Langst oneshots? Probably.

Imposter Or Impersonation?

Made by: ??? on ???

Keith shadow was everywhere. It ranged from the way I ate to my entire life story. It was like Keith was always there. And I hated it.

Keith was gone, off with the blade! Why should I have to live up to someone who left the team! He's not even here right now!

But I was never good enough. Never smart enough, never strong enough. I, Lance McClain, am not enough.

So I started changing things. I started training more, I started pushing myself more. Thoughts plagued my mind.

You aren't skinny enough. Did you see how fit Keith was? You need to be like that. Don't eat, don't do that, it'll make you fat and you'll be less like Keith. Instead, train. Push yourself, then you'll be like Keith.

I stopped eating. No one noticed, I don't think anyone cared. I didn't drop my joking until later.

I had planned a joke carefully. I wouldn't talk. Wouldn't speak unless spoken to. It was going to last a few days, maybe a week top.

But it didn't, days blurred into weeks and weeks blurred into months. And that month turned into a year. And in that year, I completely changed.

About 1 week into no talking, I stopped joking around. I used to joke when people talked to me, because I needed to relieve stress somehow, but then the others got mad at me.

Keith doesn't joke like that. Keith is serious. Maybe you should try being serious once, Lance. Maybe you should be more like Keith.

After the joking stopped, no one noticed. In fact, they'd seemed a little relieved. I decided joking was for old Lance, not for new Lance.

Old Lance got locked under lock and key. He was buried so deep that I thinks even if I wanted to, I couldn't bring him back.

—Third Perspective—

Old Lance joked and made inappropriate comments. The old Lance was annoying and loud. The old Lance wasn't like Keith.

The new Lance was though. The new Lance was great. New Lance would train and was a good fighter.

New Lance was quiet and only spoke when spoken to. New Lance wasn't annoying. And, most importantly, new Lance was a lot like Keith.

Almost a carbon copy of Keith's personality. And no one on the team seemed to notice old Lance's absents.

In fact, they'd sometimes called Lance Keith on accident. Lance would relish in being a good teammate and the others just made simple mistakes.

But were they really so simple?

Keith came back to the team. He expected to find Lance being, well, Lance. He expected everyone to be the same as when he left, maybe small differences here and there.

But when Keith entered the ship he saw the team with Lance missing. Keith didn't understand.

When Keith left, Lance was so sad to watch him leave. For Lance to miss Keith's return was like if Keith missed a sale at hot topic. It was unheard of.

Keith grew concerned. He started paying extra attention to Lance, where Lance was and what Lance did. And Keith could barely tell it was Lance.

There was no trace. No jokes, no smiles, no laughing. And no one on the team seemed to notice.

Keith also noticed the amount of times he was brought up. It was always used to critique Lance in some way. Telling him to eat less or more, telling him to train harder.

Keith was sick of hearing his own name at this point. So Keith went up to Lance to point it out.

"Lance, why does everyone here compare me and you," Keith had asked, seething with anger.

Lance merely shrugged, "I'm not sure Keith."

And Keith was shocked. Keith stepped back and turned, running away. Lance's voice was so... monotone. Keith felt chills. Bad chills.

And one day, while training, Lance passed out. And while everyone was staring at Lance's body, slightly annoyed, Keith was concerned.

Keith scooped Lance up and brought him to a healing pod. Keith stayed by Lance's pod all day, not once daring to leave.

Keith needed to know what happened. Who was Lance at this point. A hiss of the pod brought Keith out of his head.

He caught Lance and was surprised when he wasn't met with any jokes or puns. Keith took a step back, almost dropping Lance.

"Who... who are you," the emo asks Lance. Lance shakes his head, giving the faintest smile.

"Well, I'm Lance, obviously," Lance said. His voice was still monotone but Keith could see the smile.

And everything fell into place. The names, the monotone, the training. Lance was doing as he was told, he was being like Keith.

Keith didn't know what to do. Keith sat on the ground, clutching his head, letting out shaky breaths.

"Oh, my god," Keith had let out. "You're me. B-but—."

Keith's voice gave out. Lance didn't spare Keith a glance as he walked away from the boy. Lance walked to the door and turned before walking away.

In the split second before walking away, Lance muttered, "imposter or impersonation?"

And Keith's brain was spiraling, trying to find answers. That... that was Lance right?

Keith didn't question. He didn't question when Lance bled blue, he didn't question when Lance didn't eat for a month yet still didn't die.

Lance was gone. And in the wake of Lance's death, grew a grey line between imposter and impersonation.