(( Yes I drew that monstrosity ^^ and yes it has something to do with this chapter lmao. Say hello to the Holy Fan Art, or so I call it.))

" It sure has been a while, Mr. Blaytz." Allura smiled from across the table. Her hoop earrings casually jangled back and forth from the tiny movements of her head.

" Tell me about it." He said, chuckling nervously. Blaytz was just a guy to Allura, a friend of her boyfriend. She didn't know who he was really. She'd never seen past the surface of polite conversations. And she definitely didn't notice the look that Lotor was giving him.

All Allura saw were smiles and catching up. And their bodyguards, Kinkade and James, standing by the table. She was very smart as a person, but she fell just short when it came to reading between the lines.

" It has been a long time, hasn't it?" Lotor sighed, acting as though he was happy to see him. " I almost thought that you were avoiding me." He said, and to Allura, it was a joke. To Blaytz, it was terrifying.

" Me? Avoid you?" He laughed nervously, and it was obviously forced. " Never."

It was late at night, so the restaurant they were in wasn't very bustling with people. The dimly lit atmosphere made it all the more ominous to the one in the hot seat. And the tiny light strung above the corner booth illuminated the sweat beads that had formed on his forehead.

Lotor chimed in with a little laughter of his own as not to make Allura suspicious of him. His girlfriend needed to stay in the dark about what he did.

Allura ran a hand back through her very long curly hair. Lotor had always loved how beautifully natural it looked when she kept it down.

" Well, it's getting kind of late." She said, looking over at her very tall boyfriend.

" You know, it is. I'll settle the check and meet you in the car." Lotor smiled, twirling some of her hair around his finger. " Does that sound good with you, darling?"

" Yeah." Allura blushed, and Lotor pressed a very cute seeming kiss to her cheek.

" James, escort her." Lotor told one of the bodyguards.

" Yes, sir." James responded, and as Allura slid out of the booth, he kept a hand by her waist while leading her away.

Blaytz gulped while Allura told him a quiet goodbye. Now he was really in trouble. Lotor could drop his act.

" Now. Cut the shit. Where have you been? And where is the cash?" Lotor narrowed his eyes while looking him over.

" I swear! I don't know!" He exclaimed.

" Bullshit." Lotor scoffed. " I don't like dealers with deep pockets and dirty noses. How much did you make off with?"

" I didn't take any. It could've been one of my guys, but I really have no idea-"

" Kinkade." Lotor interrupted.

" Yes, sir?" Kinkade turned to face his boss.

" Take him out back. I think he'll need a talking to before I can trust him again." Lotor huffed.

" No, please-" Blaytz tried to say, but he found his arm being jerked back. He was being pretty much dragged from the table. And Lotor dusted off his suit, walking away without a second thought.

Even with an organization as large as his, Lotor was feared and respected by most. His underlings normally knew better than to try and steal from him.

And as for his enemies, they knew better than to make strikes against him first.

After he'd gotten back to his massive mansion, which he and Allura shared together, he got her in bed. She was obviously tired and turned in early, but he had many phone calls to make.

" What do you mean he wasn't there?! I asked you to do this days ago!" Lotor fumed into his phone.

Excuses were rambled from the other side as he paced around his large office space.

" This was our chance to hit him where it hurts! The guy doesn't have any other family, dipshit. Now he probably has his brother under his wing and hidden away." Lotor grit his teeth. " No! I know Shiro! He got to Keith before us! No-No! He didn't just go on a last minute vacation!"

Lotor was ready to chuck his phone across the room.

" You need to figure out another way to make him pay! Call me back when you have something useful to me!" He hung up.

...

Walking around that day was actual torture. And so was the next, and by the third it finally started getting easier. Keith couldn't take a step without remembering what he and Lance had done.

It had been so rushed, so impulsive.

Keith didn't regret it, though.

As he sat at the bar, he was doodling in the sketchbook Lance had found for him. When he let his mind wander, his sketches sure did get... interesting.

The main drawing was a giant cock, detailed with a couple veins and a few groomed hairs. Everything looked like a normal penis would've, but that was until the head was considered.

It wasn't the head of a cock.

It was a doodle of Lance's face, and Keith chuckled to himself while touching up the head of hair. He was a pretty good artist if he did say so himself.

He started drawing arms onto the shaft of the cock, giving some shoulders as well. But they weren't drawn very intensely.

Don't ask what had inspired his... artwork. Keith probably didn't even know the answer to that.

Once he heard the footsteps thumping down the stairs, Keith slammed his sketchbook shut. And Kosmo, who was sleeping peacefully atop the counter, was startled awake. He sat up, growling and looking at the stairwell with his teeth exposed.

Lance made a face while he emerged and stepped into the basement.

