(( Henlo readers! I'm Soki, and welcome to my fourth book. If you didn't get that much from the title, this is a Klance Gang AU! Meaning there will be plenty of violence, vulgar language, drugs, crime, and other mature themes. Especially sex. That's a big one. Before we get into things, this is just a story, and I have no clue how gangs actually work! I'm not part of one, and I'm not looking to be targeted! I just like writing so nobody kill me please! Happy reading!))

Fall was Keith's favorite time of year. The leaves changing into a festive array of oranges, reds, and even yellows never failed to bring a smile to his face. Watching them blow from the tree branches and dance in the wind was dazzling, and he got a first hand view on his walk home.

It wasn't quite nippy outside, but there was a slight chill in the air. It signaled the coming of autumn, and that couldn't have made Keith anymore content.

He wore a black hoodie under his flannel, and his black skinny jeans and coincidentally black Converse made him look more emo. But he was on his way home from work. It wasn't like he cared about impressing passerbys with his jaw dropping choice of attire. If Keith was being honest, he didn't give a solitary fuck.

The tattoo parlor where he worked was about a half mile behind him, and he had already closed it up. It hadn't been a very eventful day, and he was happy to see it coming to a close. The stars speckled across the sky artfully, and the sliver of a moon left in its darkness was more beautiful than the sun could ever hope to be.

About a block or so later, Keith reached his apartment building. It wasn't much, but it was pretty good for someone of his income. Tattoo artists didn't exactly make millions.

He trudged up the stairs, making it to the second floor where his unit was. It was unusually quiet in the building right then. Sure, it might've been eleven at night, but his downstairs neighbors were usually so loud. They often threw parties and blasted music until someone reported them.

The jangling of his keys was almost echoing in the empty hall, and the silence was honestly making Keith uncomfortable. He wasn't used to it.

He turned the key in the slot, pushing the door to his apartment open. There wasn't a usual bark that sounded from the inside as he set his keys in the dish adjacent to the door.

" Kosmo?" Keith asked into the dimly lit apartment. There were tiny rays of light sneaking in through the glass doors that led to his balcony.

" I'm home, buddy." He said, shutting the door and flicking on the main light in the living room.

Normally, his rather large husky, Kosmo, would've come running and almost tackled him when he got home. But that wasn't the case.

His wolf-like dog was nowhere to be found as he came more into the entryway, seeing that his dog bed was empty as well.

That was odd.

" Kosmo?" Keith asked again, whistling and trying to call him. Maybe he was just sleeping in his bedroom? Yeah. That had to be it.

There was a perplexed expression on Keith's face as he stood still for a second.

Before he even knew what was happening, a can was thrown out from behind the couch. A nearly opaque gas was expelled from it, and in a matter of a couple seconds the whole room was filled by it.

He coughed, accidentally breathing some of it in. Suddenly he felt light headed as he covered his face with his sleeve.

Keith felt someone's arms around him from behind, and he kicked and thrashed, landing his elbows in the person's ribs a couple times. But he didn't have much time to fight back as his consciousness began slipping. His knees became weak as he crumbled back against the mysterious intruder.

After that, everything was black.

...

When he finally awoke, the first thing Keith felt was a wet tongue all over his face. He cringed at first, sitting up to see Kosmo over him.

After his eyes were fully open, Keith immediately recognized where he was. The fancy canopy above the red and gold bedspread, and the size of the room alone were indicators of where he'd been brought.

" Not again." He muttered, leaning back into the pillows and petting his larger than life dog.

How many times did he have to say it? Keith wanted out of this kind of life, he didn't want anything to do with it.

It didn't seem like Shiro could respect that.

It actually infuriated Keith. His brother was always dreaming up ways to get him to come back.

He got out of bed, going for the door of the very large room. His old bedroom was bigger than his entire apartment, but he still didn't like it.

Keith pushed the door open.

" Shiro, I swear to fucking God!" He called into the very vast area. The mansion was huge, and Keith couldn't stand it. " Take me home right now!"

He stomped around the hallway, and Kosmo was trailing in his path.

" Keith?" Shiro said, now visible at the bottom of the grand staircase.

" What the actual fuck?!" Keith seethed, thumping down the extensive steps. There was pretty much steam blowing from his ears as he threw his temper tantrum. " Did you kidnap me?!"

" I swear, I can explain everything." The older brother said, raising his hands in a non-combative way.

" What?! Explain how you crawled in through my balcony and gassed me?! How the fuck can you rationally explain that?! If you wanted to visit me that bad you could've called and come over!" Keith ranted.

" It's not that-"

" It's not what?! YOU ABDUCTED ME!" Keith yelled, and his face was tinted slightly red from how livid he was.

