mrc2 Note: i hate the wizard of oz usually. but guess who played dorothy in a drama workshop and enjoyed herself.
this gal right here.
it was probably mostly because of the fact i was allowed to wear glitter.
also, sorry not sorry for this chapter.
"Just five minutes, sir, that's all I need. I just need to figure out if he knows where his partner is headed so we can get you that gem." Keith said. He was back at the station, looking up at his always-pissed chief. Iverson glared down at him, eyeing the policeman for a long moment. Shiro hovered behind Keith, chest puffed out slightly and his back rod-straight as he kept a brave face. Iverson didn't get to the chief position with just good working skills, it also included intimidation and strength at its finest. And he even scared Shiro which was one hell of an achievement. Keith wasn't scared of him, fortunately, but he knew he had to be careful with what he said because Iverson would happily throw Keith off of the force. He had never liked the cop.
It seemed like Iverson was in one of his better moods. He scowled at the two, giving them a brief once over. "Fine. Five minutes, no more." He said, folding his arms over his chest. His eyebrow twitched in impatience. "Get your asses on the move then." And they did as they were told, not wanting to wait for him to change his mind.
Walking into the interrogation room, the caught thief sat at the table in the centre. The room was a dull grey, a one-way mirror lined one of the walls. The man at the table was jittery, fingers clasped tightly together while his body twitched anxiously. Hearing the door open had him whipping his head up to look at the policemen as they entered. He immediately stilled his nervous twitching, glaring at them both. Keith had to say, at first glance this guy wouldn't be seen as anyone capable of thieving. He didn't have steady enough hands. Keith knew from Lance's many thefts, a light and quick hand was what made a good thief.
Keith wasted no time as he walked over to the table. He stood on the opposite side of the table, matching the thief's glare. "Who do you work for?" He demanded. The thief stared up at him for a long moment before scoffing.
"Like I would tell you." Came the slow reply.
Keith slammed his hands on the table. The thief jumped in his seat but quickly composed himself. "Who do you work for?" He asked again, voice rising in volume. The thief just resumed his glare back up at him.
That was when Shiro stepped in. He cleared his throat and walked towards the table. He circled around Keith, the table, then stood behind the thief's chair. Placing a hand on the back of the chair, he looked from between Keith and the thief in front of him. The calm on his features had Keith easing his posture and straightening up. The thief bobbed his knee nervously, staring down at the table. He clearly didn't like the fact Shiro stood behind him with an atmosphere about him that clearly stated he wasn't going to ask twice.
"Ryan Dofield, that's your name, am I right?" A stiff nod. "Okay, Ryan, so we just need an answer. You see, if you cooperate, we will make sure that the judge knows you helped us. It might lessen your charge." Shiro spoke, voice remaining calm as he spoke. He kept his gaze locked on the back of Ryan's head. There was a long pause as if the thief was weighing his options. He then nodded again. "Good, now, who do you work for?"
"I don't know." Ryan said after a moment's hesitation, "We never were told. We got a phone call, were told to steal the Quintessence gem, then we were told to deliver it to the given destination." Keith perked up at that, a curious eyebrow arching. "I swear, I'm telling the truth, we were never given a name. Just that he wanted the job done. There was another guy trying to get the gem, he said, and he wanted us to get there first." He was talking about the Blue Paladin.
Keith had managed to keep Lance's identity a secret from Shiro. He didn't like keeping a secret from his partner but, remembering Lance's phone call, he wasn't meant to involve any cops. He wasn't even meant to have Keith helping. Plus, Keith wasn't sure he knew how Shiro would react. He might go and try and tell Iverson, might offer to help or might just arrest Lance without a second glance. Keith, no matter how much he disliked the Blue Paladin, didn't dislike Lance. He had agreed to turning himself in when they had saved his sister anyway therefore he'd be put into jail then.
No matter how much Lance tried to cover it up with wit and flirting, Keith could tell he was beyond worried about his sister. The waiter would sometimes zone out, a distant expression and a scared shine in his eyes. He was terrified about what would happen to his sister. Keith wanted to save the girl. And now that he thought about it, it wasn't just because it was his job to save people, it was also because fear didn't suit Lance.
"Given destination? And where is that?" Shiro asked.
The hesitant pause had Shiro's jaw clenching. He was about to continue speaking but he was cut off by Ryan blurting out, "There's a warehouse near the edge of town. Arus Avenue. We're meant to give it to our client at five o'clock pm." Shiro looked up at Keith and smiled proudly.
"Thanks for your cooperation." Shiro said, patting the guy on the shoulder before walking to the door. Keith wasted no time in following him out, but not before giving Ryan a look that clearly stated 'You little shit'. He answered to Shiro and not to Keith. Keith wasn't going to let him live that down.
Once they were outside of the interrogation room, Shiro stretched his arms out in front of him. Keith glanced at his prosthetic arm for a split moment. He'd gotten it during a hit and run. They had luckily found the woman responsible and she was put into jail. She's free now seeing as her sentence had finished. This had been when Shiro was fifteen, before Keith had even met him. He had lost his arm in the accident but managed to spring right back to normal after a few months, got himself a prosthetic arm and acts as though it's flesh and blood. Keith admired him for it.
The two walked in silence, already gathering their plan without having to speak about it. Go to the destination and wait until they see the delivery taking place then arrest the guy. Keith had to inform Lance about it though, make sure he gets the gem first so he could use it to save his sister. That would be the hard part. If him and Shiro were going to be there, Lance would have to take the gem right in front of them and Keith knew that that wouldn't sit well with Shiro. He wanted to keep his job, Keith did too, but they needed to save Lance's sister. She was innocent.
