Chapter Text
“Do you understand why I didn’t want you to fight the Galra on your own?” Shiro whispered. “You had no idea what kind of enemy you were up against, but I do. I couldn’t risk having you get killed, not if you put your and your mother’s lives in vain. I didn’t want a kid ever live another tragedy again, and especially not one in the hands of the Galra again. I couldn’t bear to see you become broken like me because of them.”
Shiro’s story rendered Keith speechless; while he knew that Shiro had gone through traumatic experiences when he disappeared for so long, he never realized the extent of pain he had to suffer in both the past and the present. After a pause, he released his strong bite on his lip before whispering, “So what happened after that?”
Shiro shook his head. “I’m...not sure, honestly. Everything after that night is all clouded. All I remember is the daily routine I went by: woken up to the usual chi-blocking, drugged up by pills and needles by noon. It was suffocating. ”
“So the chi-blocking you did before…”
“After having been chi-blocked so many times, it all became muscle memory.”
Keith frowned as the pieces fell to place. So many questions that had been in the dark for so many years were finally coming into light, so much that it was undeniably overwhelming for both himself and Shiro. Even so, with this amount of progress, there was still much that Keith needed to find out.
Hesitatingly, he asked, “What...did she do after that?”
“I don’t know exactly what Haggar did to me,” Shiro admitted, “but whatever she did, it was like...like she had complete control of my body. It was as if I were her puppet to toss around, with or without bending.
At night, I had to fight other drugged prisoners who were just as brainwashed as I was. We would fight to the brink of death in front of all those Galra. Sometimes, my opponents...they would be some of the prisoners who had their bending stolen from them.”
Shiro brought his hand to his forehead, brushing away the beads of sweat that stuck on his bangs, “I can’t remember the details of most of the fights except for flashes of red and purple. I don’t know how many I killed, or even who I killed. Everything is just a giant blur with these horrible screams and monsters and Galra and--”
“Shiro.”
Keith gently grabbed Shiro’s hand away from his head. With both hands, he gave it a comforting squeeze.
“If you don’t want to finish that’s okay--”
“No, I still have more to say,” Shiro interrupted. “I...just give me a sec.” He closed his eyes, breathing heavily as he tried to calm himself down.
Keith opened his mouth to protest, but closed it shut. He nodded. “Take your time. Patience yields focus.”
Shiro, despite wincing in mental agony, managed to squeeze in a chuckle. “So that stuck with you all these years, huh?” he teased.
“Well I can’t help it since you bore that into my brain every time I threw a temper,” Keith pointed out, shrugging.
After a deep breath, Shiro continued.
“At some point, my memory became blank. I must have been mad; when I looked in that damn cracked mirror in my cell, I could see I was becoming like them . My eyes became yellow from all the human experimentation, and I found myself becoming more and more bloodthirsty. I felt like I was becoming a part of this living nightmare.
Eventually, I was rescued after the Police Force, led by Matt, helped narrow down my squad’s location. Even after rescue, after all these years, I still don’t feel like myself. Sometimes I look in the mirror and I see myself from when I was a prisoner, with those bloody yellow eyes and tattered rags. Every time I look at this arm, I think of all the times I couldn’t save the people who suffered around me--my team, the other test subjects, the prisoners--and I can’t help but think that I’m still the monster that I was then.”
“But you’re not--”
“That’s what I thought until that night. When I saw Lance, I didn’t see him, but Haggar . As soon as I saw his bloodbending, I couldn’t help but see Haggar in his face; that’s why I was so quick to get rid of him.”
Keith pursed his lips; Shiro’s treatment towards Lance was undeniably a product from his own trauma. Even so…
“Shiro, I’m genuinely grateful that you entrusted me with your past; it must’ve been really hard to say, after all these years. But even if Haggar totally fucked you up, you turned your back on Lance, a friend of yours and mine even before you knew he was a bloodbender.”
“And that’s the thing.”
Shiro gently freed his hand from Keith’s grip. The firebender flinched when the deputy bowed his head, shocked that his guardian and senior would go to that extent for forgiveness.
“Keith, my hatred towards bloodbenders was completely one-sided; what happened in the past gives me no excuse for my actions in the present. It is my duty to protect the people of Republic, and that includes protecting people such as Lance. I owe you an apology, though I don’t expect to be forgiven so easily.” Shiro’s head remained lowered in shame. “I’m sorry.”
