"Kind of an unfair fight don't you think man?"
Keith looked down at the two teens as lance coughed harshly holding his stomach and rolo had a hand over his mouth in pain.
"What the hell kogane?" Rolo groaned.
"What the hell rolo? Four against one? Pathetic," Keith scoffed and crouched down to lance raising a brow.
"Anything broken?" Keith asked.
"Don't think so," lance sat back on his knees trying to steady his breathing. "Lo is gonna kill me,"
"You can take a punch, let's go," he motioned back and lance pushed himself up before spitting blood on the ground and wiped his chin with the back of his hand.
"You attack me again, you'll end up in a hospital," lance looked back at rolo annoyed as rolo had blood across his teeth and a glare.
Keith and lance walked down the street as lance was busy trying to wipe blood off of his face while Keith was leading him away.
"You got your ass handed to you," Keith said finally to him after a while.
"I didn't want to fight," lance put pressure on the cut on his arm.
"You okay?" He asked stopping.
"Oh I'm perfectly fine, just didn't want to really hurt anyone, so I gave in," lance smiled brightly with the stupid innocence on his face. Keith frowned seeing how unfazed he was.
"I've been through worse, a few punches I'll survive," lance noticed his uncertainty.
"Worse? Did you get hit in the foster system too?" Keith turned to him worried.
"I.. I don't..." lances smile dropped and looked away. "I don't want to talk about the foster system,"
Keith could see he was uncomfortable and nodded softly.
"I know we don't really see each other as anything close to friends but I get some of the things you've been through, I got in fights a lot as a kid and I've dealt with shitty people so if you need someone to get through it with you, Shiro and I get it," Keith sighed being sentimental for a moment. He took pity when lance looked at him with a bloody face.
"Thanks," lance mumbled.
"You know it wasn't all bad though, I had a parental figure, he taught me the most," lance waved him off. "He took care of me and called me his son,"
"Where is he now?" Keith asked.
"I don't know, he just was gone," he pursed his lips looking down. His papa disappeared when he got really sick again and was never to be seen since.
"It's hard, yea," Keith tsked nodding.
"Yea... I'm just going to go home, can to tell Allura I felt sick?" Lance asked softly as he passed Keith.
"Yea, I'll let her know, get some ice on your face man," Keith waved him off as lance giggled nodding as he traveled alone up the road towards his home that was a few miles away.
-
Lance opened the door to his new home and closed it behind him but he leaned on the door inhaling deep shaky breath. Sliding down the door till he was on the ground with his knees against his chest.
What a day.
Tears filled lances eyes overwhelmed and just thinking about what happened. It sunk in. He was exhausted now and his body was in so much pain. He wasn't strong enough. He didn't know how to fight normal humans. They weren't trained like the soldiers were.
Lance started to sob with his arms at his sides overwhelmed.
Lotor ran down the stairs confused at the sound of crying and turned seeing lance bloodied and sobbing. He immediately ran to him and lance hiccuped another cry.
"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry Lotor, I didn't want to, I didn't want to fight or hurt them," lance cried even harder still barely able to breathe.
"Who? Someone hurt you? Who did this lance?" Lotor held the sides of his face with both hands seeing bruises and dried blood down his nose and chin as well as a small cut on his cheek that was bloody.
"That guy rolo from the store, he found me and wanted to fight and I tried to just-just- I tried but I didn't know if I would hurt him," lance cried out as he barely could look at Lotor.
"I don't want to fight I can't, I don't hurt people anymore, I don't want too!" He sobbed hysterically. Lotor hushed and comforted him as he helped lance off the ground.
"You need to sit so I can clean you up," Lotor told him calmly pulling lance over to the kitchen chairs.
Lance kept his eyes ahead, didn't say a word as if shame kept him silent. Lotor didn't say much either not knowing if he would sound condescending or kind. He felt guilt seeing the blood, he left lance alone and now he's hurt, he broke their rule and now he's hurt because of him. Lotor knew lance was strong enough to win a simple fight against a human but none of them knew how their strength might be against one.
"Here," Lotor said quietly handing a wet cloth to lance. He took it and started to wipe the blood off his tender skin, tears mixed with the blood on his cheek.
"Keith helped me," lance finally spoke.
"Good, he knows the people of the town more than we do," Lotor nodded getting their medical kit for some bandaids.
"Maybe I shouldn't go to town," he whispered.
"It's not your fault for this to happen lance," the taller avian frowned.
"I don't want to go back," lance rephrased.
"Don't tell me that it's not my fault or anything like that, i don't want to hear it, i don't want to talk about it," he sighed setting the rag down in defeat.
"You also can't wallow in self pity," Lotor grabbed it and started to clean lances wounds for him.
"I just need a win, I feel so weak," lance whimpered closing his eyes. Lotor held the side of his face and gently wiped away more blood.
"I know you would've won, you weren't weak, you held back because your better then humans, they have cruel corrupted minds, all of them do," Lotor narrowed his eyes frustrated with mankind.
"Not all of them," lance frowned.
"I believe all of them do, humans made war, genocides, society that cannot help those are in most need of it, the wealthy, humans made this world, humans made us for their own selfish reasons, we were made from their cruelty," Lotor explained with hatred.
"They also made good things, simple enjoyments, beautiful homes, music, it's not all bad," lance mumbled touching the side of his hand looking at him.
Lotor gulped a little, here lance was beaten and bruises but still was convinced there was kindness from the humans.
"Your a better man than I ever will be lance, we need more people like you," Lotor sighed shaking his head.
Lance didn't give a reaction at that but kept his eyes on him. Almost studying Lotors face, reading his expression over and over to see if there was any lie.
"I'm going to take a nap," lance told him when Lotor finished.
"Don't sleep yet, not if you got kicked in the head or something," Lotor told him.
"Can we watch a movie then?" He asked quietly.
"Yea, we can watch a movie," Lotor put a bandaid on his cheek with a soft smile. Lance looked at the cut on his arm and left it, it wasn't deep.
They went to the couch as Lotor turned on their tv and lance grabbed a blanket to wrap around himself, he had it over his head and sat on the couch waiting patiently. They haven't seen many movies so anything was easy for them to enjoy. Lotor found some sort of comedic movie to lighten up the mood before sitting with lance on the couch.
"Do you want anything to eat?" He asked softly.
"No thank you," lance wiped under his nose and waited for the movie to start. Lotor frowned concerned for his friend and sighed loudly enough to catch lances attention.
Lance didn't understand when Lotor opened his arms a little, the taller boy tsked and patted his own chest to be more obvious. Lance smiled a little and scooted closer, Lotors hand clasped over his shoulder to pull him in and held him tightly. Reassuring him.
"Thanks lo," lance whispered leaning against his chest.
"That's what I'm hear for," Lotor whispered against his hair and watched the movie.