Fly Away From Your Troubles (Klance AU)

16- Setting Plans

(photo has nothing to do with the story, just a random redraw I've done recently because I had no other photos to put.)

~Lance's POV~

I stared out of the window of the café. It was snowing lightly, and the new layer of snow had covered up the blood left from the fight. I was staring at the area where I had found Keith that night, and images of it had been going through my head for at least half an hour. I gripped a cup of coffee in my hand, the same as I usually got, a caramel macchiato. I had gotten extra coffee this time, as I hadn't slept well last night. Outside the café people passed by, going on with their normal lives, busy with whatever it was they were doing. I observed, making up a story for each person, imagining the strangest scenarios about what could be going on in their lives. This is what I always had done back home when I needed to calm down.

A sudden buzz from my phone made me jump. I looked down to see who had texted me, but it was from an unknown number. The text read, Is this Lance? I opened my phone to answer it.

267-774-56867: Is this Lance?

Lance: Yeah, I'm Lance

Lance: Who is this?

I waited for a reply. After a few moments, another text came in.

267-774-56867: Lotor. Keith's friend

Lance: oh, I remember you

Lance: but how did you get my number?

Lotor: Allura gave it to me.

Lotor: That doesn't matter though. Do you know what happened to Keith?

I had no idea what to respond to that. Lotor was presumably looking for Keith, who was god knows where being tested on by some guy in a trenchcoat. Also, who was Keith's professor. I finally decided to just play it cool, and tell him I didn't know anything. But then I looked at Lotor's text again. Do you know what happened to Keith. How he worded it sounded as if he maybe knew something. If he didn't— then it probably would say something like, "Have you seen Keith" or something like that.

Lance: wait— do you know where Keith is?

Lotor: Yes. But in order to tell you, I have to know if you know.

Lance: fine. I do know

Lance: how do you know?

Lotor: Because the person who captured Keith is my father.

I let out a quiet gasp. Lotor was Zarkon's son?! Did that mean he knew where Keith was? Had he found out Keith's secret? He must have. I had to ask him where Keith was. Maybe Lotor could help us rescue Keith if he knew.

Lance: Where is he.

Lotor: In my house. My father has a secret lab on the floor below our apartment. That's where I saw Keith. He told me that you had been there when he was captured and hoped you were trying to find him.

Lance: I was trying to find him

Lance: Can you help us get him out of there?

Lotor: Of course.

Lotor: Who's 'us?'

Lance: Shiro, Pidge, Hunk, and I

Lance: Btw, thank you.

I put my phone into my pocket and ran out of the café after texting Shiro that I was on my way to his apartment. I had to tell him about Lotor.