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The last thing Pike remembered was drifting off to sleep high in one of the tall trees of the dense, Auritan forest. He’d finished counting his haul from the morning and, after securing his loot to his person, he’d wrapped his tail around the limb and settled down for a midday catnap.
He didn’t fall. Of that, he was sure. But he’d heard someone shout, causing him to jolt awake. And he found himself, not on the ground or among the branches, but on an odd table. For a moment, he thought that he may have dozed off at the inn, but he’d never been to one that looked anything like where he currently was.
The table was made of cool metal and the room was dark, save for a dim light illuminating just below him. He looked around and found the source of the noise. There were three people seated around the table, their eyes wide and their mouths gaping as they openly stared at him.
Thinking quickly, he reached into his shirt pocket for one of his impact smoke bombs. But he came up empty-handed. He reached lower, hoping to find any of his weapons to throw as a diversion, but again, he found nothing. He glanced down and saw that his pouches were gone, as well.
Just great! On top of waking up in a strange place, he’d also been robbed of everything save for the clothes on his back. That was his job, darn it!
And now he was alone, weaponless, and surrounded. He knew he should have stayed with his party. But it was hard to resist the ridiculous amount of incognizant yokels milling about the most recent town they’d visited. And who was he to ignore the siren call of easy pickings?
And sticking around to share his spoils was–
“Lance?” a voice called from just in front of him, snapping Pike out of his reverie. His sensitive ears pricked toward the source, his eyes had easily adjusted to the low light, but he hadn’t really been focusing on his audience before. Now, with his full attention on them, he realized they looked… familiar.
“Meklavar?” He blinked. It certainly looked like her. But different. For one, she wasn’t wearing her armor. And her hair was much shorter. And there was a pair of clear lenses wrapped in wire frames perched on her rather pointed nose.
“Oh man, he’s lost it,” the person beside her said. Pike turned his sharp gaze on him and raised his brows. It was Block. Only, he was different, too. He wasn’t sure what spell someone had cast upon him, but this was beyond strange.
“How did you get in here, my boy?” someone asked from behind him and Pike jumped up, flipping in the air and facing his only other adversary. The man seemed a bit surprised, but otherwise unfazed. “Weren’t you planning on training with Allura and Shiro on the holodeck?”
Pike stiffened. He knew this man, too. But he was not one of his friends. “Get back, Wizard!” he shouted and drew farther away. Oh, how he wished he had any sort of weapon. He took another crouched step backwards and knocked something over. He glanced down and saw that it was some sort of metal figure. On closer inspection, it appeared to be a miniature version of Block. He picked it up and took aim, ready to shoot it at the mustachioed man before he could change into a monstrous beast. But then he paused.
What if that was actually Block and the evil fiend had transformed him? Pike clutched the piece closer to his chest, unsure what to do, but knowing he had to do something. And fast.
“Listen, I know you ended up liking the game more than you thought,” Meklavar’s double said. “But I didn’t think you liked it this much.”
“Yeah,” Block’s beardless twin added. “Who knew you were into cosplay?”
Pike frowned. His ‘friends’ didn’t seem the least bit threatened. And neither did the wizard, who was holding what appeared to be a very thick spell book. Still, he didn’t let his guard down. He’d been transported to a strange realm and robbed of all his possessions. Now was not the time to let confusion blind him.
With one last glance to make sure they were the only three present, Pike leapt backwards and off of the strange glowing table. He landed lightly on his feet and ran toward the only opening to the dark room, ignoring the voices shouting behind him, calling for ‘Lance.’ Whoever that was.
Pike sped down the hallways. It was strange. He’d been inside plenty of dungeons before and they all seemed to have a certain sort of look to them. This one was completely different. There were no stone walls or heavy wooden doors. Only smooth metal and more of the soft teal lighting.
Still, the halls were winding and seemingly endless, so there was no doubt in his mind that he was trapped inside of one. Which meant that there was probably treasure somewhere, he thought, seeing the silver lining. Of course, it would be a lot easier to get if he had the rest of his team with him.
