A/N: Sorry for being late. I wanted to finish and post this yesterday, but I had a photo shoot to do they wanted preview photos that day to post online and then Aunt Flow decided to punch me where it hurt. But anyway, it's done and there' probably a lot of errors but I hope you enjoy.
Lance got up off the floor and took a deep breath before he lightly knocked on his bedroom door. "Hey, are you done?" The room was silent. "I know you're probably still upset about everything, but if you want you can still stay the night." The room was still silent. "Hey, did you hear me?" Lance started to open the door, "I said you could stay the night if you wanted to."
The room was empty and the window was left wide open.
..::::..::::..::::..
He left. How could he just leave?
"Hey Lance."
Why would he just leave? It wasn't like I was going to tell anyone about what happened.
"Lance."
I was nice. I kept him fed. Gave him a place to sleep. Heck, I was even going to offer him to stay!
"Lance!"
I wonder if he's doing ok. Maybe I'll run into him when he's human? But he might just run away again.
"Lance come back to Earth will you!" Hunk practically yelled as he snapped his fingers in front of Lance's face.
"How could he just leave?" Lance mumbled to himself as he stayed in his own little world.
"Uh, who left?" Hunk asked, seriously confused about what his friend was thinking about, or who he was thinking about.
Lance finally came out of his head when Hunk's question interrupted the one question he kept repeating to himself. "What?"
"You said, 'How could he just leave?'" Hunk repeated. "You've been out of it most of the week man. Did something happen that you're not telling me about?" Hunk asked, feeling a little hurt that Lance was keeping secrets from him. They've been friends since their daycare days and something like that has never happened.
"Uh, well," Lance started thinking of how he should handle the conversation. I can't lie to Hunk. He's my best friend. But then again, Keith looked really serious about not wanting anyone to know what happened. And if he's found out, who knows what will happen to him.
"Well what?" Hunk asked, wanting to know what was wrong.
"Well," Lance thought more of what to do. He looked around the room and was reminded that they were still in class in the middle of study hall. "Well, the thing is, I met up with a Tinder guy over the weekend." In his current situation, lying seemed to be Lance's only answer. "And I thought we hit off really well but then he just up and left after getting a phone call. That's all."
Hunk frowned, not sure if that was the truth or not but still willing to take it. "Really? He didn't give you any reason why he had to go?"
"No, all he said when he came back was that he had to go. I'm pretty sure it was his girlfriend or something. He seemed nervous about being out with a guy. But oh well, dodged a bullet there I guess." Lance shrugged, a little proud that his story was believable but still upset that it was a lie.
"You really did. You need someone who wants to be around you and not have you as a side piece or experiment." Hunk said as he agreed with his friend. "But maybe this will cheer you up." Hunk turned around in his seat and grabbed his phone off his desk. "Allura posted in the group chat and asked if we wanted to go to some snack shack by the beach. Pidge already said that she was down and now they're just waiting on us."
Lance thought about it. Although his crush for Allura faded away with time, the sight of her always cheered him up. And hopefully spending time with her would get his mind off a certain stray. "Yeah, let's go!"
"Awesome!" Hunk quickly texted his reply.
Me: Lance and I are down! Where do you want to meet?
Katie (Pidge): He's not going to be moody the whole time, is he? (;¬_¬)
Me: No, he's better now. Turns out a jerk hurt his feelings over the weekend.
Allura: Don't tell me it was another Tinder date… And we can meet in front of the gym and walk there.
Me: Yeah it was. Hopefully he'll learn to stop using apps to find dates soon.
Katie (Pidge): Coran's not driving? Yay I get to keep my lunch! ＼（＾▽＾）／
Lance: HEY! I'M IN HERE TOO REMEMBER! QUIT TALKING ABOUT ME! ESPECIALLY YOU HUNK! YOU'RE RIGHT NEXT TO ME! DX
Hunk looked up at Lance, who was staring at him with daggers in his eyes. "Sorry," Hunk smiled.
Lance looked back at his phone and scrolled up in the group chat to see what else he missed. "Yeah right," Lance pouted.
Me: HEY! I'M IN HERE TOO REMEMBER! QUIT TALKING ABOUT ME! ESPECIALLY YOU HUNK! YOU'RE RIGHT NEXT TO ME! DX
Me: I need new friends!
