost paid the ultimate price.

The door opened slightly. “Prince?”

He looked at the voice, giving them a small nod in acknowledgment.

Coran stepped into the room more, sending him a sad smile. “I’m here to escort you to your room.”

Keith stared at the unconscious boy. He didn’t want to leave him. What if he woke up in the middle of the night? What if he needed someone to comfort him?

How unlucky am I? What did he mean by that? Keith hadn't been able to ask him yet.

“I know you want to stay here but he’ll probably be out the rest of the night. And you need some proper rest. I apologize if I’m coming off as an overbearing father but Lance would freak out if no one tried to get you to rest.”

Keith nodded. Forcing himself to stand from the chair, taking a moment to simply stare at Lance. Silently promising to come back in the morning. To be the first person he saw when he woke up.

He followed Coran down the hall, watching the ground as he walked. “Sleeping makes you re-live it doesn’t it,” Coran stated.

Keith glanced at him, “what?”

The old man kept his eyes trained ahead. “When you sleep. You see it all happen again don’t you.”

Keith chewed on his inner cheek. Letting the silence be his answer.

Coran led them down another hallway. “It happened to me. When my son was killed. I did everything to stay awake.” He paused in front of a door. “Lance helped but it hurt.”

“You took Lance in as a kid right?”

Coran nodded, “you know about what happened to his family correct?”

“Kinda. Sendek said something about it when they were fighting.” Keith opened the door, waving Coran in. He wanted to keep talking but not in the hallway.

Coran bowed slightly as he entered the room. Standing by the now-closed door. “I and my son were heading to the McClain house that day. The McClains were known for medicine. Herbal work, some alchemy, things like that. They were a good family. Strong in their values, morally right. They wouldn’t hurt anyone and they pushed for Alfor to start alliances with the Galran even before the battle was over.”

He sighed, “we were asking them for help creating medicine. Princess Allura was extremely sick. But, by the time we got there, The blood had already fallen. The Galran were still there, catching us off guard.”

He wiped his eye, “my son, he fell during that battle. And,” he touched his eyepatch, “I got this.” He dropped his hand, “the Galran’s fled before I could get them. I chose sitting with my son in his last breaths then chasing them down. I alerted the castle as soon as I could and when the bodies were being taken away we realized one was missing.”

“Lance?”

Coran nodded. “He was hiding in a kitchen cabinet. Said one of the Galran’s put him in there. Didn’t know why. But the castle took him in. I didn’t initially take him in. But after a week he hadn’t eaten or spoken and he found me in the garden. I was mourning my son and took some time to heal. He just sat by me. In silence. Just rested his head on me.” Coran gave a wet laugh, his eyes looking into a faraway place. “I think we just understood the pain. And from that moment I took him in.”

He remembered a detail Lance told him once. There was another knight, killed fourteen years ago. “Your son was a knight?”

Coran’s eyes fell, “yes. Was sworn in a couple of years before he fell.”

The room fell into a blanket of silence. Keith didn’t want to disturb it. He moved and sat on the bed, staring out the glass doors that lead to the balcony. “Do you think you’re closer to Lance?”

The older man started twisting his mustache. “Perhaps. I love all the knights like they’re my own but Lance was younger when I met him. Adam and Romelle were about fourteen when he was brought in. When he started unofficial training when he was nine. They both accepted him like he was already a knight and as a younger brother. They helped him a lot.”

“How does he not hate us?”

“Hate who?”

Keith gestured to himself. “Me.”

“You mean Galran’s as a whole?” Coran inquired.

Keith nodded and shifted his eyes to the knight. “He seems…defensive in a sense. The only time he directly disobeyed an order from me was when I said Galran’s were only good for killing. He sort of…went on a tangent about how we’re not.”

The older man hummed. Clearly picking his words before speaking. “I think when he was younger he did. But I’m not sure if that hatred extended to all Galran’s or just the ones that murdered his family. He had so much anger as a kid. Constantly snapping, using anger as his motivation to train. It consumed him for a couple of years. But he grew out of it. Learned to manage his emotions and hatred. Slowly turned into the man he is today.”

“Do you think he’s going to be okay?”

Coran nodded. “Yeah. Tomorrow he should be up and about and he’ll have to answer some questions but pass that. He’ll be right back to protect you.” A smile formed on his face as he spoke.

