************
All was fine with them, their friendship was so strong, nothing could break it. They were basically brothers.
Until that day.
Looking back, it was the biggest miscommunication cliche he'd ever seen.
***********
"Hunk!" Lance cried. "You're my boyfriend!"
Hunk looked up in shock, staring at Lance trying to understand what he was talking about. "What?"
"You're my boyfriend." Lance repeated, staring Hunk dead in the eye.
"No," Hunk said. "I heard you the fist time, I'm just confused."
"No one else loves me," Lance said. "So I've decided that I'm going to marry you.But first I have to date you. Hunky, wanna be my boyfriend?"
Hunk laughed, thinking it was just a joke. "Sure thing Lance. Let's be boyfriends."
Lance lit up and shot across the middle school library table where he and Hunk were studying for a test. He kissed Hunk on full mouth before running out of the library smiling. "Bye boyfriend!" he called as he left.
Hunk sat there in shocked silence.
His first kiss was his best friend.
A friend whom Hunk wasn't in love with.
"Crap."
**************
"Lance," Hunk called. Lance looked up and sent a breathtakingly bright smile, it almost hurt Hunk's eyes. "I wanna talk to you."
"Sure," Lance said, hopping up and walking over to where Hunk stood awkwardly. "Anything for my boyfriend."
Hunk pursed his lips. "Lance, I didn't mean what I said," he said. He almost started to cry when he watched the light ;eave Lance's eyes.
"What?"Lance asked, his bottom lip trembling a little. "What are you talking about...Hunky?"
"Lance," Hunk took a deep breath. "I think that we're better just being friends. I don't want to be your boyfriend."
"Why?"
"I don't like you that way," Hunk answered. "I'm sorry."
*************
Hunk was so worried when Lance didn't speak to him for a few days. Had he ruined his friendship by turning him down? Was it his fault that Lance now obviously hated him? He can't even count the times he cried over it. Lance looked so sad when Hunk told him.
A knock on his front door brought him out of the dark thoughts.
He opened it to see Lance standing there, a box in his had and a determined look on his face. "Lance?" Hunk asked hopefully.
"Hunky," Lance said. "Even if you don't like me that way, I still want to be your friend. Do you?"
"Yes! Yes," Hunk said, tears flowing freely down his face and he hugged his best friend in relief. He then pulled away and sniffled and then brought his attention to the box in his hand. "What's that?"
"It's a ring," Lance said, pulling a silver ring out of the box. It was beautiful, with a bright orange and yellow gemstone in the center with splashes of blue. "I'm giving it to you. It means love and friendship, I guess that fits us, right?"
"Aww Lance!" Hunk said, tearing up once more. "You're such a great friend!"
"Thanks bud." Lance said. "I think you're a gem."
===================
Hunk pulled at the rocks desperately, praying for any sign of life. He was too late to warn Lance of the collapsing building and he was now paying the price.
Hunk's eyes filled with tears the longer he dug. There was no way Lance could still be alive if he was buried this deep, right? His vision blurred out of focus as the tears ran down his face. "Please, please, please," Hunk begged. He didn't know who he was pleading to, all he knew was that he would trade his soul to have his best friend alive and safe.
Finally, finally, after what felt like hours, Hunk came across the first sign of life.
But it was blood.
Lot's of it.
Hunk turned away from the source to throw up onto the dusty pieces of broken building. He then turned back to the liquid and with a trembling hand, dug through it, looking for the source. He couldn't find anything.
Hunk was on the verge of giving up when something reflected the dim light and glinted in his eye.
Hunk turned to see a cracked orange and blue gemstone in the rubble.
Hunk dove for it, tearing at the broken bits of ground so quickly and hard his hands began to bleed from the rough texture. "Please, please, please," he cried as he dug. After seconds that felt like hours he felt a hand.
"LANCE!" He screamed.
It was a blue gauntlet covered in blood.
It was cold.
"No, no, no, no, NO!" Hunk cried, ripping the glove off and searching for a pulse. It wasn't there. Hunk's pained wails cut through the horizon. "Lance no! Please, no, please! PLEASE GOD DON'T DO THIS!"
"Lance please don't die! I need you to come back! I need you! Please, PLEASE!" he sobbed. "I don't know what I'm doing without you! I need your jokes! I need your smile! I need your love to function! Please Lancey, I can't fight in this war--- FUCK I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU!!!"
There was no reply.
"No!" Hunk wailed. "Please, don't do this to me. You promised remember? When we were in seventh grade you said you and I would get married. Please! Come back, I'll marry you! I'll be your boyfriend just please....please.....I can't.............not without you.."
The area was dead silent, save for the desperate cries of the yellow paladin.
"Lancey," Hunk wept. "My gem....Come back to me."
He didn't.
There, amongst the rubble, lies a gem
Start from the beginning
