Red (Sequel to Blue)

Chapter 5

Lance ran as fast as he could, tears falling freely down his face. He didn't care anymore. His alpha--no! Keith wasn't his alpha anymore. The bond mark on his neck burned. His body was trying to reject the mark on his neck. No! Even if Keith didn't love him, Lance did. He willed the rejecting process to stop.

His omega was catatonic. 

He felt so betrayed. 

He felt so hurt.

He didn't know where to go. He needed to get Clarissa and run. Get away from Keith. But he couldn't go back to the castle. If he went back, Hunk would convince him to stay. And Lance couldn't stay. He just couldn't. 

But he didn't have anywhere to go. 

Lance lifted his head and dried his tears and began to walk briskly to the house at the top of the hill.

Yes he did. He could stay with Linda and his old pack.

His new pack.

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"FuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK!" Keith screamed. He paced back and forth in the castle entrance. Lance left five minutes ago and Keith still had no idea how to tell the pack what he did. 

Keith punched the wall as tears began to well up in his eyes. Dammit! He let his anger get in the way again! And now he drove away his mate! He kept punching the wall, ignoring the pain he felt. He didn't stop until hands pulled his body away from the wall.

"Hey, hey," Shiro whispered. Keith turned around and buried himself in Shiro's chest and wept. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"Lance is gone," Keith said in between sobs. "It was all my fault. I'm so sorry Shiro. I don't know what to do."

"Wait, hold on," Shiro said, pulling Keith out to face him. "Lance is gone? Like, gone gone? What happened?"

"I was trying to tell him what Linda was doing." Keith began. "But he wouldn't listen to me. I got angry and I said some things that I don't mean and then he left. Her's gone, Shiro, and I don't know how to fix it."

"What did you say?" Shiro asked seriously.

Keith had the decency to look ashamed, and swept his head to the side sheepishly. "ItoldhimIwasonlywithhimbecausehewasanomega."

"What?" 

"I told him I was only with his because he was an omega!" Keith cried. Shiro's eyes widened and he let out a gasp.

"You did WHAT?!" he cried. "What were you thinking Keith? Do you have any idea how badly you've fucked up?"

"Yes! Of course I do!" Keith said. "I didn't mean that! I love Lance, you know I do. I was just so angry that he couldn't see what was happening."

"So you thought screaming about how your love wasn't real was a good idea?" Shiro asked.

"No!" Keith wailed. "I didn't mean it! I..I-It was an a-accident...I l-love him..and n-now he's g-gone! Shiro w-what am I gonna d-do?" 

"I don't know Keith. What you did was seriously messed up." Shiro answered honestly. "I have no clue how you're going to make it up to him. But you'd better do it fast. Lance might reject his bond mark over this." 

This brought another round of sobs from Keith. His alpha was whimpering at the thought of Lance rejecting the bond mark. 

"I need to fix this." Keith said heavily.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you." Shiro said in exasperation. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to talk to Hunk," Keith said. "And then I'm going to win Lance back."

"Good luck," Shiro scoffed. "When Hunk finds out what you did to his best friend he's going to kill you."

Keith shuddered.

"I know."

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"Here Lance," Linda said, offering Lance a mug of tea. Lance smiled and took the warm cup gratefully. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

Lance felt his eyes water at the memory of Keith screaming at him. "I got into a fight with Keith."

"Keith?" Linda asked before gasping. "Oh is he your alpha?"

"Was," Lance said bitterly. "He was my alpha."  

Linda's mouth fell open. "He rejected the bond?!"

"No," Lance said firmly. "Yes? I don't know. It's complicated."

"You can tell me anything," Linda promised. "I will never hurt you. Ever."

"It's just....I don't know what to do," Lance whimpered. Linda cooed and wrapped him in a hug. "He said that he was only helping me because I was an omega."

"He was using you?" Linda gasped. "Only a monster would do something that despicable!"

"Yeah..." Lance said, staring out the window. Lance was wrapped in a wool blanket (and Linda) and was watching the rain fall as he thought. "I just...I never thought that was why...We've been together for almost five years now.."

"Sometimes the people you love aren't who you think they are." Linda offered. "Sometimes you just want something to be true so badly that you're blind to reality."

"I guess." Lance shrugged. "I don't really want to talk about this anymore." Lance said. Linda nodded sadly. 

"Of course," she said. "We'll figure out everything tomorrow. For now, just try to get some sleep." She got up, patted Lance's head a few times before walking away. Lance snuggled closer into the warm blankets and pillow provided for him.

Whenever Lance couldn't sleep in the castle, he would go to the observatory and look at the stars. Now Lance had the rain. It was far more beautiful than the stars and nebula that he saw. 

Keith didn't love Lance. That much was clear, after all he said it himself. But what about Clarissa? Was he just using him to get a daughter? Or did he really not care about Clarissa? What if the only reason he's stayed with Lance this long was because of her?

Lance didn't want Keith to take Clarissa and reject him. 

It was at this moment that Lance missed those simpler days. The days when Lance was sad and Keith would find him, and wrap his arms around him and say it would okay. Lance wanted Keith'a arms around him. He wanted Keith's promise that tomorrow will be better.

Lance looked up at the rain.

"Mama?" nine-year-old Lance asked. "Why does it rain?" He stared up at the dark clouds in sadness. He wanted to go to the beach today.

"Because the clouds are sad," Mama said. "They float above us all day and watch over us. They see us when we're sad. When the clouds cry, it rains."

"Why do the clouds cry?"

"Because someone's heart was broken."

Lance stared at the stormy clouds and ran droplets that pelted the window. Someone's heart was broken indeed.

Lance whimpered. "I miss Keith."