The Color of Death is Blue

The Handler

Shiro took the phone call on the other side of the room. Keith put on his leather jacket and pants and sat on the edge of one of the beds, arms crossed and an annoyed stare directed at Lance. Lance sat hugging his knees and hiding the lower half of his face as he stared back.

Keith was over the situation. He couldn't wait for whoever took care of him to come and be on their way. He found Lance annoying and hard to work with. And he didn't believe a word he said. Keith figured he was crazy or something. Or he was lying. Maybe he really was a highly trained undercover spy or something and didn't want his cover blown. Either way, Keith didn't trust him one bit.

They sat there staring at each other until a knock was heard at the door. Shiro let them in, briefing the girl on the situation. She thanked him and ran over to Lance. Keith watched their interaction with judging eyes.

The woman knelt down and set her hands on the bed, "Lance, are you alright?! Oh I was so worried about you!"

Lance nodded and softened his shoulders, "Yes, I'm okay." He inspected her, "Did you bring it?"

She brought her hands up in surprise, "Oh! Yes, I did." She reached into her white bag and pulled out something black, handing it to Lance.

Lance took it and placed it over his face. The black leather mask covered his nose and mouth, wrapping around his jaw and a part of his neck as well. It had a gentle point on the bridge of the nosepiece and a tiny pink heart under his left eye. After securing it, he turned to the woman and they grabbed each other's hands in a teammate kind of way.

The girl turned to Keith and placed her manicured fingers on her chest, "My name is Allura. I've watched over Lance since he was a kid. I would like to thank you for saving him."

Keith huffed, keeping his arms crossed, "What's up with the mask?"

Allura lowered her gaze, "I think we should have a little chat."

Lance stayed where he was while the three of them talked in the hallway. Allura brought her hands up to her chest in a delicate manner, "Lance was born with a curse-well, that's what we call it. There isn't any other way to explain." She looked to both men as she continued, "When Lance was a child, he was found in his house with both of his parents dead in the living room. No one was blamed and the case went cold."

She brought her arms down and laced her fingers together, "I'm his aunt. I offered to take care of him after his parents passed. He was confused and scared all the time; and he refused to let anyone touch him. He never made friends or opened up to anyone, and I feared that he was in danger of hurting himself."

She stopped and took a breath to compose herself. She talked with her hands as she continued, "One day, Lance was harassed on the street-I was with him. Two men brought us behind a building. They were about to-you know- to me and Lance pleaded with them to stop. That's when one of the men slapped him." Her eyes drifted in remembrance, "It happened fast. The man's throat just opened and he bled out. At that time...Lance was different. He was scary. He stood up to face the other man and grabbed his hand. He resisted a little, but Lance brought his hand to touch his cheek, then let go. A second later and the man clutched his chest and fell to the ground."

Allura locked eyes with Shiro and Keith, switching between them, "That's when he told me about his parents and my dog and a teacher at his school. I finally understood why he never wanted me to touch him." She wrapped her arms around her waist and closed her eyes, "He's not hateful," She lifted her head in desperation, "Lance is a good person! He really doesn't want to hurt anyone. You must believe me."

Keith processed the information slowly, rolling over all the options in his head. Did he believe it? No. But he wasn't about to test it. The best option was to go along with it. His attention was suddenly brought back to the conversation at the mention of his name.

"-with Keith and I." Shiro motioned to the both of them, "Unfortunately, people are aware that we have him."

Allura stepped forward and brought her hands to her chest, "But that's too dangerous!"

Shiro crossed his arms, "It's more dangerous to let him go with you. I can assure you, we are trained to be in these situations."

She opened her mouth to protest, but backed down, "You're right." She brought a hand through her hair, "I knew this day would come."

Keith pieced together the remnants of the conversation to figure out what he missed. When it came together, he was pissed. He whipped his head around to face Shiro, "Wait. Are you saying that he's staying with us?!"

Shiro shook his head, "No," he placed a finger on Keith's chest, "He's staying with you. New assignment: keep him alive."

Keith furrowed his brows, "You've got to be kidding me."

Shiro ignored him, "Go inside, I will finish up here."

Allura took Keith's hand, "Thank you! Please keep him safe!"

Keith yanked his hand away and slammed the door closed behind him, muttering curses to himself.

"Are you alright?" Lance's voice was muffled by the leather.

Keith groaned and rubbed his eyes as he walked to the mini-fridge to pull out a beer. Taking a sip, he ran his fingers through his hair and called out to Lance, "Looks like you're with me now, Princess."