*Posting this chapter a day early because I won't be able to get the translations up tomorrow.
Thanks to Noloua for the last chapter title, "silence before the storm". This chapter title was chosen by aztec_queer a while back. They commented it as a suggestion for a previous chapter but it's perfect for this one. I tagged Sucker because fuCK YEAH THEY'RE BACK, also tagged a photo that suits this chapter. It doesn't make sense now but you'll see why real quick.
There's quite a bit of Spanish in one part of this chapter. I'll be putting the translations in the comments for that line. If you don't see it, just scroll up. It probably got buried under other comments.*
(2982 words)
"Finally! No more work!" Lance said as he sat down at the lunch table with his friends.
Shiro smiled, "All grades for seniors have to be in by tonight, I'm surprised your Latin teacher gave you an extension on that project through the weekend."
Lance shrugged, "Perks of being top of the class, Pidge gets it."
Pidge chuckled, "Yeah but I turn my shit in on time."
Lance stuck his tongue out at her, "Well at least my last day in this hell hole is tomorrow, you got a whole week left. And then all of next year. Perks of being a senior."
Pidge groaned, "God I have finals on Friday and I'm gonna have to suffer here alone."
Allura pat her shoulder, "You can text us when you're not in class."
"Is your super-secret AV project ready yet?" Keith asked, "You only have one week left to work on it."
Pidge nodded, "Yep! I'll be unveiling it tomorrow. I started working on it in August. It's taken a lot of work."
"Sounds like it," Hunk said.
"Yeah, I started the plans for it over the summer. Spent the first week of school begging Mr. Clark to help fund me building it. Then I began construction and programming."
"Give us a hint to what it is?" Lance asked.
Pidge shook her head, "Nope, you'll get to see it tomorrow."
Lance sighed, "Fine, whatever," he crossed his arms, then looked at Keith, "Who are you texting?"
Keith had been so absorbed in his phone that Lance's question caught him off guard, "What? Nobody! Why do you care? I can text who I want!"
Lance put his hands up, "Geez, sorry I asked!"
Hunk whispered to Allura, but everyone heard it anyway, "Are they about to fight?"
Keith looked at Hunk, "No!" he noticed everyone was staring at him because he was acting strangely, "Whatever! I have to go!" He grabbed his bag and stormed off.
Lance watched him leave before turning back to his friends, "I'll let him cool down before I ask what that was about."
Shiro nodded, "Always gotta let Keith have his space when he's mad, learned that the hard way."
Allura frowned, "Whoever he was texting must have upset him."
"That's if he was even texting," Lance said, "I didn't see his screen, I just assumed. It could've been a post or something."
"A post?" Shiro asked, worried Lance might have found out about the post from yesterday.
"Yeah. A post. Is that so weird?" Lance raised an eyebrow, he had no idea.
Shiro shrugged, "I guess not."
Meanwhile, Keith was in the empty chemistry classroom. Sitting on the floor and texting someone who was way too much like Anna. But this time their identity was no secret.
*I'm gonna rewind a bit so you can see all the texts*
mortemsirenis: we know what you did
kmskeith: who the fuck is this?
mortemsirenis: you know us. all three of us.
kmskeith: i translated your username. death of a siren? what's that supposed to mean?
mortemsirenis: don't you remember? the siren you helped us kill?
kmskeith: wtf are you talking about?
mortemsirenis: let me correct my spelling. the cyrin you helped us kill
*at this point keith is running out of the cafeteria*
kmskeith: how the fuck did you find me?
mortemsirenis: it was easy. you may have blocked us on all platforms, but when we log out we can still find your profiles. your posts are private but your facebook still shows the town you live in. we came and looked for you, we found you out on a date with that puta boyfriend of yours
kmskeith: leave him out of this. you have no idea what he's been through
mortemsirenis: we know exactly what happened to him. that crazy annabella and her boyfriend did quite a number on him. she did exactly to him what we did to cyrin
kmskeith: that was no where near the same and you fucking know it. who am i talking to right now? cleo? you'd be so cruel to fuck with us like this. if any of you come anywhere near lance i'll kill you
mortemsirenis: just like we did to cyrin. we all killed him and you were the only one who got away with it. that's just not fair.