Nugget: Quit being such a baby. (e_e)
Princess : Sorry about your date Lance. Whatever you get is on me!
Me: You're the only one that loves me! ^3^
..::::..::::..::::..
"It should be at the end of this street." Allura said as she continued to lead her friends down the seawall path toward the small, beaten-up pier that overlooked the equally small, beaten-up beach.
"How did you find out about this place again?" Pidge asked as she looked around the area.
The group of friends have walked across the seawall before to look at the coast, but they've been on this side of town. Not many people came this far down the coast because of how cold and isolated the atmosphere was. All the buildings in the area were further apart than they were in town and they were worn down due to the salty air and age of the structures. But the area did have its interesting side. Even though the isolation was something unusual, some did find it comforting when they wanted somewhere to run to when the brighter side of town became too much. In the distance, there were some people on the small beach and walking around the pier enjoying the escape that the area provided.
"Coran told me about it. He said he just found on a whim when he was running errands and hit it off with the owner. The shack isn't really something to fawn over, but it's a nice break from our usual spots and the food they have is ok." Allura explained as she continued down the path.
"Something new is nice Allura, but I don't think the weather is a good setting for it." Lance said as he stared up at the gray sky. A setting that the area always seemed to have over it. "Isn't it supposed to rain today?"
"Not till tonight I think," Hunk said as he pulled out his phone to check. "And it's only a 20% chance. I think you'll be fine."
"If it rains we're staying over at Pidge's!" Lance announced as he started to pick up his pace so he could walk by Allura.
"Why me?!"
"Because your house is closer."
"That doesn't mean you can just invite yourself over!" Pidge complained.
"Calm down you two," Allura started, "Rain or shine, how about we all stay at my place tonight? We don't have school tomorrow and it'll be fun."
"Yes! Party at Allura's!" Pidge cheered, the mood lightening right away.
Once the group of teens reached the pier, Allura had alerted them that the shack was just down the small hill on the other side of the seawall lined with all the other buildings. The building was just like the others that were around it, a worn-out, dulled colored, two story building that was converted to a beachside shop. The single entrance door and the two front windows were propped open despite it being slightly cold outside. The smell coming from the shack was a usual smell you sense from a place that cooked a lot of fattening foods. The inside of the snack wasn't that special either. The colors looked as if they had a brighter past, but time had dulled them out and the walls were dotted with the usual coastal themed decorations. The room was as open as the structure would allow, with some support beams and the tables making the room feel like a maze. There was a bar at the back of the room where one could sit and possibly talk to the cook and on either side were doors that led to employees only areas.
"Let get that table by the window," Allura suggested as she walked through the hectic floor plan.
The group of friends looked a bit out of place compared to the few customers in the shop that were either by themselves or with just one other person. After they had all sat down, the cook behind the bar soon noticed the abnormally large group in his shop. "Hey kid, get out here and work," he yelled to the back room through a small window in the wall. The group shared the single menu that was left at the table. The menu was simple with the usual burgers, hot dogs, fries, milkshakes, and a list of a few seafood dishes organized by season.
"Are you all ready?" The waiter asked once he walked up to the table.
Everyone ordered what they thought would be decent; Pidge got a large plate of fries with a soda, Hunk a cheeseburger with fries, and Allura a milkshake.
"Lance what are you getting?" Hunk asked as he bumped Lance's shoulder.
Lance was a bit out of it, he was more interested in watching the ocean across the street than looking at the menu. He scanned it over, not really trusting the food based on the atmosphere. "I'll just have a shake," Lance said as he looked up at the waiter. He nearly fell back out of his seat from the shock when he finally noticed who he was talking to. There, standing at the head of the table writing on his notepad, was the same guy that's been on Lance's mind for the last couple of days.
Keith looked just as unremarkable the snack shack in his jeans and black t-shirt. But this time he had his hair pulled back in a small ponytail, and it gave him a sort of calming yet serious look. This was a complete turnaround compared to how Lance saw him last – naked and his hair a mess.
Just as quickly as Lance noticed that Keith was taking the orders, he was already walking back to the bar. Giving no sign that he had noticed Lance at the table.
