Broken fingers //Voltron high school AU

Part 9: Cold Ground

Note: it's plot! Not filler! Hooray!

Griffin and his buddies—Ezor and Zethrid—stood still until Keith was near. He stopped at the edge of the pool of light that came off the lamp, staring blankly at them.

"Can I help you?" He asked flatly, keeping his nerves hidden. Fear was weakness. Fear was weakness. He told himself over and over again.

"We just thought we'd get to know the new kid," Griffin shrugged. When Keith started walking, the three of them walked along side him.

"First of all, It's been over a month. I'm not new anymore. Second of all, you wanted to get to know me in an empty park at night? Creepy." Keith stuffed his hands in his pockets, ignoring the three but keeping a casual, easy pace as if he didn't care.

Ezor snickered "you're still new. No one's showed up to this town since we were in fourth grade!" She was too happy, Keith thought. Always moving and bouncing around. It was annoying.

"Why are you here anyways?" Griffin asked "did mommy and daddy not love you enough to keep-" he was cut off as Keith dropped his board, swinging around and slamming his fist into his nose. He could hear the bone crack and it felt amazing.

Griffin fell, and Keith followed him to the ground, digging his knee into his chest and punching him again in the jaw. Then again in the mouth. He drew back for another jab, but the other two dragged him up to his feet. Keith acted before they could get a good enough grip, elbowing Ezor in the chest and Zethrid in the nose. They both loosened their grips enough that Keith tore free, whirling and jabbing Zethrid again in the throat. She was the biggest, and warranted most of Keith's adrenaline rush.

But before Keith could get in another hit, Ezor was there, slamming her foot into his stomach and sending him stumbling back. Griffin grabbed his hand from behind, bending the fingers back so far they cracked. Keith shouted from the pain that shot through his hand. He pulled forward, away from Griffin, but ran straight into Zethrid, who grabbed him by the shoulders, head butt him, then kneed him in the stomach. The breath rushed from him lungs.

Ezor grabbed his arms, jerking them behind his back so he couldn't move. Griffin struck him in the eye. Then Zethrid in his throat, probably as payback for earlier. Then Keith lost track of who was hitting him and where. All he knew was that he wouldn't be able to get out of it. It was three on one, and one of them was massive.

Ezor let go, shoving him forward. Griffin was there behind him again, his arm around Keith's throat and closing off the pipe so that all the breath he'd lost couldn't be regained. Keith gasped, seeing black spots against the blue sky. He clawed at Griffin's arm, trying to get out words.

"C'mon Griff, we don't want to kill him," a distant voice sounded. The arm around his throat loosened. Keith pushed away hard enough that he stumbled, but stayed up right. He gripped his chest and throat, gasping for the air he'd lost. There was another blow directly to his nose, and Keith finally lost his footing and tumbled to the ground. He didn't care enough to try getting up.

He heard Griffin's voice say "Pathetic" the footsteps that faded into silence. They were gone, Keith thought. The only thing that kept the pain from being completely agonizing was the cold ground beneath him and the darkness that lapped at the edges of his mind like waves crashing on a cliff side. Keith gave in to the darkness, letting it carry him away into blissful oblivion.

***

The sky was dark by the time they arrived. Another car was pulling out, but Lance didn't get the chance to see who was in it. Neither did Pidge or Hunk. Pidge was too focused on talking excitedly about her new camera and Hunk was too busy listening and driving. Lance had taken the back seat so that the nerds could talk more easily.