Work Text:
Kids with Guns
What the hell is his problem' Lance thought as he walked closer and closer to figure in the red jacket. The night was cold, Lance could feel the the frost underneath him also with the cloud like breath before him.
The bridge was desolate since the riots had started, no one really to leave the comfort for there own homes.
And just his luck he would run into a shady challenger.
Nothing good ever happened on nights like these.
"HEY MAN, BACK OFF!"
"..."
He kept walking forward as if he didn't know what he was saying.
He looked very out of it, like he wasn't all there. As he came into one of the bridge lights Lance could see something in his hand. It looked sword like but had had curve towards the end of what he would think would be the blade. Hard to tell since it looked sheathed.
Lance put his had near his back pocket, his pistol was back there. His grandfather gave it to him to protect himself but it was only ever supposed to be used for intimidating not to genuinely hurt anyone.
But his mother's words were vibrating in his head like a ghost that will never let its self be forgotten 'Don't ever draw your weapon if you don't plan on using it, so if you plan on using it, shoot to kill'
She was very pragmatic.
If this escalates any further, its going to the second time he's taken her words to heart.
"Last chance" Lance was getting agitated and the man wasn't stopping.
"Listen, I don't think both of the will be proud about what going to happen"
The man chuckled, then put his sword down vertically and put his hands on the hilt of the sword crossing them over each other.
Now with the man in front of him only by a few feet he could get a good look at him.
Long ebony hair, dark piercing eyes but a face devoid of a purpose, like there was nothing left to live for.
And there are the most deranged people.
"来て"
The man started swinging his sword back and forth as if wating for something...
A challenge.
Lance gave a short laugh. 'This fucker' he thought. 'Fine, if this is what you what his is what you get'.
Lance took the gun from his back pocket and cocked the pistol. He looked up at the man in red. He was still swinging his sword.
He took the safety off...
And it was if all hell broke loose.
The man in red started sprinting towards him.
Lance aimed an shot as fast as he could...
But missed.
Dodged as of he'd seen the bullet before it was even shot.
Lance gritted his teeth and lined up the shot...
Missed again.
'Who is this guy, its like he's..'
The thought was cut off as if by magic he was right in front of Lance.
Lance tried to lift his gun to get a point blank shot but he was too slow.
He was hit in the head with the hilt of the sword. Land landed with a thud, his mind still reeling from the trauma, but still lucid to raise the pistol again but was easily smack away by the man in red as he had gained the high ground.
Grunting and straining on the ground Lance managed to wind his assailant and knock the sword from his hands. His composed face now teaming with rage as if the sword as his other half.
Their conflict now was just a desperate fist fight on the unforgiving ground still cold from the frosted night. Even with no sword to rely on the man on red was pumming Lance. Every hit harder that the last, every noise louder that what came before as if he was trying to hold on to something. Yet, all of a sudden, the man abruptly halted, a conflicted expression crossing his face. It was as if a sudden realization had quelled his desire to continue the fight, leaving an air of uncertainty hanging between them.
A beat pass between the two, another, then another.
All the desire to fight had been zapped from both of them. But the man in red did not seem happy about the current situation.
His face was conflicted, thousands of feeling rushing though and not stopping on one.
Lance was about to say something, anything to ease the tension. His nose was 100% broken and he felt he had a cracked rib or two. He wasnt think how mad hiss grandfather would be.
All be was thinking now was getting out of here alive.
"Listen...." but Lance was cut of the a language he didn't understand but had heard it before.
It was spoken by the man in red early that day.
"ほら、カズがあなたに会いたいと言っています"
They both turn there head to view the orgin of the voice.
Men in fine suits
The man in red did not look happy.
"カズに自分自身を犯しに行くように言うことができます"
"Fine then" the man in the suit said flippantly taking something out his pocket.
The man red grabbed Lance's and shouted " 走る, go, go!"
Running full speed towards the edge of the bridge hand in hand with a stranger that had tried to kill each other only a few seconds ago. Only one problem...
"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO..." both jumped off the bridge.
"SWIM!" Lance screamed as a large hot blast appeared behind them pushing the even further forward.
The journey down was fast and Lance hit the water hard plunging deeper and deeper in the ice depths of the river.
Lance struggled against the water, his limbs flailing in desperation. The Panic set in soon after. Memories flooding back of a childhood incident by a river. As his strength waned and darkness threatened to consume him, his mind flashed to a moment in he was younger.
Her face, her smile. "Mom"
Just as despair gripped him, a shadowy figure emerged, reaching through the water to pull him to the surface. Gasping for air, he found himself in the arms of a man in red who had become his unexpected savior, offering a lifeline when he needed it most.
He dragged Lance to shore, holding on to him like Lance himself was his lifeline.
As the shore got closer and the started touching the ground they threw themselves on the ground looking up at the night sky.
They didn't talk for what it felt like hours, just processing what happened.
Lance needed to say something.
"Well... uh... *cough* thanks alot for you know,... saving me?"
There was still silence from the other side.
Lance was about to blow up, until he realised something.
"Can you speak English?"
From Lance's experience learning another language wasn't that hard, hell English was his second language, but he knew that no one was as much as a fast learner as him.
The man in red looked up at him "Very... little... English"
Each would was carefully picked as if he was looking for them in the depths of his mind for them.
'OK OK I guess I'll avoid questions like 'what's up with the crazy sword' and 'who are those guys with the suits' Lance thought 'easy questions only'.
Lance racked his brain to think of a question when it had been so obvious.
"Name?.. do you have a name?"
"Name"
Lance nodded " yeah" He pointed to himself "Lance" then pointed to the man in red.
He looked sad, he looked as if he wanted to say something, then shook his head.
"No" The man in red shook his head again "no name"
"Well... we can't have that" Lance said laughing, hitting him on the back as he said it. "Let's see...." Lance thought about this hard. And picking a name for someone is particularly special.
"What about Keith?"
He looked up as if he was confused.
Lance pointed to 'Keith' and them to himself.
"Lance" He pointed to himself "Keith" and point to Keith.
Keith smiled and started laughing and stood up reinvigorated with energy. He walked to the edge if the water and started shouting into the nothing black beyond the water. Lance didn't understand it but what ever it was there for awhile waiting to come out.
He finished it speech to the ocean with loud scream then fell to his knees panting.
Lance got up and walked over to him and stuck his hand out. "Hey, come with me,"
Keith look up at Lance then look to his hand as if thus was some sort of cruel joke, but quickly realised that there was only sincerity in his eyes.
Keith took the hand and never looked back.
There was nothing there for him anyway.