Keith sighed. “You really messed up back there, but I don’t want you to force yourself to carry on your guilt--not alone, at least.”
Shiro peeked at Keith, though his head was still bowed. “You’re... forgiving me?”
“Yeah, you big panda. Now lift your head up, you’re making this weird for me,” Keith laughed.
Leaning over the table, Keith embraced his arms around Shiro’s neck, comfortingly patting the metalbender’s shoulder. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Shiro buried his head into Keith’s nape. “Who’s the one who should be thanking who?”His laugh was muffled in Keith’s shoulder.
As the two pulled apart, Keith reeled back his finger to flick Shiro in the forehead.
“Ow!” Shiro jumped back, rubbing his head. He pouted. “What was that for, you rascal?”
“That was for Lance,” Keith responded matter-of-fact. “Even if I forgave you, the real person you should be apologizing to should be Lance.”
Shiro nodded his head. “True.”
Clapping his hands, Shiro rose to his feet. “Now that we’ve been able to have a good talk, how about we start cleaning up this pigsty?”
“ Ughhhh ,” Keith groaned. “Do we have to start the cleaning now?”
“Yes, Keith,” Shiro replied with his classic “dad” voice. “C’mon. How about you hook your telephone up again? I’m sure Pidge will throw another fit if they can’t contact you again.”
Still groaning, Keith groggily rose from his seat cushion and approached the telephone placed on the floor. Kneeling, he grabbed the stray cord connected to the device and plugged it into the nearby outlet.
As soon as the connector met the outlet holes, the phone began to ring immediately, catching both Keith and Shiro off-guard. The two exchanged confused looks before Keith grabbed the phone.
“Uh...Hello?”
“Hello? Is this the Kogane household? I’m looking for Keith. It’s a huge emergency.” A familiar voice sounded through the speaker.
“Hunk, I live alone.”
“Keith? Is that you?” Keith could hear the earthbender sighing with relief on the other line. “Thank Raava! I was worried I wouldn’t be able to reach you today either.”
“Sorry, some...stuff...came up, but I’m good now. What’s the problem? You said there was an emergency?”
“You have to head to the warehouse. Are Pidge and Matt with you? And maybe Shiro?”
“Yeah, the Holts are outside. Shiro’s with me.” Upon hearing his name, the metalbender perked up, his eyebrows raised with both surprise and concern.
“Good, ‘cause you’re gonna need to bring them, too,” Hunk added urgently, “Everyone will need to hear about this.”
“‘...and the wedding between the son of Southern Water Tribe Cheiftain Liwanu, Lansa, and the niece of the Northern Water Tribe Chief Nashoba, Nyma, will occur in the following full moon. The event will take place in the Southern Water Tribe before the newlyweds depart to the North.’” Hunk finished. While his reading remained loud and clear, he couldn’t hide the slight trembling in his voice. "Both tribes positively await for the wedding, as it will serve a great leap towards peaceful partnership between the nations." He handed the newspaper to Keith.
In the photograph next to the column, there was an image of a couple clothed in traditional water tribe gear. Despite the photograph being colored in a monochromatic ashy brown, Keith could imagine the two garnered in blue. The woman beside the man had beautiful brown skin that contrasted with her silvery hair parted by glassy beads. Her locks fell to the sides of her face, which wore a delicate smile. Despite her beauty, Keith couldn’t stop the surging bitterness spike into his heart the moment his eyes fell on her betrothal necklace, which carried the floral design that Lance had carved previously.
Beside the woman was definitely Lance. Keith could feel his heart become strangled at the sight of Lance’s dead, cold eyes supported by dark eyebags. Despite the grin that was on his face, it was no secret up close that this smile was forced and fake.
“I saw this when I collected the papers for my uncle this morning. ‘Lansa’...that’s definitely Lance, isn’t it?” Hunk asked more assertively than usual. He pointed his finger at the Lance in the photograph.
Keith’s gloved hands began the crumple the edges of the newspaper. “Yeah,” he replied coldly, “That’s him, alright.” Despite masking his fury in his voice, his fingers began to singe the paper; smoke began to rise from his hands.
Pidge put their hand on Keith’s arm. “Calm down, Kogane,” they warned.
“Why should I?” Keith spat. “I can’t stand to look at this bitch standing next to him for another second.”
“Keith, we have to be rational. This is an arranged marriage; you have to consider the other party’s opinion, too. Do you really think there isn’t a possibility that this ‘Nyma’ could be just as upset as you and Lance?”
