Red (Sequel to Blue)

Chapter 6

Keith ducked as another inanimate object was hurdled at his face. He looked up at the seething beta and winced as that fury was directed at him. "Hunk wait it--"

"I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!" Hunk screamed as he looked around for another hard object to throw at him. Keith was in awe, he had never seen Hunk so angry. Ever. And from this experience Keith learned that he never wants to be on the wrong side of the beta ever again. 

"Hunk, please, I didn't mean it!" Keith pleaded. It seemed to anger Hunk even more.

"Well I should fucking hope not!" he exploded. Another metal-block-metal-thingey soared across the room and hit Keith dead in the gut. "Because if you did mean it I think I would actually murder you!"

The scary part was Keith knew that Hunk wasn't exaggerating.

"Hunk I just want to make it up to him!" Keith tried again. This seemed to stop Hunk from physically attacking him, he lowered his arm that had been poised another thing at him. 

"And how do you think you're going to do that?" Hunk asked, placing a hand on his hip and glaring daggers at Keith. 

"...I was actually...going...to ask you....what I should do..?" Keith asked, wincing at how pathetic he sounded. 

Hunk actually laughed at that. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Keith paled. Hunk doesn't curse often. The last time he heard Hunk curse so much was when a racist alien called Lance some not-so-nice words. Hunk went nasty and started ranting to him about it. The alien had only sneered at Hunk claiming that he was the same "nasty color" as Lance. That made Hunk lose it and Keith had to physically separate Hunk from the man before he killed him. 

If there's one thing that Keith learned about Hunk in the past five years, is that he's fiercely and even terrifyingly protective of Lance.

And right now, that untapped, homicidal rage was directed and aimed at Keith.

Keith gulped and prayed to every God he could think of.

===================

"And then I woke up and was about to--HOLY SHIT KEITH! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?!" Pidge screamed.

"Language." Shiro sighed, before looking up to see Keith and Hunk enter the kitchen. Keith walked in first, his face--if you could still call it that---was bent down in defeat, yet a somewhat triumphant smile decorated his destroyed lips. 

He must have convinced Hunk to help him after all.

At a price, it looks like. 

Both of Keith's eyes were swollen and black, a busted lip and a bloody nose that Keith had stopped by stuffing wadded up paper into his nostrils. 

Hunk walked in behind him, his face passive, but his eyes held a look of fury that had even Shiro shaking in his shoes. "We came to an agreement." was all Hunk said before sitting down. Keith sat down next to Shiro, wincing as he moved to sharply.

"What kind of agreement?" Pidge asked, staring at Keith and then sharply turning her head to look at Hunk. She repeated the movement a few times before she finally settled on staring at Hunk. 

"Why don't you answer that, Keith?" Hunk asked, his eyes daring Keith to say no. 

Keith sighed. Here we go, all over again. "I may have said some very regrettable things that resulted in Lance leaving the castle....and possibly staying away forever."

The only words Keith could use to describe Pidge's face was I'm-going-to-kill-you-but-I-want-it-to-be-insanely-painful-and-torturous-so-I'm-going-to-wait-until-you-least-expect-it-and-gouge-out-your-eyeballs-letting-you-slowly-bleed-to-death.

"Keith." Pidge said harshly.

"Yes?"

"You're dead to me."

"...I know."

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Lance sighed for what felt like the hundredth time today. He was currently sweeping the floor while also trying to figure out how to sneak back onto the castle-ship and get Clarissa out of there. He may be hurt, but he's not going to leave Clarissa with someone who now felt like a stranger.

And besides, if what Keith said is true, then he doesn't want Clarissa anyway. 

"Good morning Lance," Linda greeted him, smiling largely. "How are you?"

"Eh." was all Lance said before continuing to sweep. He bent his head down so that he couldn't see the smile slip off of Linda's face and a sneer replace it. But when Lance moved again Linda smiled almost as brightly as before.

"How was your night?" she asked. Lance stared at her, deadpanned expression before returning to his chore. "Er, right. Probably a bad question to ask."

"Yeah," Lance said, sweeping the dust and food crumbs into a dustpan and throwing them away. "Just a bit."

"Well, have you decided what you're going to do about you alpha?" Linda asked. Lance sighed and put the broom away and sat down before he answered, staring at the mug of tea he'd made earlier.

"He's not my alpha anymore, Linda." Lance reminded her. "And...I don't don't know."

"Right," Linda said, taking the seat next to him. "I forgot. Do you think you're going to get rid of the bond-mark?"

"I..." damn, why was this so hard? Lance wanted more than anything to say yes. Just get rid of it, and be done with it. Keith didn't love him, and it'd be too painful to keep the constant reminder of Lance's loss on his neck for all to see. Not to mention his heat will absolutely fucking suck if he's still bonded to Keith and he's not here. Because, let's be honest, Keith won't be there. 

"C'mon, Lance," Linda insisted. "If you get rid of it then you can stay here forever. Isn't that what you want?"

Lance stared at his cup, his face contorting into confusion. 'Stay forever'? Where did she get that idea from? Lance didn't want to stay here. Lance was planning on taking Clarissa and moving somewhere new. A fresh start. 

Just because they apologized and everything doesn't heal the pain that Lance had from being rejected. 

"I wasn't planning on staying here, Linda." Lance said, looking back up to meet Linda's eyes. Linda's smile wavered for a second. "I just...can't."

"Why not?" Linda asked, her smile tightening around her lips. "We're your family. Pack. Isn't this everything you've ever wanted?"

"I...no," Lance said again. "I have my daughter. I have my Keith, I mean, I had, an alpha...and I don't need one anymore." Lance moved to get up bot Linda gripped his wrist.

"Lance, please, stay." she pleaded. Lance yanked on his arm but he couldn't get it free.

"What are you doing?" Lance cried. "Let go of me! I need to go get my daughter!" Something cold pricked the inside of his wrist. When he looked down he saw a needle and stared at Linda in shock.

"I'm sorry Lance, but you're not going anywhere." Linda said. Lance started to feel woozy. 

"Did you...just...fucking...drug me? What...the..fuck......you.....pyscho.." Lance said before he felt the world spin. Lance's knees buckled and he crumpled to the floor.

Linda's face appeared, peering down at him. "I'm sorry, Lance. I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do this. But we need you here. You understand."

Lance tried to voice his thoughts but the waters in his head was too loud. It was washing over him in a wave. And then his head slipped under the surface.

It all went black.