kmskeith: that's what this is? you're pissed that i only got expelled and relocated to a new foster home while you guys got sent to juvy? i separated myself from you long before he died, that's why i didn't get in the same amount of trouble. so grow the fuck up. and i only did it because you were messing with my head
mortemsirenis: you killed him too and you know it. we know it. millie knows it. the letty's know it. everyone but your new little friends
kmskeith: don't go anywhere near my friends
kmskeith: hello??
kmskeith: go anywhere near them and I'll fucking kill you
It wasn't until after school that Lance finally found Keith, outside sitting on the bench. He sat down next to him, "So are you going to tell me what happened at lunch?"
Keith shook his head, "It's better if you don't know..."
Lance looked at him, "You can't protect me from everything. I hate it when you guys treat me like I'm made of glass. Just fucking tell me. I can handle it."
Keith sighed, not wanting to upset Lance, "It's nothing serious, Lance. I promise. It's just some kids from one of my old schools reached out to me and they're people I'd rather leave in the past."
Lance frowned, but didn't push him further, "Okay..."
They were silent for a few minutes.
Then Lance spoke again, "Does this have anything to do with those two cards we got?"
Keith shook his head, "No, those were just pranks. Detective Anderson looked into it, they're just pranks. It's not the first time someone has tried to screw with us since they found out what happened to you. The timing is completely coincidental."
Lance looked down, swinging one of his legs, the sole of his shoe scraping against the ground, "It also wouldn't be the first time you've lied about stuff to try to protect me. I'm not some fragile porcelain doll. You all walk on eggshells around me. I can handle it."
Keith looked at him, "Lance, two days ago I came home to you sobbing and hyperventilating because you were alone too long. You can't handle a lot of things. You have PTSD, you have to come to terms with that. There's a lot I have to protect you from so you won't be triggered into a panic attack or worse. Since I've met you, you've tried to commit suicide twice. You have nightmares all the time because of what happened. I think I should be allowed to lie from time to time to try to prevent all that from worsening."
"Whatever. Lie about whatever you want," Lance stood up and started to walk off.
Keith sighed and stood up to follow him, "Lance, wait." he grabbed Lance's arm.
Lance turned to face him, "What? Are you going to tell me what's really going on?"
"I can't! And who are you to chastise me about lying to protect someone? When Anna was practically torturing you, you lied about it to protect all of us. So get off your high horse!" Keith snapped, but immediately regretted it when he saw the look on Lance's face.
Lance pulled his arm away, "You're right. Mentí. I lied because that psychotic bitch was in your fucking bedroom sending me pictures of you sleeping, threatening to kill you if I didn't do what she wanted! I lied to save your lives! Remember what happened when I finally told the truth? You got run off the road and Pidge and I got kidnapped!" he held up his hands, showing his scars, "Joder, ¿no lo entiendes? She was going to kill us all! All our friends! ¡Mi familia! There is a huge difference between lying to save someone's life and lying because you don't want someone to have un puto ataque de pánico! I have panic attacks all the fucking time! I'll pull through and we'll figure out and work through whatever triggered me. ¡No es nada nuevo! So just fucking tell me what's going on and I'll suck it up and push through whatever anxiety it causes and we'll figure it out together. Because that's what boyfriend's do! They work through it together! And just for the record, I haven't lied about anything since Anna! ¡Ni una sola mentira! Because I know how dangerous a lie can be!"
"Bull fucking shit!" they were in a screaming match at this point and people were starting to stare, "Every time I ask you how you're doing you say you're fine! But a few months ago I came home to you trying to down a bottle of ibuprofen! Just hours earlier you told me you were fine! That's how fucking dangerous a lie can be!"