They walked out of the station, ready to jump into their car and drive to the warehouse. But Keith would peel away from Shiro and quickly text Lance. However, what he wasn't expecting, was the fact Lance was standing out front with a bike resting at his side. Pidge stood in front of him, listening as he chatted away to her. They knew each other? Keith blinked in confusion, already walking towards the two before he realised. Shiro followed closely behind, probably just as surprised. Lance's eyes flicked up when he caught sight of the two walking towards them. He brightened up noticeably at seeing Keith. Something Shiro didn't fail to notice so he could send a knowing look Keith's way.
"Hey!" He greeted with an enthusiastic wave at the two. Pidge turned around and gave a little tilted salute in greeting.
"I didn't know you knew each other." Shiro said, looking between the two of them.
"Oh yeah. Me and Pidgey have been close since we were little. Like four years old. Mini us. Just like me and Hunk. All three of us are super close. We're like the demon trio, three musketeers, three peas in a pod-"
"I'm sure it's two peas in a pod." Pidge interjected. Lance just ruffled her hair which she responded to by jabbing her elbow into his stomach. Lance almost let his bike fall at that, letting out a loud whine at how it was the same thing while one arm moved to cradle his tummy.
Keith couldn't help but eye Pidge. Did she know about Lance's thieving second persona? Did she know he was the Blue Paladin? Maybe she did... If she did, she'd been keeping it secret. Helping to hide a criminal's secret. That was a crime in itself! But, really, Keith couldn't blame her. If they had been friends since they were little, it was obvious she'd try and protect him. She would have her reasons for doing so. Just like how Keith had his reasons for helping him.
Lance must've caught Keith staring, reading the suspicious expression on his features. Keith glanced up at him just in time to see the subtle nod. She does know. Who else knew? Hunk? Allura? Those two worked with him so maybe they knew too. If Pidge knew... that meant the sexual tension conversation yesterday... One more look down at her showed an arched eyebrow of amusement as her gaze flickered between Keith and Lance. Keith was going to ask her about it when he had the chance. How long had she known? Did she react badly?
"Well, me and Keith are off to find that gem." Shiro said. Keith and Lance's gaze met automatically.
"Where d'you think its gonna be?" Lance asked, making sure to make it sound as though it were an innocent question.
"Sorry, buddy, I can't share that with you." Came Shiro's reply. But Keith's came in at the exact same time.
"Warehouse at the edge of town."
Shiro sent a warning glance his way with a frown. Keith pretended that it had been a mistake, shrugging his shoulders in a gesture of 'oops'. The older policeman just frowned but took it as a genuine mistake. It wasn't a mistake. Keith had to give Lance the whereabouts so he could go and steal the gem back. Of course Keith had his doubts about the fact Lance might steal the gem and keep it for himself. But, he somehow sensed that Lance would jump off the edge of the world if it meant he'd save his sister.
"Anyway, we gotta go." Keith said finally after a pause. "See you around, Pidge. You too, Lance." Lance winked playfully but Keith just returned a deadpan expression. Then he and Shiro were off to get that gem. Well, they wouldn't be getting the gem yet. Not until Lance had his sister back in safe arms.
*
Keith leant back in his seat, glad for the extra cushion Shiro had stuffed in the boot of his car. It wasn't their usual police car, that would stick out like a sore thumb in this neighbourhood. No, they were sitting in Shiro's run-down jeep, one that he loved dearly and refused to get rid of. He called her Black and she was precious to him. It had so many memories to him that he didn't want to let her go. So he didn't. She was good for blending in with the neighbourhood, dark-coloured so it camouflaged in the slowly darkening light. They were parked outside the warehouse, eyeing the entrance in case anyone were to show up. It had been hours since they had gotten there. The deliverer was late.
Keith had never been one for patience. Whenever he had to wait for something, he always got twitchy and irritated. He hated waiting. But then he'd remember what Shiro said to him. Patience yields focus. He'd always remind himself of that. Patience yields focus patience yields focus patience yields foc-
"I see him." Shiro's voice interrupted his repetitive thoughts.
"Yep, I'm gonna go arrest him now." Keith announced, voice quick as he went to open the car door. He wasn't going to wait any longer. Lance better have got the gem.
"Fuck..." Keith looked over at his partner in alarm. He never swore. "The blue paladin's here too, Keith." Keith immediately looked back to where their target was only to see Lance stealthily trailing after the unsuspecting thief. The two policemen watched, waiting until the two thieves entered the warehouse before they finally got out of the car.
Lance had been wearing his usual Blue Paladin getup. There was no change there. He had probably followed Keith and Shiro. 'A warehouse on the edge of town' wasn't the most useful information to go by. Just please let him get to the gem before Shiro went to arrest the other guy. He was bent at the knees, body low to the ground while his arms were held up at his sides slightly as if ready to grab something. He was light on his feet, ready to bolt if need be. After the targeted thief walked through the door, Lance slipped through the gap before the door closed completely. Stealthy little snake, was the first thing that came to Keith's mind.
One glance over at Shiro had him realising the other had his gun drawn. Keith followed suit though he knew he wouldn't shoot Lance, that wasn't going to happen no matter how much he'd prefer to do that. The other guy Keith would be happy to shoot if need be. They stalked closer to the warehouse entrance, moving quickly. Keith found himself mentally willing Lance to get the hell out of there with that gem before they entered. Come on, Blue, move your ass. They went up the three steps leading to the warehouse's entrance. Shiro's metal hand hovered over the door's handle, his gaze finally meeting Keith's. He mouthed a countdown.
Three.
Two.
Just as Shiro opened his mouth for 'one', the building exploded.