Langst One-Shots

Langst Twenty-Three (Part Two) - Masks

Lance McClain... was Spiderman?

Keith tried to think of any name similar to that one, any name that he could have mistaken for Lance's. But he couldn't.

How could he have fallen in love with Lance?

It made some sense, in retrospect. He  was always making jokes and quips, just like Spiderman. Their voices were the same. He never saw them in the same room together, not once.

But... He couldn't have seen this coming.

"Come with me, spiderboy, or I will kill your friends."

Keith thought back to the time that Lance had been the host of Carnage and how he singlehandedly forced the symbiote to not only leave him alone, but to contain itself in a pickle jar.

That had been a weird English class.

And, Lance did pull a lot of oddly successful stunts. He loved skateboarding, or something... Maybe surfing? Well, he was no Anise Sawyer or anything, but Keith was pretty sure Lance dabble in both.

"Release them first." Lance demanded.

"You don't understand. I have the power here, Lance. I am the only one who can call the shots. I can kill them and you'll still come with me, because there's a whole crowd of people down there that has to be protected."

"I..." Keith could hear the terror in Lance's voice. Nobody should have to be in this sort of situation, hero or not.

"Tick tock, web-slinger."

"I'll come with you." Lance finally said. "But I want my mask on - I don't want anyone else to know who I am."

"They'll find out soon enough when you're dead, little hero. But I don't mind. I always have been a sucker for a dramatic reveal." Keith sucked in a deep breath as Zarkon laughed. He needed to calm down, think of a way out... Maybe, just maybe, he could help. He could help Spi- Lance. Maybe he could help Lance.

"But wouldn't the most dramatic reveal be my death?" Lance asked. Keith's eyes widened - what was he playing at?! If he died, so many others would be in danger!

"You're suggesting I murder you?" Even Zarkon seemed surprised. "Well, I can't refuse such a simple request, now can I?"

What the hell was he doing?!

°•°

"Students of Midtown High!" All heads turned to Zarkon, some looking terrified, others looking angry. "Your hero, Spiderman, is no more!" Zarkon grinned as many of the students and citizens gasped.

"Liar! He's gonna beat you!" Someone yelled. Zarkon scowled and took a moment to try and pinpoint where the voice came from. He seemed to give up after a moment, returning his attention to the crowd as a whole.

"How can he beat me when he's about to die?" The purple-skinned villain asked innocently, gesturing towards the roof.

"Good question. Too bad I'm not about to die though!" Spiderman leapt down onto Zarkon's back, causing him to almost fall off of his hover-vehicle. The masked hero uppercutted Zarkon, launching him into the crowd below. A hole opened in the crowd immediately, and the purple-skinned projectile fell onto the asphalt.

"You think you're so clever." Zarkon growled, standing up with apparent trouble. "But I'm not done yet."

"Actually, I'm not the smart one. That was Keith Kogane - he's officially my best friend. That's gotta give him some street cred, huh?" Spiderman let go of the wall he clung to and dropped down, kicking Zarkon in the face.

"It was mostly you!" Someone yelled from the roof. Zarkon gasped in pain and grasped sloppily towards Spiderman.

"I... I'll get you...!"  Zarkon stood up shakily, blood dripping from his nose.

"Oh, hurry up and pass out already. I've got plans after this, man!" Spiderman crossed his arms and covered Zarkon's face in webbing.

"I will tear you apart!" The villain roared, ripping the webbing away. But it was too late - Spiderman was already coming down for one more attack.

Zarkon only heard two more words before it all went black.

"Not likely."

°•°

"Lance - I mean, Spiderman - I think I know how I can get you out of here without, um, dying." Keith whispered. Zarkon had left the field, but it was unclear whether or not he could still hear them.

"Great, I really don't want to die. At least, not yet I don't. I'm sure that when I reach my emo phase that it'll be really appealing." Lance grinned and tried to point some finger guns at Keith, but failed due to his being strapped to an A/C unit.

"You have super strength, right?" Keith asked. He already knew the answer, but he needed to be sure.

"These straps are designed to resist my strength, Kogane. I can't break free."

"You don't have to. What if you just... Pulled the A/C unit out of the grou- roof?" Lance looked surprised.

"That's, uh, pretty genius, man." He grunted and closed his eyes. A moment later, he had ripped the metal block out of the roof. Keith's heart skipped a beat - no wonder he was attracted to Spiderm- Lance. The guy was hot. And strong. And-

"Thanks." Keith choked out, trying to distract Lance from the blush on his cheeks.

"Uh, want to help us get free so we can help you get free?" Shiro asked. Keith almost yelped - he  had forgotten that Shiro was there, and frankly, so had the author.

"Y-yeah! Of course." Lance waddled over and ripped their chains apart. Keith immediately unclasped the straps and they sprung away from Lance, letting him go free. "Thanks."

"No, thank you. Go save everyone, and... Maybe come to my apartment afterwards?"

"Sounds like a plan."

-

Sorry for taking forever to update! There might be another one-shot today to make up for the wait.