Did he ignore me? Did he even see me?! Lance thought to himself, his questions quickly pushing him to demand for answers. He quickly excused himself from the table, interrupting the conversation that he didn't notice his friends were having, and quickly followed Keith to the bar. Keith was busy at work, quickly passing off his orders to his boss at the grill and then walking to the side to start on the drinks.
"Hey," Lance said in a hushed tone as he huddled over the bar, trying to keep their conversation quiet and discreet.
"Go away." Keith said sternly as he topped off both Pidge and Hunk's drinks.
Lance smiled. "So you did notice me."
Keith cut his eyes up at Lance and then looked back down at the bar as his moved the drinks over to a small tray. "I'm working, go away." Keith was starting to get irritated with Lance's pestering.
Lance watched Keith get the ingredients for his and Allura's milkshakes together. "How have you been," he tried asking, really wanting him to answer at least some of his questions that's been bugging him since that night. Keith didn't reply. "You just left and then never came back so I've been a bit worried." Keith continued to stay quiet. "I haven't told anyone you know." Keith was still quiet. "I won't tell anyone if that's what's bugging you. You can actually trust me with what happened." Keith was still quiet as he turned on the blender. Lance waited for the blender to finish before speaking again. If Keith was going to stay silent, he can stay silent. But Lance was still going to talk. "You said you came over to be fed and get warm, right? Well," Lance grabbed a napkin and pen from behind the bar, "if you want to come over again just let me know. You can come by however you want." Lance held out the napkin as Keith finished pouring the milkshakes into Styrofoam cups.
Keith looked at the napkin and notice that it had a phone number on it. He then looked at Lance, his face showing his natural angry resting look. He then snatched the napkin out of Lance's hand and threw it in the small trashcan behind the bar. "I told you to forget what happened. I'm not a charity case. I don't need to be pitied. Leave me alone." Keith said calmly and quietly and he stared at Lance. He then put the milkshakes with the other drinks on the tray and picked them up and walked past Lance and toward the table.
Fucking jerk!
..::::..::::..::::..
"Winner! Player 1!" The television cheered as it flashed its announcement across the screen.
"What the heck Lance?! What did I do to deserve this?" Hunk complained after being virtually beaten to a pulp for the fourth time in a row.
Lance was playing as if he were out for real blood and nothing in the world was going to stop him. During all four matches, he just stared angrily at the screen with dead eyes and mumbled curses under his breath.
The teens were all sitting in the spacious entertainment room of Allura's home. She lived on what the locals knew as the 'nicer' side of town where the houses were renovated manors and newly built modern homes. Allura never really waved her family's good fortune around since she was raised to not really rely on it, it was one of the main reasons why she chose to attend the public school in town instead of a private school in the city or having a tutor come teach her instead like she had as a kid. Her father was almost always away overseas on business trips, so most of the time it would be just her and her childhood nanny turned adopted uncle Coran in the spacious home. Which made nights like these with her friends staying over more precious to her.
"Isn't it obvious," Pidge called from the couch, "He's mad because the waiter at the shack turned him down."
"Wait, when did that happen?" Allura asked as she looked down at Pidge, who was leaning against her instead of a couch cushion.
"After the guy took our order. Lance went over to the bar to hit on him, even gave him his number. But the guy wasn't interested and now Lance is taking his anger out on the video game." Pidge then paused from her computer work and looked over at the group. "Where were you guys during all this?"
Hunk looked at her confused and amazed. "I swear, you're not human Pidge."
"Yeah I know. Matt says that I'm more like a robot most of the time." She said as she went back to her computer.
"Well, getting my butt beat made me thirsty." Hunk said as he got up from the floor. "Lance why don't you fight the computer-," he then stopped midsentence and saw that Lance was already doing what he was going to suggest. "Never mind." He then walked out of the room to head for the kitchen.
Allura watched Lance for a bit, worrying about his mood more as he became ruthless in his virtual attacks. "We really need to find him someone so these mood swings will end." She spoke out, sure that Lance was too far gone to really know what was going on.
"The problem is who to find," Pidge said as she continued to type. "It needs to be someone who doesn't go to our school, everyone's already used to him there. Girls fall for him easily, but he likes the brainy types and they don't like him because his flirting style is a turnoff. But, you already know that."
"Yep," Allura confirmed, remembering what happened when she first met Lance and had to deal with his loverboy persona.