“Questions about what?”

“The mission. How he found you. How he got injured. Things like that.”

Keith furrowed his brow, “I already told you everything.”

“And we believe you. But we need his side of the story as well.”

“Okay.”

Coran turned so his hand was on the doorknob. “I should also warn you. The knights will be hosting a party tomorrow for Lance. You won’t have to attend but I couldn’t talk them out of it.”

“Oh…okay.” Keith wasn’t too sure how to respond to that information.

Coran smiled, “goodnight Prince.”

“Night.” The door clicked closed and he lay down on top of the sheets. His body urged him to sleep and he wanted to. But he couldn’t see what happened again. He didn’t want to feel the warmth from the blood or smell it. He wanted to be by Lance. Watch him sleep, watch him breathe. Watch him be alive.

He wanted to talk about his confession.

He rolled over and stared out the doors. Altea was beautiful at night.

---

A small needle was pulled from Lance’s neck, the medic bowing at the King and Queen as they stepped off to the side.

Lance rolled his head around a couple of times. His eyes glazed over.

He wasn’t wearing his armor. Instead, he only wore the black undersuit for his armor.

Another Altean stepped forward, his hands grasped behind his back. “Lance McClain, can you confirm that is your name?” His voice almost echoed off the marble room.

Keith made a confused face, what kind of question was that? He looked at Shiro who simply shrugged. His eyes fell back to Lance. He looked oddly calm under all the eyes that were boring into him.

He sat in a chair in the middle of a room. In front of him were the guard, King Alfor, and his wife. To their left were Allura, Romelle, Adam, and Coran. The knight’s faces were unreadable.

A woman he had never seen before stood next to Coran. Her hair was light purple, her skin a light tan, and her Altean marks were red. She looked at Lance with interest. Like she wanted to dissect him.

A younger person with shorter brown hair and round glasses stood next to Adam. A taller figure who looked strikingly similar stood next to them. Neither had Altean markings.

Keith stood to the right of the Altean leaders, his parents, and Shiro next to him. Others were in the room. People who he assumed were royal advisors, politicians, and maybe Alchemists.

He wasn’t required to attend this questioning but he was admittedly intrigued by Lance’s side of the story.

“Correct,” Lance responded. His voice monotone.

“Have you discussed your side of the mission with anyone?”

“No.”

The Altean nodded, pacing back and forth slightly in front of Lance. “It was reported that you told Empire Kolivan and Empires Krolia of their son, the Prince’s, disappearance first. Correct?”

“Yes.”

“Explain how that happened?”

Lance took a deep breath, his posture remaining stiff in the chair. “I woke up and completed my daily routine. I left and waited outside of the Prince’s door at our usual time. I waited until Takashi Shirogane passed me, informing me of a meeting he was about to attend. I knocked on the Prince's door a couple of times and received no answer. That’s when I opened the door.”

“What did you see?”

“His bed was unmade and the balcony door was open. Both unnatural aspects of the Prince’s routine.”

“You think you know the Prince’s routine pretty well?”

Lance nodded.

“Tell us, after you told the Empire and Empress and they contacted Altea. What did you do?”

“I waited for instructions. The Prince’s captors sent a video message that Pidge Gunderson easily tracked down to one of four locations. From there, we were split into our groups and went on our ways.”

“You were alone, correct?”

“Yes sir.”

“Is it true that you argued against having help? You didn’t, and I quote, ‘don’t need Altean or Galran guard present to help me,’ end quote”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“The Prince is my person and the others would have gotten in my way.”

Krolia placed her hand on top of Keith’s. Giving it a grounding squeeze.

“How did you figure out which room the Prince was in?”

“Easy. As I moved through the building the guards got thicker closer to that room.”

“You killed these Galrans?”

Lance nodded.

“Were those your orders?”

“I wasn’t told I couldn’t.”

Murmurs filled the room and King Alfor raised his hand to silence them. Keith looked at the other knights, they looked bored.

The Altean continued. “Explain the fight that led to your injuries.”

“It was between me and a Galran named Sendek. I had to lower my guard to get him close enough to be properly killed. I was running out of time, the Prince needed help, and I wasn't sure when the others would arrive.” He said through gritted teeth.