Oh, why had he ditched them at the inn? Well, yeah, he knew why. But now he didn’t even have any of that left. Just the little Block statue.
He skidded to a stop when a pair of doors slid open to his immediate right. He drew back, pressing himself against the opposite wall in a low crouch, ready to fight whatever monster showed itself. He waited, his tail flicking nervously, and then relaxed his shoulders when he recognized the two walking out.
“Valayun! Shiro!” he called and then remembered that twin was no longer in their party. “I mean, Gyro.” He blushed as he ran up to them, relief washing over him. “I’m so glad I found you guys.”
But their expressions didn’t mirror his. In fact, they looked shocked. “Lance?” Valayun said and then looked over her shoulder.
Pike frowned. “Yeah, about that. Why does everyone keep calling me…that…” he trailed off as Gyro and Valayun parted, revealing a third person, who just so happened to have Pike’s face. “Holy crow…” he murmured, stepping closer to his doppelganger.
He looked just like him, only not. For one thing, he had ears. Human ears! And he lacked Pike’s facial markings and signature scar – the one he’d gotten the first time he tried robbing a fruit vendor in the marketplace.
“Whoa,” his alter ego mouthed, staring at him. “He looks just like...”
“Pike,” Meklavar – or the one who looked like her – finished for him, having finally caught up. Block and the wizard were just behind her.
“That’s because I am Pike.” He frowned and then turned toward the only one who hadn’t called him by the incorrect name. “Gyro…tell them.” Sure, he was wearing different clothing and his hair was styled differently, but he’d know his Gyro anywhere. Most of the time.
“Um…” Gyro blinked and looked at Pike’s other form. “Lance?”
“Shiro, check him out!” Lance gaped, moving even closer and causing Pike to knock his back into the wall. “I mean, check me out,” he said. “This is so cool.” He turned toward the wizard. “Coran, why didn’t you say the game could make realistic holograms?”
“Well, because it…can’t?” The wizard – Coran – answered. “The most it can do is show your location on the board. It wasn’t built with that sort of capability.”
“Then how did Lance – er – Pike get here?” Block asked. Or, Block’s other self. It was all very confusing. But the big man had a point and Pike was curious to hear the other’s answer.
“Maybe the castle ship did it?” Meklavar suggested, adjusting her spectacles. “Like, with its artificial intelligence?”
“Wait!” Lance snatched his hand back from where it had been hovering dangerously close to one of Pike’s ears. “This isn’t like the time the castle tried to kill us, right, Pidge?”
“I don’t think so,” Meklavar, well, Pidge answered. “Maybe it just picked up on the game and decided to create Lance’s character.”
Pike drew his brows down. He might look a lot like this Lance guy, but Pidge was making it sound like he belonged to him or something. “Hey,” he said, catching their attention. “I’m no one’s pet, okay?” He crossed his arms over his chest and before anyone could reply, he continued. “And just who are you people, anyway? Looking exactly like my friends. Are you all wizards like that guy?” He pointed a finger accusingly at Coran.
“Not at all,” Valayun said with a smile. “We’re your, that is to say Lance’s friends.” She placed a hand over her chest. “I’m Princess Allura.”
Pike’s ears perked up. A princess, huh?
“And I’m Hunk,” Block – well – Hunk introduced himself next. “And this is Pidge.” She nodded.
“And I’m surprised you don’t know Shiro,” Lance butted in, jerking his thumb toward the older man. “I mean, his character is basically just him.
Pike furrowed his brow, but understood. Shiro was still Shiro and not his twin Gyro in this realm. Interesting…
“And I’m Coran. Most definitely on your side and not evil,” the last of them said, joining his hands behind his back and clicking his heels. “And you’re really Pike?”
His tail twitched and he frowned. It was annoying how, with all of them being different, they singled him out as the oddity, but Pike nodded. “Yup,” he said, striking a pose. “The famous ninja assassin and silent killer. My victims-”
But Pidge cut him off. “Yeah. It’s him.”
“So, what are we supposed to do?” Lance asked, still eyeing him curiously. “I mean, can we put him back in the game or…?” He left it hanging, but none of the others seemed to have an answer.