"And guys for him are a bit hard to find around here. He's not interested in any of the guys at school and every guy he talks to outside of school either turns him down right away, or lead him on to experiment. If you ask me, he needs to go out of the town if he wants to find someone and be happy."
"You know he's not going to leave town. He loves his family too much." Allura closed her book and threw it on the floor before leaning back against the couch cushion, making Pidge readjust her positioning against her.
"So, he needs someone who's smart, understands their own sexuality, and likes big families. We can probably find a two-out-of-three here with some time."
"Maybe," Allura shrugged. She then looked over at Pidge's computer screen. "What are you doing by the way?"
"Talking to friends on the dark web."
"You're not doing anything that would make the cops come here, are you?"
"One time Allura, you really need to let that go. And no, we're just talking about stuff and one of them is sending me high resolution photos of Jupiter that NASA just took."
"Are you sure they're not just trying to hack you?"
"If they were, they would be regretting it right now." Pidge responded, hinting at just how powerful her security system was.
"Hey Allura, can I ask you something," Hunk called out as he walked back into the room.
"Sure, what is it?"
"Well I just noticed this when I was walking to the kitchen, but how come all your family pictures don't show you as a kid?" Hunk then heard what he had said and panicked. "I mean it's cool if that's just what you and your dad do! He might just like to keep those pictures private! I just wanted to ask."
Allura laughed at Hunk's worry, finding it sweet that he cared about not wanting to offend her or her father. "It's ok Hunk. Daddy just likes certain photos of us to be out and some to be kept in. He may seem like a tough guy, but he keeps all my baby pictures in his wallet and in a little album her carries around when he travels. It's all a front he does just because he thinks it's what he has to do to be taken seriously when work buddies come over."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense," Hunk nodded. "I guess I just keep forgetting that your life is different from what we're all used to. The business world seems brutal if you have to decorate your house a certain way to be taken seriously."
Allura shrugged. "It's really no big deal. I'm used to it and daddy treats it like a game and has some fun with it."
"Whoa! Guys check this out!" Pidge announced as she shot up from her relaxed position against Allura's shoulder. Hunk and Allura crowded around Pidge's computer to see what the fuss was about. "One of my black hat friends just sent me an old surveillance video of a werecat escaping a lab."
"Wait seriously?" Hunk asked as he huddled closer to couch to get a better look at the screen.
"Why did they send you that?" Allura asked she looked over Pidge's shoulder.
"I was talking to them about how we talked about werecats this week in bio class and I wondered what it looked like when they transformed. And then they sent me this, turns out it was leaked on the dark web a few years ago by a group that tries to get labs shut down and werecats freed." Pidge typed what she needed to quickly scan the video to be safe, and then a black and white night-vision video expanded on her screen.
In the video, someone could be seen walking along a gate. They looked tall, but skinny. The person then knelt down by the gate, seeming to inspect for something, and then fully sat on the ground. "What are they doing?" Pidge asked as she leaned in closer to the screen. Right away, the figure began to look as if they were melting until there was just a pile of their clothes covering a small mound. The mound soon crawled out from under the clothes and a light colored cat went to the gate, crawling under what seemed to be a hole in the gate.
"Whoa! Did you see that?!" Pidge asked excitedly, not really sure if she should believe what she just saw.
"That was so cool!" Hunk commented, in awe over the video. "For some reason, I always thought it would be more magical or painful looking, like what you see on TV."
"Where was that at?" Allura asked, wanting to learn more about the video.
"Hold on, let me ask." Pidge exited the video and went back to typing to the source.
Over by the television, Lance was in the middle of winning his third game against the game's computer system. Once the screen announced his victory, his phone vibrated in his pocket, alerting him that he had a new text message. Lance glanced at the time on the cable box. It's too late to be mamá or pops. He then looked over his shoulder. Seeing that everyone was busy with something, Lance dug through his jacket pocket for his phone.
Unknown Number: You weren't home. We need to talk. -Keith
A/N: If you came here from Tumblr, please be sure to reblog the post so others can see and enjoy! And you have any questions, feel free to follow my tumblr: kal-i-ka-stories and I will love to answer them. Also, since school has started back for me, updates will be done weekly. So see you next week! :)