“No…” Keith replied sullenly. He sighed as he reluctantly extinguished the flames on his fingers before handing the slightly-burned article to Pidge.
“Now then,” they continued, pushing their glasses up their nose. “I believe we deserve some insight from the Broganes on this matter, don’t we, Hunk?”
“That’s right.” The earthbender nodded. “Lance is our friend, too, y’know,” he pointed out. “Lance already gave me his seal as his official best friend, after all.”
“Shiro, Keith, please,” Matt urged. “If there are any details that you think is best that we hear from Lance himself, don’t feel pressured to share that information. Still, we do deserve an explanation for all this, don’t we? We all want to support Lance’s best interest.”
Shiro and Keith exchanged an awkward glance between one another.
“Shiro, what do you think?” Keith quietly asked.
“Why are you asking me?” Shiro raised his hands.
“I don’t know! Because you’re the leader? The 'dad' of our group?”
Shiro shook his head. “Keith, Lance trusts you more than anyone else in the whole world. I’m sure he’d want you to be the ‘leader’ in this decision.”
“Then…” Keith took a deep breath before turning to his friends. “I’m only going to tell you as much as what I think Lance would want you to know,” he admitted. “Are you guys gonna be okay with that?”
“Absolutely,” Hunk said.
Pidge shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll find out eventually, anyway.”
Matt nodded. “Whatever information that will be beneficial in obtaining a general understanding of what’s going on is fine by me.”
“Alright,” Keith replied, “Here goes.”
“Okay, hold up a second,” Hunk interrupted, “So you’re telling me that Lance is the actual son of the Southern Water Tribe chieftain?!”
“More or less, yeah,” Keith nodded. “He’s the second son, so he isn’t the heir. ‘Lonan’--or whoever his name was--is the oldest, and is the same guy who dragged Lance back home. Lance didn’t want to be forced into an arranged marriage, or be moved up to the Northern Water Tribe, so he ran away here.”
Pidge’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow, that’s surprising. I thought he’d bow down to any pretty lady he sees.”
Matt lightly whacked Pidge on the crown on their head. “Hey, now, that’s rude. Lance isn’t that shallow. If he agreed to it, he would have never come to Republic City in the first place--”
“Or do the oogies with Keith,” Pidge added slyly.
“Oogies--we did not do oogies!” Keith protested, his face turning red. “We just...well...oh, forget about it!”
Pidge snorted before switching topics. “Regardless, don’t you think that Lance’s family is a bit over-the-top with some of these restrictions? Who even does arranged marriages anymore? Talk about old-fashioned."
Matt ruffled his sibling’s hair. “Many do, unfortunately,” he replied. "Both tribes are very dedicated to their beliefs, so arranged marraiges aren't exactly uncommon. You just don’t know because Mom and Dad don’t believe or force us to bother with that kind of junk. We’re very lucky we don’t need to worry about it.” He snuck a glance at Shiro, who was too occupied speaking with Hunk and Keith to notice his longing gaze.
“If our own parents don’t believe in arranged marriages, then that marks that our generations are changing in mentality, right?” Pidge pointed out. “With each generation comes change; what believed in in the past doesn’t always correlate with what we believe now in the present.
And since we’re bringing in the modern era,” they added with a smirk, “We probably have the freedom to break up that betrothal as we please.”
Hunk, Shiro, Matt, and Keith all stared with widened eyes.
“A-are you saying we have to crash a wedding?” Hunk stuttered. “A real, political, royal wedding?”
“Who says we can’t?” Pidge replied. “I bet my allowance that we totally could.”
“Wow, Holt,” Keith commented, impressed. “You always try to play it safe, but I never thought you had it in you!”
Pidge shrugged. “Eh, I try my best. I can’t be the safe kid all the time; If there's something worth taking the risk despite all odds, I'll take that chance. I'll do it for that idiot.”
“Now wait a second,” Matt intervened. “We can’t think about this too rashly. You guys have to realize that if we mess up, the media and both tribes will be on our tails--”
“And that’s why we need a proper plan,” Shiro finished confidently, looking at Matt.
“But Shiro--”
“Matthew, we’re going to need all the help we can get if we’re going to rescue Lance. We need both the brawns--” he pointed his eyes at Keith and Hunk, “and the brains,” he moved his gaze at Pidge and then Matt. “Can you trust us? Trust me ?”