Pike looked to Shiro, who seemed to be doing everything in his power not to meet his gaze. It was strange. His Gyro would have comforted him, at the very least. After all, they’d grown much closer over the course of their party’s various adventures. His face grew warm at the thought of the last time Gyro had, ahem, ‘comforted’ him.
But now was not the time. Pike needed to focus on getting back to his own world and out of what was possibly the weirdest dungeon he’d ever had the misfortune of stumbling into.
“Ah, Princess. There you are,” yet another person spoke, drawing the group’s attention. “I was wondering if perhaps you’d be interested in the testing the-” He paused after he rounded the corner, eyes widening in astonishment. He was tall – far taller than the rest – with light purple skin and pointy, elf-like ears.
Pike didn’t like the looks of him. There was something about him that seemed… off-putting. He drew his ears back, his tail fluffing up as he hissed, “And who the heck is this guy?!”
But Allura spoke, her voice calm. “Perhaps we should move this conversation elsewhere.”
Pike was banished to the hallway while the people with his friends’ faces talked about how to handle his ‘situation.’ It wouldn’t have been so bad if they hadn’t left him with a babysitter.
The purple elf guy was standing across the way, his back against the wall and his arms folded as he stared at Pike, something akin to intrigue shimmering in his blue and yellow eyes. It was unnerving and Pike did his best to ignore him. He sat on the ground, his knees drawn up to his chest, and his tail wrapped protectively around his ankles.
“You certainly do bear a striking resemblance to the red paladin,” the man – Lotor, they’d called him – said. But Pike didn’t answer. He was pretty sure Lance was wearing blue. In fact, he didn’t remember seeing anyone wearing the color red. So, maybe this was a trick. “Are you perhaps part Puigan?” he asked, pointing toward Pike’s face. “Your markings.”
“No,” Pike answered, but said nothing else. He had a bad feeling about this guy.
Thankfully, the doors slid open, interrupting what would surely have turned into an interrogation. The others filed out, looking just as confused as when they’d gone in.
“It could be worth a try,” Shiro was saying, though Hunk frowned at him.
“I still don’t think that’s a good idea.” His gaze darted toward Pike. “What if it hurts him?”
Pike shot up, his ears perked and his tail swishing from side to side. He didn’t know what ‘it’ was, but he definitely didn’t like that idea.
“We could run a few tests first,” Pidge said, interrupting herself with a yawn as she rubbed at one of her eyes. “I can get started now.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Allura reprimanded. “It’s late enough into the night cycle and we’ve all had a long and,” she paused to look toward Pike, “exciting day.” He smiled at that. She may not have been Valayun, but she was just as pretty and seemed just as nice.
“Then, I guess we’ve got no choice but to turn in,” Lance said and, again, it was odd for Pike to hear his own voice coming out of someone with, well, his own face, too. Kinda creepy. And, it would have been cool if he wasn’t in a strange place with no idea how he was going to get home.
He missed Gyro.
“Yes, I believe that would be for the best.” Coran nodded. Pike was still getting used to him. In his world, that man was absolutely evil – had killed Shiro, even! Right? Maybe? – but here, he seemed to be trusted by the team, so Pike supposed he could deal.
They all nodded in agreement, echoing each other’s yawns. So, Pike decided to make his move. He crept closer, placing himself next to their Shiro. He could practically feel the warmth radiating off of the other man and he craved it.
One night away from Gyro and he was already like this. He would stop to consider just what that meant, but he wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.
“I’ll keep watch with Shiro!” he volunteered, drawing closer still.
“There’s no need to keep watch,” Allura said, her eyes softening.
Pike gaped. “But…but thieves!” Well, thieves other than himself, of course. Not to mention monsters, beasts, summoned demons, rogues –
“The Castle of Lions is completely capable of protecting us from any…vagrants, I assure you,” Coran added with a twinkle in his eye. “So, you’re all safe to retire to your quarters for the remainder of the cycle.”