"I didn't lie! I always tell you when I'm getting bad! Sometimes I think I'm fine but I'm not! That's not lying to you, that's just my dumb self being in denial! ¡Solo yo siendo el idiota que soy! Once I'm able to admit it to myself, I tell you! I always have!" Lance was starting to cry.
Keith was too hotheaded to calm down, "You're always bad! You're always having a panic attack, or crying, or having a nightmare! Is it so wrong of me to want to keep some secrets to try to help you recover? I'm just trying to protect you!"
Lance's breathing was starting to pick up, "Fine! Keep your fucking secrets! I d-don't fucking care.."
Keith finally realized Lance was starting to have a panic attack, and it was all his fault this time. He grabbed Lance's hand, "Lance-"
"No!" Lance yanked his hand away, "D-Don't.. Don't fucking touch me. N-No me toques."
Their friends worked their way through the crowd, "What's going on?" Shiro shouted.
Lance was starting to hyperventilate, backing away from Keith. Allura rushed to his side, "Lance, calm down," she started to talk him through it.
The others looked at Keith for an answer, "W-We got in a fight. And it was all my fault. I was yelling at him, he was yelling at me. And now.." he looked at Lance, who was now just sobbing instead hyperventilating, "I'm sorry..." he ran the opposite direction, pushing past the students who had been watching.
Shiro tried to go after him, but Keith got to his motorcycle and started driving off before Shiro could catch up, he didn't even stop to put on his helmet. So Shiro just grabbed Keith's backpack that had been left behind and tried to get rid of the crowd, "Get out of here! There's nothing to see! Go get a fucking life!"
Allura and Pidge had sat Lance down and were talking to him softly to calm him down, Allura running her hand through Lance's hair.
Lance kept crying, leaning his head against Allura's shoulder, "H-He was lying, and I c-called him out. And he c-called me out on lying. A-And..."
Pidge shushed him, "You don't have to tell us. Just try to calm down. Remember that breathing exercise? Breathe in four seconds, hold it four seconds, breathe out four seconds." She started to count for him as he did it until he stopped crying.
Allura smiled, "Hunk was just about to take me home. Do you want to come with us?" she knew it was best he went home with one of them.
Lance nodded, "Y-Yeah.."
Allura helped him stand up and they headed to the car with Hunk.
Hunk unlocked the car and opened the door for Lance, "We don't have to talk about it unless you want to."
Lance sat down and buckled up, "No quiero hablar de eso..."
Allura smiled and sat next to him, after she buckled up she held his hand, "Why don't we hang out in my basement and watch some movies? Your pick."
Hunk got in front and started driving. Lance looked at Allura, "Mary and The Witch's Flower?"
Allura nodded, "I've never heard of it but I'm sure it's great."
"It's an anime movie, it's really cute. It's like a studio ghibli movie but it's not made by them."
"Whatever it is, we can watch it," Allura kissed his cheek, "Whatever you want."
Lance leaned his head on her shoulder again, "This feels wrong..."
"What does, buddy?" Hunk asked.
Lance frowned, "Not being with Keith after a panic attack... Purposefully staying away from him..."
Allura sighed, "Have you two never fought before?"
Lance shook his head, "Of course we've fought before. Just... Nunca esto malo."
Hunk frowned, looking at him through the rearview mirror, "It'll all work out. We just need to let Keith have his space, just like Shiro said at lunch. Once you've both calmed down you can work it out."
Lance nodded, "Yeah... You're right."
Allura ran her hand through his hair, "It'll all be okay."
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
Shiro pulled into the parking lot of the shitty little park where Lance and Keith have had two of their dates. He parked his SUV next to Keith's motorcycle before walking over to the gazebo, where Keith was sitting, "There you are, I've been looking all over town for you. What are you doing here?"