" Can you please stop yelling? This was the only way I could get you over here." Shiro put a hand on his brother's shoulder. And Keith didn't waste any time before swatting it off.

" Shiro, I love you and everything! But this is insane!" Keith exclaimed.

Shiro exhaled in a peeved way.

" There was a hit on you!" He abruptly blurted. " You'd be dead right now if we hadn't gotten you!"

Keith seemed frozen for a moment.

" What...?" The little brother folded his arms.

He'd made it out of this place; why the hell would he still be a target of theirs?

" Well, Keith's back." Someone else emerged from downstairs.

" Pidge. Hey." Keith greeted, actually a little happy to see her. " Now does someone wanna explain what the hell is happening?"

" Listen." Shiro sighed. " Lotor and his... people... have been coming after us a lot lately. And since we've been tightening security, they're targeting our vulnerable spots."

" Are you calling me weak?" Keith asked with narrowed eyes.

" No. You're my brother. They know I have a soft spot for you." Shiro explained. " Pidge managed to hack into their security cameras and catch them planning out how they were going to kill you." He was very disheartened while speaking.

Keith's posture seemed to sink while he listened.

" They kicked me out by shutting off the cameras. But we got to you in time." Pidge said, coming up the stairs. " I'm sorry it had to be like this... I just... I couldn't live with myself if they killed you." She hugged her friend, and Keith was surprised at first.

" Keith!" Hunk came running from the kitchen. " You're up!" He excitedly projected, joining the hug and nearly knocking them all over.

Keith felt like he was being squeezed to death by a teddy bear.

" What were they planning?" Keith asked after he was set free.

" You don't want to know." Shiro assured.

" Yeah, I kind of do, actually." He responded. " Because you know, something had to be pretty bad before you would kidnap me."

" About that," Another voice cut in, but this time, it was one that Keith didn't recognize. " That was me."

Keith turned over his shoulder, seeing someone was on their way down the steps. Cliché or not, he swore that his body forgot how to breathe for a second there. His voice was so cocky, and his skin was so tan. The suit he wore indicated that he'd been on assignment from Shiro, being that all members were required to dress in that way when sent out.

" Why are you bragging about kidnapping him?" Hunk rolled his eyes.

" Cause it's Lance?" Pidge thought out loud.

" Or maybe because I did a good job." The mysterious male said confidently, and Keith's eyes were still glued on him. How was everyone else still functioning with this guy in the room? That was a question Keith found himself unable to answer.

But, hell no! This dude was the one who abducted him! Keith cursed himself internally, not bothering to even greet him.

" Oh, Keith, you left just a little before Lance joined." Shiro said. " You haven't met him, have you?"

Lance came further down the steps, standing on the same one as Keith. And he ignored the way that Kosmo was growling at him.

" Does that exclude the time I broke into his apartment, took his dog, knocked him out, and carried him to my car? Then no. I'd recognize that mullet anywhere if I had." Lance joked, ruffling Keith's hair.

Keith shoved Lance's hand off, using his martial arts skills to swing it over his head, twist, and lock him in a bent over position.

" Don't touch me, asshat." He snarled sassily.

" Easy there." Lance snickered, but then yelped when Keith twisted even more. " Ouch! Okay!" He exclaimed until he was let go. " Jeez. Where was all this fighting when I was taking you earlier? That was too easy."

" Maybe if you hadn't disoriented me with gas-"

" Excuses, excuses, Mullet." Lance rubbed his arm.

" Ahem." Shiro cleared his throat. " Keith, good to know that you're not rusty with your karate. But you know the rules, we can't use it unless we're training."

" Yeah, Keith." Lance folded his arms. " I wouldn't want to have to show you my moves." He said slyly, looking over the smaller boy's physique. That could've been taken one of two ways.

Keith didn't know how he felt about this guy just yet. Maybe if he wasn't so annoying he would've been able to appreciate his good looks more attentively. Or there was the possibility that he was irritated, yet checking him out simultaneously.

" I don't want to see any of your moves." Keith used air quotes as he brushed Lance off.

Lance scoffed, still looking at Keith out of the corner of his eye. He was pretty... well... what was the word? A snacc? Nah. Keith was the whole damn meal, and Lance wouldn't have minded gobbling him up. But he seemed like kind of a dick.

This would be a fun challenge for him.

Shiro's little brother? He'd have to be careful how he went about it.

" Anyways." Shiro's eyebrow twitched as he tried to get their attention.

" Anyways what? I have work tomorrow, I want to go home." Keith tapped his foot, and Lance burst out laughing.

" Keith, you're not going anywhere." The older brother said while Lance lost his shit in the background.

" Excuse me?" Keith choked on his own spit.