The Altean raised his eyebrow at Lance. Stepping forward slightly. “How was he able to hurt you so badly? Was the fight uneven? Or were you drugged?”

Lance clenched his jaw, sweat beading around his hairline.

“Lance.” King Alfor said, his voice commanding but comforting.

Lance grimaced slightly, squeezing his eyes shut.

“The more you resist, the more it hurts. I suggest you just answer the question.” The Altean said. Crossing his arms.

Keith looked back at the other knights. Each of them starting to look more pissed off.

Lance released a quick breath, dropping his head some. His hands gripping the arms of the chair tightly. “Sendek was one of the Galrans that killed my family fourteen years ago. I didn’t recognize him until he said it. Completely caught me off guard and he was able to land hits on me.”

The Altean nodded. “Did you properly check the Prince’s room the night he was taken?”

Lance breathed more evenly now. “Yes. I checked it after he fell asleep. Everything was locked and no one else was in the room.”

“How do you think he was taken?” Kolivan asked. He must have been given permission since nobody looked at him.

Lance looked at him. “My guess would be someone that works in your castle. Someone that knew I wasn’t staying in his room that night.”

Kolivan nodded, leaning back in his chair. His forehead scrunched in thought. Obviously thinking of the list of people who worked in his castle.

The Altean looked at the King and Queen, both of them nodding. He turned back to Lance. “That is all. Thank you for your time.”

“I have a couple of questions, if I may.” The lady that was standing by Coran spoke. Her lips pulled into a tight smile.

The King glanced at her, before waving his hand. “Feel free Honerva. But I feel as though he has told us everything.”

She smiled, raising her voice to cover the distance. “Do you enjoy working on Daibazaal?”

“Yes.”

“And you don’t hold any hatred for the Galrans you protect?”

Lance glared at her, his eyes cold. “No.”

“What about the Galrans as a whole?”

“No.”

“How did it feel to hear that Sendek was one of the Galrans that took away your family.”

Lance gritted his teeth, shaking his head over so slightly. His chest rose and fell quickly.

Honerva smiled some, “I suggest you just answer it. Unless you enjoy feeling fire in your veins.”

“I was pissed. I let my anger consume me and I fumbled.” He took a deep breath, his eyes looking down.

“Rookie mistake?”

He didn’t answer.

She continued, seeming unbothered by the pain the knight was feeling. “If you fought him again. Would you let your anger consume you again?”

“He’s dead so I don’t have to worry about that.”

“If he wasn’t?”

He clamped his mouth shut, a small groan of pain escaping his lips.

Keith dug his nails into his thighs. Fighting the urge to yell at her. Do what he could to get Lance awake from this situation. The knights looked as if they were fighting the same feeling.

“Why are you hiding the truth? I thought you were a knight.”

“Fine! No, no I don’t think I could stop myself from getting angry.” His body shook slightly, his eyes squeezed shut. His head dropped some. Almost as if he was trying to curl into himself.

She nodded at his response. “Do you think you deserve to be a knight?”

Keith snapped his eyes toward the woman. The knights looked at her with anger. And a desire to swing their swords at her. He looked back down at Lance, ignoring how everyone in the room was stiff. The queen whispered something to Alfor.

Lance opened his eyes some. Carrying sadness. He dropped his head ever so slightly more. “No…I don’t.”

She made a slight ‘tck’ sound. “Do you regret what you did to save the Prince?”

“Enough!” Coran stepped forward, his marks glowing slightly. “This doesn’t pertain to the mission or questioning. Everyone in this room knows our code of conduct.” Coran spoke, his voice laced with venom. His stared at the King. Silently telling him something.

King Alfor nodded. “Coran is correct. That is not something that is needed. Lance is allowed to keep his feelings regarding what he did.”

Keith felt his blood go cold, his stomach twisting into a painful ache. Did Lance sacrifice himself reluctantly? The thought hadn’t even occurred.

He glanced over at Coran, his eyes meeting Honervas. An uneasy smile on her face, her eyes full of mischief.

He didn’t like her.

---

“Did you want something else to drink?” Lance asked as he made his way over to him. Holding his own shirt glass of something.

Keith looked down at his cup, “no I’m okay. Thank you.”

Lance nodded, releasing a deep breath as he looked at everyone. Coran was right, the knights did throw a party. It was small though. The knights, Nyma and this guy named Rolo, two humans named Matt and Pidge, Hunk, Shay, Allura, and Shiro decided to come as well.

