Connections - klance

>>16<<

Lance remained frozen in his seat, staring blankly forward. The tears had stopped falling, but he hadn't moved an inch.

Of course they didn't need him. Of course they found a new paladin. Why would they spend time looking for him? He was useless. Unlovable. Stupid. Gullible. Obnoxious.

He dug his nails into his arms, drawing blood.

"Lance."

He turned, looking up to the source of the voice. Lotor.

"I'm so sorry about what happened," the prince said, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. Lance flinched at the touch.

"C-Can I go home?" Lance whispered, staring at the floor blankly.

"Home? Weren't you listening to what the paladins were saying? I doubt you'd be welcome—"

"No. I w-want to go home," Lance said, clenching his fists. "To Earth." The prince paused, surprised.

"I... I don't think that's a good idea. You are still a prisoner, albeit a prisoner with benefits." He paused a moment, seeming to consider his options. "Do you have people on Earth that you care about?"

"Yes," Lance whispered. "My f-family."

"Well... we could potentially arrange for a communication line to be set up." Lance shot up in his seat.

"You can d-do that?"

"Possibly. Let me consult with some of my technicians." He strolled out of the room, leaving Lance alone.

All he wanted at that moment was his mama. He wanted to collapse into her arms, letting her stroke his hair and sing gentle Spanish lullabies. He wanted to fall asleep on their worn-out couch, curled up in the old musty blanket that they kept in the basement. He wanted to hold his siblings tightly, messing up their hair and wrestling playfully. He just wanted to go home.

"Lance, we found a way to communicate with your family."

Lance shot up in his chair. "You did?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure it's a good idea. There's no guarantee that your family will even be there," Lotor said worriedly.

"I w-want to see them," Lance said, his mind made up.

"Alright," Lotor sighed, giving in. "I'll get it set up for you."

Lance shifted in his seat, staring at the screen with anticipation. He needed his family. He needed them right now.

His living room appeared on the screen in front of him. A man was laying on the couch with his back towards Lance, obviously asleep. Empty bottles of beer littered the floor, and his heavy snores filled the room.

"H-Hello?" Lance called. The man grunted, rolling over. Lance caught a look at his face and gasped.

It was his papa.

"Papa, wake up!" he shouted. His dad groaned, slowly sitting up.

"What the hell?" he muttered, his eyes bloodshot.

"Papa! It's me! Lance!"

His father only stared at him blearily.

"Lance?"

"Yeah, Lance! Where's everyone else?" Lance asked excitedly.

"You—What the hell? Where the hell have you been?" He seemed angry.

"I'm really sorry, Papa, I kind of got recruited to be an astronaut? K-Kind of? I've been in space, Papa."

His father only stared at him angrily.

"What kind of excuse is that? You've been in space? You didn't ever think to call home to let us know where you were going? What the hell, Lance?! You can't just call us months later, not even bothering to come in person. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Lance's smile faltered. "I-I know I've been gone, and I'm s-sorry I could never call home. It's a little hard to explain."

"Hard to explain?!" His father was yelling now. "You wanna know what's hard to explain? It's hard to explain to my kids that their big brother isn't coming home. It's hard to explain to my wife that her oldest son might be dead out there. It's hard to explain to the funeral services that there is no body, because even we don't know where the hell our son is!" He was crying, hot tears streaming down his face. Lance shriveled before his wrath.

"Here's something that's hard to explain, Lance. Your mother is dead." His voice broke on the last word. "She's dead because she couldn't stop blaming herself. She's dead because her oldest son disappeared off the face of the earth, not seeming to care what would happen to us. She's dead because the heartbroken sobs of her children kept her from falling asleep at night. She's dead because the screams in her head were just too loud, and the medicine couldn't make them disappear. She's dead because of you, Lance." His father was full-on sobbing now, clutching his head in his hands. Lance only stared in shock, tears flowing freely once again.

"Fuck you, Lance," his dad screamed. "You killed your own mother! You ruined my fucking life! You're no son of mine, and I wish you were de—."

The screen suddenly went black.

"I couldn't let that go on any longer," Lotor said, his hand hovering above the controls.

Lance was shaking again. Why had he thought it would be a good idea to talk to his family? Of course that's how they felt. And his mama...

He shook harder, doubling over in pain. Sliding to the floor, he wrapped his arms around his knees, sobbing.

His mama was dead.

It was all his fault.

There would be no welcoming hugs when he returned home; no delicious smells wafting through the air. No drifting laughter, no playful teasing. He wasn't welcome there.

The thought pierced him to his core, painful tears streaming from his eyes and gasping sobs racking his body.

He was alone. REALLY alone; even more than he had been before.

He had no home. He had no family. He had nobody to be there for him.

What was the point of it all? 

(960 Words)

Hello all! Geez, this book is turning out longer than I expected it to haha. Sorry for the long chapter; I hope you liked it! (although, is this book something to enjoy? Or to hate? idk)