Matt, after a pause, finally released a defeated sigh. He returned Shiro’s smile. “You know I trust you, Takashi.”
“Thank you.” With a nod, Shiro turned to the rest of the group. “Alright, team, as I mentioned before, we need to have a well-executed plan if we want to have any chance of finding and bringing back Lance. First, we need a way to get to the Southern Water Tribe.”
“I can ask Dad to let us board one of the trade ships!” Pidge piped up. “If we take that route, it’ll take three days, tops.”
“Do you have anything faster?” Keith asked.
"F-faster?" Hunk stuttered as he clutched his stomach, pale at the thought. "Is that even possible?"
“Anything faster than a giant, turbine-powered iron ship that’s more ice-resistant than a jet? When you get the money, please do tell me, Kogane,” Pidge retorted.
“Well then,” Keith replied, “Boat it is.’
“Hunk, are you alright?” Keith approached the earthbender.
Hunk was leaning over the railing of the ship, his arms dangling overboard. While the journey to the south was half-way complete, Hunk was the only passenger who wasn’t adjusted to the slow bobbing of the ship on the waves.
“I...I think I’ll be alright if I keep getting some fresh air,” Hunk replied, weakly hauling himself off of the railing. “The cold helps clear up my head a bit.” He was dressed in a thick, greenish-gold jacket lined with brown fur.
“That’s good.” Keith handed the two tablets in the palm of one hand, and a glass of water in the other. “Here. Matt told you to talk these. They’ll help you deal with the motion sickness a little better.”
“Thanks, man.” With a swift gulp, he easily swallowed down the tablets and water effortlessly. Afterwards, he leaned against the railing, gazing upon the nighttime sea.The stray strands of his headband flowed along with the current of the wind.
“Hey, Hunk?”
“Hm?”
“Hunk isn’t your real name, is it?”
Hunk paused for a moment, as if caught by surprise by the question, before breaking out into a hearty laughter at Keith’s worried yet confused look.
“Don’t worry, man, you’re right,” he reassured, trying to calm his laughter. “Hunk is just a nickname! When I was born I was just a giant boulder of a baby, so they called me Hunk for short.”
“What’s your real name, then?”
“Tsuyoshi,” Hunk replied, “In general, it just means ‘strong’ and ‘righteous’. It's a bit embarrassing.”
“The name really suits you,” Keith commented. Hunk was a man who was both big in size and heart; he was well-deserving of his name.
“Are you kidding?” Hunk chuckled again, though his laughter died when he saw Keith’s confused expression. “Oh wait, you weren’t kidding, were you.”
“Nope.”
“Well, Keith, I’m quite flattered,” Hunk scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. “I always thought my name was just an exaggeration of me, but I’m glad I’m somewhat living up to it. But why all the questions? I’m a little surprised, no offense or anything.”
Keith hummed. “I just felt like I haven’t been able to talk to you that much. Pidge, Matt and Shiro have always been a part of my life ever since I was a kid, and Lance is…” he began to blush as he mumbled, “m-my boyfriend, and--”
“You’re worried that I’m feeling left out, right?”
Keith hesitated before replying, “Yeah.” He awkwardly stuff his gloved hands into his red jacket pockets.
“Do you want me to say the whole truth, or sugarcoat?”
“I don’t have a big sweet tooth anyway, so hit me with all you’ve got,” the firebender reassured.
“You’re not wrong when you say I feel out of place,” Hunk admitted slowly, still facing the ocean. “If you think of it as a machine, I’m like that one oddball screw in it. Or maybe I’m that weird durian in a fruit cake. Everyone knows everyone, but I sometimes feel like I hardly know anyone. Even Lance.”
Keith hummed. He could easily empathize with Hunk on that thought; it was excruciating to be sheltered from answers about his mother and Shiro, when the rest of the police force--and most likely the Galra--knew the truth.
“Lance has always been that light that wards off all my thoughts, y’know? I’ve never been able to metalbend in my whole life, and sometimes that alone feels like I’m burdening my family or even Bayard Enterprises. But despite that, Lance always had my back, and he supported ‘ol me.”
“He’s just that type of guy, isn’t he?” Keith laughed, reminiscing when Lance had so easily accepted his dark past. "I know the feeling."
“I wish I could have been a better friend to him. He’s always been a true bro to me, and I didn’t realize how much I haven’t been able to do until after Lance disappeared. I want Lance to know that I accept him wholeheartedly, whether he’s a chieftain's son or not. I think I... failed to get that message through on my part.” His sigh left puffs of air that rose in wisps into the sky.