Keith shrugged, looking down, "I wanted to be alone... This is where I asked him to be my boyfriend."
Shiro nodded, sitting down next to him. It was silent a bit until Shiro spoke, "I have your backpack in my car."
Keith chuckled, "Not on my list of priorities right now but thanks."
Shiro sighed, "Whatever it was you guys were fighting about, he'll forgive you."
"I made him have a panic attack because I don't know when to fucking quit..." Keith frowned, "When I first snapped... The look on his face... I should've stopped there. But he snapped back, which led to the big fight..."
Shiro shrugged, "He's been through worse than a fight with his boyfriend. If he can push through all that then he can push through this. You're truly sorry. He'll forgive you. Now you just have to forgive yourself."
Keith looked at him, "The whole fight was about me lying to protect him from panic attacks, and all I managed to do was trigger him into a fucking panic attack. And he's right. I do lie to him. All the time. He still thinks we only got the two cards. I told him it was a prank, that it's over now. But it's just getting worse. I'm not going to be able to protect him from everything. I keep trying, but all it's doing is hurting him and our relationship."
"You're lying because you love him," Shiro said, "But maybe start opening up more about some things. You're right about him needing to be protected from things you know will trigger him. But you've got to find a middle ground. He'll never recover if he doesn't face his triggers and find a way past them. Keep him away from the big triggers, but the small ones maybe you should let him face."
Keith sighed, "You're right. I'm just being overprotective..."
Shiro smiled at him, "You always have been. But after what we had to watch him go through... I don't blame you. But now it's time to stand back and let him walk on his own, you can't be his crutch forever. But you can be there to catch him when he falls."
Keith nodded, "You're right... I'll tell him about the third card and the post. I'll tell him they're directed at me. I'll see how he handles it then go from there."
"Sounds like an excellent idea," Shiro stood up, "You should head on home, Lance will come home when he's ready and you should be there when he does."
Keith stood up too, "Okay. Thank you."
Shiro messed up Keith's hair, "Anytime, now let's get going."
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
7:19 pm
katiehatesyou: are you feeling better?
leggylance: yeah, but I'm spending the night at lura's
katiehatesyou: have you told keith that?
leggylance: no. i dont want to talk to him
katiehatesyou: i'll tell him. he'll flip out if you don't come home and he doesn't know where you are
leggylance: let him flip out
katiehatesyou: you're really that mad at him huh
leggylance: i will be until he stops lying to me
katiehatesyou: well want to talk about something besides your lying boyfriend?
leggylance: yes. anything but him
katiehatesyou: you know how i broke up with hunk, right?
leggylance: uh yeah? you told me yesterday
katiehatesyou: and you know the saying that after a breakup a girl should change her hair? it's stupid and helps nothing. but you know the saying right?
leggylance: what are you getting at?
katiehatesyou:
leggylance: YOU CUT ALL YOUR HAIR OFF??
katiehatesyou: NOT ALL OF IT
leggylance: OMFG how did your mom react???
katiehatesyou: she was shocked to say the least. she's not mad tho
leggylance: well that's good!
katiehatesyou: yeah i was scared she'd murder me
leggylance: i just showed allura, she likes it
katiehatesyou: i like it too
leggylance: you better because youre going to be stuck with it for a while
katiehatesyou: it'll grow back eventually, don't worry
leggylance: tomorrow you'll have to unveil your new project and your new hair lol
katiehatesyou: right, the project. i was studying so much tonight i nearly forgot
leggylance: well clearly you took a break to chop your hair off
katiehatesyou: yeah whatever. i've got to get back to studying. i'm really worried about my pre calc final
leggylance: you're going to ace it. but study away if you must. see you tomorrw
katiehatesyou: goodnight lance ♡
*i wrote this entire chapter in one day too oof. but yeah, keith knows who's been harassing them but he's keeping it a secret from everyone. it all has to do with a boy named Cyrin he used to go to school with. all will be revealed soon.*