Work Text:
~1972~
“Do you wanna come over?” Lance asked Keith as they were walking out of the school classroom. Keith’s face immediately brightened up. “Yeah!” he said, gaining a spring in his step. Lance grinned. “Cool! We can continue our game of wizards and monsters.”
The two walked toward Lance’s mom, who was standing outside of her car. She smiled. “Hi, Lancito!” she cried. Lance ran into her arms, his abnormally large Scooby Doo backpack swimming on his back. Keith took his time and walked up to the car, trying not to mess up his clothes.
Unfortunately for him, he accidentally slipped on a mud puddle. “Whoa!” the 8-year old cried. Myra gasped. “Keith! Are you alright, sweetie?”
Keith looked as if he was about to sob. He started to shake. “I-I’m okay...” he said. “Stay right there, sweetie, let me go get some wipes.” She said to him. Lance helped him up. Keith started to whine. “My dad’s gonna kill me!” he cried.
Lance patted him on the back. “Don’t worry! When you come home with me you can—”
“There you are.”
Keith became as white as a sheet as he heard the voice come from behind him. He turned around. “F-Father!” he cried.
Lance looked up and saw a man who was graying on the sides of his head. His suit was clearly tailored to fit and looked expensive. The man’s steely and grave gaze fell upon Lance, hardened, and then looked down at Keith.
Lance, the ever observant lad, sensed that something was terribly wrong. Keith was shaking so violently at this point that his knobby knees were knocking together. “I-I’m sorry father! I-I-I d-didn’t—!"
“Quiet! Get away from this stupid kid!” His father screamed. Lance took a step back. Keith’s father gripped Keith’s arm. “Come, son. We’re leaving .” Keith’s heart felt as if it was about to burst out of its chest. He started to hyperventilate.
“See you tomorrow!” he called out. But Keith was too busy silently sobbing and being uncomfortably dragged by his arm to answer back.
Myra finally had found the wipes, but it was too late. “Oh, did Keith leave?” She asked. Lance nodded absentmindedly; his thoughts still stuck on the man in the expensive suit.
~
When Keith didn’t come to school the next day, Lance started to panic. Keith was always on time, early even. He always walked in to find him sitting at his desk, lost behind a book.
Lance raised his hand. “Mr. Walker?” he asked. Mr. Walker didn’t look up. “Mr. McClain, please ask your question later. This is test time.”
Lance started to inwardly panic. He looked down at his math test, thinking of a plan. He just knew something was wrong. He stood up. “I’m gonna throw up!” he cried, thinking on his feet. Mr. Walker looked up and saw Lance bent over.
“Well, go, son!” he cried. Lance bolted out of the room and ran down to the bathroom.
He poured water on his shirt and bolted out, running to the nurse’s office.
He walked in and pretended to have excruciating stomach pain. “Uhhhhh…” he moaned, pretending.
The nursed looked up. “Why Lance! Are you alright?” she asked. She helped him to a chair. “I threw up, see?” he pointed to his shirt. He slung his head down. “I tried to clean it off.” He said. She was buying it.
The nurse sighed. “Well, stay there. I’m gonna call your parents.” She said. She dialed the number from the school registry and Carlos picked up. Perfect. The detective had the day off today/
~
Lance waited for his dad to come, his patience growing thin. What if Keith was dead? He just had to go find him! Carlos walked in and saw his son. “Aww son, are you not feeling good?” he asked.
Lance nodded. Carlos then signed him out and took him to the car.
Once they were down the road, Lance spoke up. “Dad, I need to talk to you.” He said, urgency in his voice. Carlos raised his eyebrows. “Talk? You mean you aren’t sick?”
Lance shook his head. “No, I just—”
Carlos pulled over. “Lance, you know better not to fake sick in order for you to get out of a test.”
Lance couldn’t take it anymore and burst into tears. “He’s gonna kill him, dad!” he cried.
Carlos was alarmed. “Who?” he asked. Lance sniffled. “Keith’s dad! Keith said that his dad was gonna kill him and he was right! He didn’t even come to school today. I gotta make sure he’s okay! Dad, please tell me he’s not dead!”
Carlos tried to console him. “Alright son, alright. I’ll call the Kogane’s at the police station, okay? It was very smart to get my attention like this. Good thinking.” Lance smiled and the two rode to the police station.
~
Lance swung his feet at the side of his father’s desk, waiting for him to finish on the phone. Praying to any saint who would hear his cries for help, he hoped that his best friend was still alive.
Carlos hung up the phone. “Well, looks like Keith is in the hospital. He apparently had quite the fall the last night down the stairs. One of the maidservants found him passed out on the floor. That was his governess on the phone.”
No! That’s wrong! His dad did this! Lance wanted to cry out, but he kept silent. Surely if his dad, a gifted detective, said that it was just a fall, then he was probably right.
“Can we go visit him? Please??” Lance begged. Carlos nodded. “Yea. Lets do that! He could sure gain to see your smiling face.”
~
The sight of Keith, however, was absolutely horrifying for the poor 8 year old to see. As warned by the nurse, the two were expecting to see something gruesome, and they were right. A bad “fall” indeed.
Keith was awake when they walked in. Lance hid behind his father as he saw the state he was in. Bruised from head to toe, Keith had more black and blue spots than pale spots. His head was bandaged so that it covered his forehead and his left eye. He looked as if he was just run over by a car. He was sitting by himself, reading a book as he liked to do.
Nevertheless, Keith smiled. “Lance!” he cried happily. Lance ran up to him. “Be careful around him, Lance.” His father warned. “I’ll be right back and gonna go talk to the nurse.” Lance nodded and walked to his side.
“Keith! What happened.” Keith looked away. “I’m fine. I just…had a bad fall down the stairs.” He said. Lance squinted. “You’re lying. Stop lying to me.” He said sharply. Keith’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m fine! I am!” he cried.
“Your dad did this to you, didn’t he?” He said. Keith didn’t respond. Lance sighed. “Well, he’s a rotten father. You don’t deserve this.”
Keith turned to Lance once again, but this time, tears were spilling out. “Yes I did! I deserved every second of it. He told me never to get my good clothes dirty and what do I do? Just that! I deserved every punch.”
Lance’s blood was boiling. “No! No you don’t! You’re my best friend Keith! You’re nice and funny and fun and cool! I wouldn’t even wish this on Jimmy Nichols!”
Keith smiled weakly.
The nurse then stepped in. “Sorry kiddo but Keith needs to take some tests. Your father is waiting outside, okay?” She said.
Lance nodded. “See you tomorrow, Keith!” He said innocently. Keith waved to Lance as he left the room.
~
The ride home was quiet, deadly quiet. Lance was deep in thought. He wanted to run back into that hospital room and save Keith, bring him home, have his mom and dad adopt him and then they could be best friends AND brothers.
He tried not to cry as he thought of his own father doing that to him. He couldn’t ever imagine Keith living in such conditions. Lance turned to his dad and opened his mouth, but then quickly shut it again. He wouldn’t believe Lance if he told him about what happened with Keith. He was a professional detective after all.
Besides, as Mr. Kogane had said, Lance was just a stupid kid.