" We just told you that there's conspiracy for your murder and now you think we can let you leave? Keith, you'd get yourself killed out there." Pidge said. " You're one of my best friends, please, just make this easier for yourself. At least here you can have protection."

" I have to open the parlor tomorrow." Keith insisted.

" Do you have a death wish?" Lance asked, stifling any more laughter from erupting.

" Work doesn't matter. We have everything you could ever need right here." Shiro told him.

" Really?" Keith inquired. " Okay, I don't see my phone-"

" What does your phone matter?" Lance interrupted.

And Keith socked him in the arm with his fist.

" Fuck!" Lance hissed. " Enough with the abuse!"

" Lance, don't act like you're not into that shit." Pidge snickered.

" As I was saying." Keith exhaled harshly. " I don't have my sketchbook or Kosmo's toys and food or-" He felt at his back pocket. His eyes widened as soon as it wasn't there. " Lance! Where the hell is my pocket knife?!" He panicked.

" I took that." Lance cooley said, massaging his arm and already feeling a bruise beginning to form there.

" Why?!" Keith growled.

" How was I supposed to know you wouldn't wake up and try to shank me from the backseat?!" The taller of the two boys yelled.

" I just might shank you if you don't give it back right fucking now!" Keith seemed to get hysterical all of the sudden. That knife meant more to him than almost anything. That was why it was always on him.

" It's just a little blade, chill out." Lance said.

" Lance." Shiro sternly spoke. " Give him his knife."

" Why is everyone so pissed at me? Jesus-" Lance reached into his back pocket. He pulled out the blueish purple knife, admiring its marbled handle. On it, there was a letter K that had been etched. " Here!" Lance tossed it to Keith. " Just stop yelling at me."

Keith felt like he could breathe again as he held it close to his chest. It might not have seemed like much, but to him, that tiny knife meant everything. It was all he had to remember her by.

" Keith, just promise you won't leave." Shiro pleaded. " Not until we have this all figured out."

" And how long will that take?" Keith dirty looked Lance from the corner of his eye.

" We're not sure." Pidge answered.

" One night. That's it." Keith caved. " I have a life, too."

" Really?" Lance scoffed. " You seem like kind of a loner."

Keith held back from punching him as he took a deep breath to calm himself.

" What makes you say that?" He inquired with an unrivaled saltiness in his tone.

Part of Lance wondered if Keith actually wanted his answer to that, but he went ahead and spoke his mind anyways.

" Well, your apartment is a ghost town. There aren't any pictures up or anything, and it's so clean. You must never have anyone over." Lance responded.

" Shut up." Keith retorted.

" Solid comeback." Lance smirked.

" I'll break your jaw if you don't shut it." The smaller of the two boys growled. And Keith felt Hunk pat his shoulder from behind.

" How about no?" He smiled to relieve some of the tension between the two. For a chef, Hunk sure was good at calming people down.

" You know what, screw this." Lance huffed. " I'm going to bed."

" Me too." Keith said.

" I don't think so." Shiro stopped Lance from sauntering off.

" What?" Keith asked.

" Keith, I'm sorry. But I really don't trust you right now. I learned my lesson last time." The older brother stated.

" I won't sneak out again." Keith insisted.

" That, and what if they show up here?" Shiro questioned the room.

" That could happen." Pidge shrugged.

" Right. But what does that have to do with me?" Lance raised an eyebrow.

" Lance, you get to be Keith's bodyguard."

" Why?!" Both boys exclaimed in unison.

" Because I said so." Shiro folded his arms and stuck up his nose. Those two needed to get along, like it or not. Members of his family didn't get to be at each other's throats when there were way more dangerous people to worry about.

" I don't want him beating on me all night!" Lance groaned.

" I don't want him annoying me all the time! And taking my stuff!" Keith complained.

" Hey!" Lance pouted.

" Can you both shut up?!" Pidge raised her voice to get their attention. " You need to stop annoying all of us with your bickering."

" Agreed." Hunk nodded.

They both sulked.

" Lance, just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid like sneak out or get killed." Shiro ordered him, but he wasn't like a drill sergeant. He was just authoritative in a way that they were all used to.

Keith scowled at everyone and everything. And Kosmo whimpered while licking at the palm of his hand to cheer him up.

" Why can't you do it? He's your brother." Lance pointed at Keith while speaking.

Shiro didn't say anything while continuing up the stairs and leaving Lance's question unanswered.

" Just stay in your own lane." Keith said, and he couldn't have been any more sassy with Lance. " And don't touch my knife again."

Lance snorted to himself.

" I'd rather touch something else." He muttered while smirking.

" What was that?!" Keith combatively inquired.

" Nothing."

(( Ohoho... and it begins.))