The knights were wearing their armor. Lance was given a new set after his questioning. Enchanted and everything.

“You know you didn’t have to come if you didn’t want to.” Lance swirled his drink some.

“I know. But I wanted to. It’s your ‘you didn’t die’ party.”

Lance laughed, “yeah…I guess it is.”

“CHUG CHUG CHUG!!!!!” Both of their eyes snapped toward the middle of the room. Adam was doing a handstand on a metal barrel. A tube in his mouth. Pidge, Matt, Hunk, and Romelle chanted the words loudly.

“What the hell is he doing?” Keith glanced at his advisor who stood across the room. Looking skeptical at what was happening. His own face a bit flushed from the drinks he already had.

“It’s called a ‘Keg Stand.’ It’s a party way to drink on Earth.”

Adam let his legs land on the ground, standing up with a smile. Cheers filling the smaller room. He immediately made his way toward Lance and Keith. Well, he stumbled over at least.

“Lanceeeeee,” he wrapped his arm around his shoulder, hanging on him. “I love youuuu.”

Lance grinned at him, “love you too buddy.”

Adam tried to give him a hug, his free hand landing on Lance’s face. “I gotta tell you something.”

“Oh? What?”

He grabbed Lance’s jaw, turning his head toward Shiro. “See him.”

Lance smiled and Keith felt his lips turn upward some.

“Shiro? What about him?” He tried to pull his head back but Adam tightened his grip some.

“I think he’s hot.” He brought his face closer to Lance’s ear, failing to lower his voice. “I’mma try to kiss him.”

Lance laughed, “good luck with that.”

“Thankssssssss,” Adam released his grip, moving toward Keith. “So like. Does Shiro like guys?”

“I uhhh, I don’t know.” Keith avoided his gaze. He wasn’t sure if he could handle it if Adam draped himself on him as well.

Adam gave him a lopsided smile, “I’m going to find out. Have fun you two!” He moved away, making a beeline toward Shiro.

Keith couldn’t help but chuckle. This was the first party he didn’t mind attending.

The night went on. Drinks were passed, music was played, and dancing occurred. It was a fun time. The music began to slow. Hunk and Shay pulled each other close, swaying back and forth.

Shiro and Adam were still leaning against the wall, talking softly to each other. Everyone else in the room didn’t exist to them.

Romelle and Allura were holding each other close, pressing soft kisses on each other's faces. Nyma and Role danced and Coran chatted with Pidge and Matt. All of their faces flushed pink.

“Prince?”

“Hmm?”

“Did you want to dance? Like together?”

Keith prayed his face didn’t give away his flustered emotion. His skin burned.

“You just seemed to want to talk about something yesterday and we're interrupted. We could talk about that now.”

Keith nodded. “Sure.” He turned to face the other boy, letting Lance place his hands above his hips. He slid his hand around his neck, clasping his fingers together. They gently swayed back and forth.

Keith found himself staring at the silver chest plate to Lance’s armor. “So what were you trying to say yesterday?” Lance’s voice was low, the rough Galran rolling off his tongue smoothly.

“I wanted to apologize. For kind of confession while you were…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

“Dying?”

Keith nodded. “You were in pain, and delirious and that wasn’t the time for me to tell you that. But,” his fingers tightened around each other, pulling himself toward Lance slightly. “What I said was the truth. I’ve never told anyone I loved them before…especially for romantic love. But it was the truth.”

Lance remained silent. His posture stiffened..

Keith breathed around the tears that burned in his eyes. He expected a rejection. “I understand if you don’t feel the same. My feelings are unprofessional and a bit out of the blue but. I wanted to address it…if you don’t want to continue to be my knight I understand.”

“Prince?”

He closed his eyes, refusing to meet Lance’s.

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any romantic feelings for you.” His hands tightened around his hips. “But, I’m your knight and I don’t think I’m what you need.”

Keith frowned, finally opening his eyes. “How do you know what I need?”

Lance shrugged slightly, “I’m not royal or Galran. I’m sure you have some rules you need to follow for your future romantic partner.”

Keith looked up at the other boy. His blue eyes scanned the room. Even when he wasn’t on duty he still watched everything.