Pike drew his brows down, but nodded. “Then, I’ll sleep in Shiro’s quarters.” He gripped the other man’s arm and nearly jumped back when he found it to be hard and metallic. He was certain Shiro hadn’t been wearing armor other than his suit, but there it was.
“Um…” Shiro began and Pike glanced up to find the other’s cheeks tinted a dark pink. He bit back a grin. Perhaps this Shiro was like his Gyro, after all. Shy at first, that was. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Pike’s face fell. “What?”
“I don’t suppose you’ll be giving him his own room,” Lotor chimed in. “And run of the castle.” The others exchanged glances and the man smirked. “He could always use my old room,” he teased and, judging by their reaction, it was not a place suitable for Pike. At least, he hoped they wouldn’t choose that.
“Well, he’ll have to room with one of us,” Pidge said.
“Allura and Pidge are definitely out,” Hunk added. “I mean, not just because you’re girls. I didn’t mean for it to sound-”
“That’s fine,” Pidge said, waving a hand in dismissal. “I finally got my room the way I like it, anyway.” She yawned again. “He should probably just stay with Lance.”
“What?!” both Pike and Lance shouted at the same time, matching pitch.
“That’s…not a bad idea, actually,” Shiro said and Pike released his arm. The traitor.
Not my Gyro.
“It does make sense.” Hunk rubbed his chin. “I mean, they’re basically the same person, right? So, it wouldn’t be an invasion of privacy.”
“Um? Excuse me-” Lance began, stomping forward.
“Think of it as one of those slumber parties Pidge has told me all about,” Allura interjected, looking more excited than she should have.
“Yeah,” Pidge said with a devious grin. “Lance can stay up all night talking to his favorite person…himself.”
Pike growled deep in his throat and found his alter ego doing the same.
“It’s settled then!” Coran clapped his hands. “Now, everyone off to bed. Shoo!”
And before Pike could get a word in edgewise, he was hauled off and practically thrown into a bedroom, Lance still arguing in the doorway.
Pike sighed, but figured there was no point in fighting it. At least he was fairly sure his other self wouldn’t do anything to harm him. Though, he’d still be sleeping with one eye open, just in case. If he managed to get any sleep at all in this strange place.
He took a moment to look around. The room had smooth walls like the hallway and one bed against the wall.
Ugh, great.
There were a few trinkets and treasures stashed about, but not much else. Save for a table littered with an innumerable amount vials of strange liquids. Pike stepped closer, picking one up and uncorking the top to give it a sniff. The odor was strong, like a sweet fruit, and he pulled it away from his face with a grimace.
“Hey! Put that down!” Lance shouted from behind him, finally trudging into the room. “I finally found a cleanser that won’t turn my skin green and I’d like to keep it, thank you very much.” He snatched the bottle out of Pike’s hands and set it back on the table with a huff.
Pike recovered from the shock of being yelled at by, well, himself, and frowned. “I was just looking.”
“You look with your eyes,” Lance corrected before turning on his heel and sitting heavily on his bed. “Why couldn’t it have been Allura’s character that came to life?” he muttered. “Or Shiro’s. We could do with a few more Shiros around here…”
Again, Pike’s frown deepened. It wasn’t like he’d come here on purpose. He’d much rather be back at the inn or at camp, snuggled up close beside Gyro and next to a roaring fire. This place was foreign and cold. He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered.
“Anyway.” Lance stood up and grabbed a blanket and pillow from a hidden bin in the wall. “The floor’s all yours,” he offered, tossing them down and then picking up some nightclothes and a bucket filled with more of those vials. “I’m taking a shower.”
Pike watched him go, but before Lance left the room, he turned around.
“Don’t touch anything while I’m gone.” And then the door slid shut.
Favorite person, indeed! Pike took a seat on the blanket and crossed his legs under him, folding his arms over his chest. The floor was not comfortable in the slightest. And, with a quick glance at the door, he puckered his lips. That bed sure looked soft. Maybe he’d just make himself at home until Lance returned.