“To tell you the truth,” Keith admitted, “Shiro and I both found out about Lance and his past by accident. He hadn’t planned to tell any of us, including both you and me.”
Hunk’s face fell. “Does that mean he didn’t trust any of us?”
“Oh God no, that’s not what I meant,” Keith quickly interjected. “What I meant to say was, Lance wasn’t really ready to tell any of us, and it was just by fate Shiro and I got involved. I’m sure Lance knew he could trust us, but just didn’t know how to go about it. But I think...if he could, he would definitely tell you, no doubt. And in due time, I think he actually will.”
“You really think so?”
“I know so.”
Hunk hummed, diverting his gaze from the sea to Keith. He held out his fist. “Thanks, man.”
Keith laughed before bumping his own knuckles against Hunk’s fist. “Anytime, though it’s best you probably hear the rest of all this from the in-flesh Lance in the future.”
“Speaking of which,” Hunk trailed, curious, “So I hear that you and Lance are dating? And to think you guys were like frenemies when you first met.”
“Frenemies?”
“Friends and enemies. Rivals. Always being neck to neck and all. I’d say you guys have gotten along much better compared to when you first met!” Hunk grinned. Both Keith and Hunk couldn’t help but think back to when the firebender nearly ran Lance over with his motorbike.
“I’m glad that everyone’s coming to go get Lance back. Going as a team is so much better than going alone, that’s for sure,” the earthbender said, crossing his arms. His eyes glittered as they reflected against the moonlight.
“I’d probably get my ass handed to me if I raided the Southern Water Tribe by myself,” Keith commented.
Hunk let out an airy laugh. “Same here. I bet we all would’ve been screwed if we went alone.”
Keith joined Hunk, leaning against the railing as he gazed upon the wallowing waters below the deck. After a moment’s pause, Keith asked quietly:
“Do you...think Lance willingly gave Nyma that betrothal pendant?”
“Of course not,” Hunk responded automatically. “Where in all that is good did you even get the idea?”
“I-I don’t know, the thought just came up, I guess,” Keith shrugged. “As much as I wanted to hate her, that Nyma, she’s...everything I’m not. She’s really pretty. She’s a waterbender. She's rich, royal and.. a girl.”
“And you think all that is gonna tempt Lance to stray from you?” Hunk questioned.
Keith remained silent, only letting his eyes get lost in the ocean waves.
“Do you remember the look in Lance’s eyes?” Hunk asked. “Lance had always talked about keeping up with his beauty sleep, but he honestly looks so sleep-deprived in that photo. The photo does no justice to Lance’s real smile, and you and I both know that. Do you really think he honestly wanted to marry this girl if he’s so transparent to the both of us?”
Keith closed his eyes, recalling a flood of memories of all the times he and Lance had been together.
When they first met, when Keith and Lance quarreled in the middle of the street.
When they were forcefully introduced to one another.
When Keith had rescued Lance from the Galra (twice, that reckless idiot).
When Keith had saved Lance from the exploding motorcycle, and Lance had saved Keith from the bruising in his wound.
The days when the two went shopping together, the nights the two ate together. The times when they were together, with or without Keith’s mask.
When Lance had accepted Keith for who his was, from his dreaded past to his cheapass powerplant job to his identity as the Red Lion.
When Keith had accepted Lance as a bloodbender who was terrified of even those close to him.
Every time the two embraced, every time the two kissed. Even those fleeting times with Blood Lance.
Keith pulled out his knife, slowly unveiling the dagger such that the dark, midnight blade gleamed in the starlight. He gently traced the metal with his finger, recalling the vows he had exchanged with his love, his moon and his stars.
“You’re right, Hunk. I’d fight the world, even the universe, to be with Lance again, no matter what life we’re in. I believe in him.”
Hunk grinned as he patted Keith on the back. “That’s the spirit, buddy. That’s true love, right there.” Heaving a relaxed sigh as he stretched his arms upward towards the night sky, Hunk said, “I’m really glad that Lance and I got to meet you, Keith.”
Keith chuckled. “Me, too...buddy.”
“So...are we done talking?”
“I think so,” Keith responded thoughtfully. “Why?”
“I think I’m going to hurl again,” Hunk said weakly, his hand muffling his mouth.
“HUNK.”