Keith didn’t have any written rules for who he could date. But Lance was right. It was a silent agreement he would find someone with a royal or wealthy background. Species didn’t necessarily matter.

“That doesn’t matter.”

Lance looked down at him. Holding a burning eye contact.

“Because I want you.”

Lance dipped his head some, “okay.”

“Okay? What does that mean?”

He lifted his head. “It means I want you to think about this before you say stuff like that. Because,” he pulled Keith even closer. Their bodies flushed together. “I won’t want to let you go if you give me a chance.”

He leaned down some, putting his lips right next to Keith’s ear. “So think. Make sure this is okay before we do something about our shared emotions.”

The song ended and Lance pulled away, pressing a kiss to Keith’s hand. “I’ll be waiting.”

Lance headed toward Romelle and Allura. Hunk and Shay joined the convo. Keith grabbed another refill, downing the liquid quickly before stomping over to Shiro. Who was still being sweet talked by Adam.

“Shiro.”

“Hm?” He pushed himself off the wall.

“I need to talk to you.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” He gestured towards the balcony. Adam sent him a wink before making his way over to where the crowd was.

The air felt good on him, his skin warm from the alcohol and being that close to Lance.

“So I saw you and Lance dancing…very closely.” Shiro teased, bumping their shoulder slightly.

“I told him I loved him…when he was dying. And we just talked about it.”

Shiro frowned, “he doesn’t feel the same?”

“No, he does. But he’s worried about me. Since he’s not ‘royalty’ or ‘Galran’ it couldn’t work out.”

“That makes sense.”

Keith turned so his back was against the marble railing. Letting his head look up at the stars. “Would mom and dad be okay with us?”

Shiro hummed, quickly sobering up as he thought. “I’m not sure. They haven’t talked too much about the type of person they want you to end up with.” Shiro placed his arm on Keith’s shoulder. “They do want you to be happy.”

“And push a political agenda.”

“It would be beneficial. But I think you should go with what makes you happy. Your parents will have to learn to accept who you love.”

Keith nodded. “Okay.”

“Do you need anything else?”

“No…you can go back to Adam.”

Shiro blushed, “we’re just talking.”

Keith laughed, “please. Anyone can see how close you two have gotten over the past couple days.”

Shiro pushed him slightly, in a friendly manner. “Watch your tone, Prince.”

They both headed back to the party, chuckling as they walked. Keith had made up his mind. He was going to do something for himself for once. He watched Lance dance with his friends. He looked happy.

He waited till others started leaving before he approached Lance again. “Hey.”

Lance turned to look at him, his eyes filled with anxiety. “Hey.”

Keith glanced around, everyone seemed to be engrossed with their own people. “I know you’re off duty. But could you walk me to my room?”

Lance nodded, “let’s go then.”

They walked in tense silence, Keith’s palms getting sweatier by the second. Lance stopped in front of the door. “Here you go, your majesty.”

“Could you come in for a minute?”

Lance gave a soft smile, “sure.”

Keith walked to the balcony, staring out the door as Lance closed the door. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah…the best party I’ve been to.” Keith turned to face him. “Did you?”

Lance smiled, “yeah. I danced with someone.”

Keith chuckled, taking a couple of steps toward his knight. “I’ve thought about what you said.”

Lance stiffened. “Okay.”

“You don’t have to be so nervous.” Keith stepped closer, reaching out to grab Lance’s hands. The new leather smooth under his skin.

Lance stared down at their hands. “I basically told you to think about rejecting me. I think I have the right to be nervous.”

Keith leaned in closer, “I talked to Shiro.”

“Okay.”

“He said I should do what makes me happy.” Their faces were close, their lips only a couple of inches apart. Their breaths mingled.

Lance squeezed his hands ever so slightly. “What would make you happy?”

“Can I show you?”

“Yeah,” Lance’s voice was hardly above a whisper.

Keith closed his eyes, slowly pushing himself forward. Their lips connect.

-----

Hehehehe kiss <33333

That interrogation scene was def inspired by Candor from the Divergence series

Thank you for reading <333333

#enchanted #chapter 9 #holy shit tumblr fought me on this #langst #klangst #klance #kangst #tw blood #tw dead #tw injury #tw drug use #posted on ao3 #no beta #long post #kats writing #knight lance #altean lance #galran keith #prince keith

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