With catlike grace, he leapt up onto the mattress and sighed contentedly, curling up on his side. It wasn’t as warm as snuggling with Gyro, but it would do. And, despite being nocturnal, Pike gave a mighty yawn, the day having caught up with him, and drifted off to sleep.
Pike awoke to a jarring thump and it took him a moment to realize that he was its source. He looked around in a daze, trying to figure out if he’d fallen out of the tree or what. But then he remembered. He was in a strange universe, in the sleeping quarters of his alternate self.
He blinked bleary eyes up at the shadow above him, his pupils dilating and quickly adjusting in the dark.
“Sorry,” Lance said. “I was just trying to get you to move and you sort of…” Then he shook his head. “Anyway, the bed’s mine, so…”
Pike understood what happened. He’d fallen onto the floor. He opened his mouth to argue his new position, but Lance was already slipping under the covers, something whitish painted on his face and a blindfold over his eyes. And, just as Pike accepted that weird sleeping habit, the other put something over his ears, too.
Didn’t he realize anyone could sneak up on him like that? Had he no sense of self-preservation?!
Then again, Coran had said the castle would protect them. But even so…
Pike struggled to disentangle himself from the blanket around him and by the time he did, Lance was already softly snoring on the bed. Deciding that getting tossed onto the floor again wasn’t his best option, Pike just grumbled to himself and fluffed his borrowed pillow, arranging the blanket like a nest around himself and burrowing into it. Again, he found himself longing for Gyro’s strong arms around him, but he quickly dismissed that clearly unrealistic ideal and closed his eyes.
The seconds ticked by and, after six or so of Lance’s deep, slumbering breaths, Pike’s eyes flew open. He couldn’t sleep like this. He tried turning onto his other side, but found no comfort there, either. He flopped onto his back and stared up at the dark ceiling.
“Ugh…” he whined, rubbing at his face.
He had trouble sleeping at night – what with the whole nocturnal thing – but he’d always managed. Hadn’t he?
No. He hadn’t.
He’d only done so since teaming up with his party. He found himself missing them. But Gyro most of all.
Realizing sleep wasn’t going to happen. Not on the floor, at least. Pike got onto his hands and knees and crept over to the bed. He peeked over the side, eyeing Lance’s chest as it rose and fell rhythmically. Then he made his move.
“Hey,” Pike whispered, poking Lance in the cheek and grimacing when his finger came away smeared with whatever substance the other had slathered all over it. He tried again, only this time, jabbing his finger into the other’s hair. “Hey!” he hissed.
Lance’s brows furrowed. “Not now, Shiro…” he murmured and then rolled onto his side, facing away from him.
But Pike perked up at that. Lance had said Shiro’s name. Did that mean that, in this realm, they were together, as well?
Not that Pike and Gyro were officially together or anything like that. He was just saying, after all.
He cleared his throat, his cheeks warm, and dug his finger under Lance’s shoulder blade.
“Ugh, seriously?!” Lance elbowed Pike and flipped over. “What is it now?” He lifted his mask and narrowed his eyes.
Pike wet his lips, the tip of his tail flicking and his ears drawing back. “I…uh…can’t sleep.”
“Oh.” Lance blinked, letting his shoulders sag. “Do you need another blanket or…?”
Again, Pike hesitated. He rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, I can’t sleep…alone,” he clarified, glancing up to gauge Lance’s reaction. His double just quirked a brow, eyeing the bedding on the floor, before returning his gaze to Pike. He took a deep breath and then lifted the blanket.
“Just don’t tell anyone, okay?”
Pike’s ears perked up and he beamed, quickly hopping onto the bed and burying his face in the other’s chest. It wasn’t as broad as Gyro’s, but it was warm. He’d worry about how weird this was later because now, with Lance tucking them both in, his eyelids felt heavier than ever.
“Thanks,” he purred, snuggling closer, soothed by the rhythmic beating of the other’s heart.
“Uh…sure. No problem.” Lance replied, voice cracking and then, after a moment, let his arm fall to rest over Pike’s side. “G’night then.”
“G’night,” Pike mewled through a yawn. He wanted to ask Lance more about his relationship with Shiro, but that would have to wait until the morning.