" Easy, buddy." Keith stroked Kosmo's back soothingly, petting down his fur and calming him.

" Why does your dog actually hate me?" Lance asked, coming to sit in the stool next to Keith's.

" Kosmo." Keith corrected.

" Okay. Why does Kosmo want to rip me apart?" Lance chuckled. And the husky's golden hued eyes were locked on him while he laid down.

" I'm not sure. Maybe it's because you kidnapped him." Keith rolled his eyes, reaching to scratch him behind the ears and smile while doing so. His dog really was like his best friend aside from Pidge or Shiro.

" That was one time!" Lance whined. " And I was on assignment!"

" He doesn't care." Keith remarked.

" You forgave me. Why can't he?" Lance pouted.

" I wouldn't say that I forgave you." The smaller male looked at Lance questionably. He noticed that Lance was especially close to him, almost in a protective way. Well duh. He was supposed to be his bodyguard after all. But it wasn't within professional distance.

" Really?" Lance raised an eyebrow, smirking somewhat. " You warmed up to me pretty fast last time I checked."

Keith tried not to have a reaction to what Lance was saying as he sat there. A medium sized deadpan stayed glued on his features.

" Right?" Lance cooed, getting a little closer to him.

Keith sat completely still.

" Sure." He sarcastically said.

" Me fucking you wasn't a good enough apology?" Lance questioned.

Holy hell did Lance wish that they could make that a regular thing. Keith was so hot that he could barely wrap his head around it.

" Shut up before someone hears you." Keith turned to him with wide eyes. He almost threw his hand over Lance's mouth to muffle him, but decided against it at the last second.

" You embarrassed?" The taller boy bit his lip in an amused way.

Keith slapped his arm as if warning him to shut his trap for the last time.

" Ouch! Okay..." Lance rubbed his bicep and winced. It was clear that Keith wasn't in the mood for teasing, so he changed the subject. " What were you drawing?" He asked, peeking around Keith and getting a glimpse of his sketchbook.

Keith immediately became flustered, not knowing how to respond.

Lance walked his fingers across the surface of the counter, pulling the book over toward himself. Keith placed his hand atop the notebook, pressing the cover of it down so it couldn't be opened.

" What?" Lance asked. " I wanna see."

" No you don't." Keith told him while shaking his head and chuckling nervously.

" I do." Lance smiled, and Keith let go, deciding that Lance could see. Whatever.

Lance's eyes were huge while they scanned over the first page.

" Is this supposed to be me?!" He gasped, clutching his chest in a shocked manner. The artwork was pretty good if he was being honest. It actually looked a hell of a lot like him, in the face region at least.

Keith burst out laughing.

" This doesn't even look like me! I don't know what you're talking about!" Lance exclaimed.

" You knew that it was you, though." The other boy smirked proudly.

Lance folded his arms, but then he came up with an idea. A flirt like him was always on the lookout for opportunities to make innuendos and remarks.

" You know... the lips don't really look like mine..." He slyly slid his arm around Keith's shoulder. " Maybe you should better acquaint yourself with them..." Lance purred down his neck.

Keith felt himself tilting his head, about to lean in for the kiss, but he couldn't get that far.

Why was it that people always interrupted them down there?

" Keith. I finally found you." Shiro said. Lance couldn't have distanced himself from Keith faster. He nearly toppled from his bar stool while shooting back.

" What is it?" The little brother asked in an irate way. It was obvious that Shiro had just intruded on something, and he had a confused expression spread on his features while standing there.

He shook it off, not having the time to worry about it right then. As long as Shiro didn't have to worry about Lance and Keith murdering each other, it was gucci.

" It'll be a while before you can go home..." Shiro began. " Like... a long while."

" Umm-" Keith cut himself off, and his eyes darted to Lance for a second. But they then cut back to Shiro. " Why?"

" Lotor has someone patrolling the area around your apartment." He cringed while speaking.

" Are you fucking kidding me? I have stuff I need to get sooner or later." Keith grit his teeth.

" Like what?" Shiro asked.

" Well, I don't know. If you got kidnapped, wouldn't there be some things you might like to have taken with you?" Keith sassily responded.

" Why don't we just take him back?" Lance suggested.

" What?!" Shiro panicked. " I only have enough intel to know that he has someone waiting! I don't know how many of them there are."

He had always hated getting into violent situations. How ironic, right? The gang leader didn't like bloodshed.

" Keith and I could go on assignment. Or we could gather up some people and escort him. It wouldn't be bad." Lance added.

" This could get bloody for literally no reason." Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose. " Keith, you have anything you could ever need right here."

Keith folded his arms.

" You wouldn't understand. Not everybody has the money to just buy new stuff whenever they want. I like my clothes, and I don't even have my phone. I don't have anything..." Keith trailed off.

" Keith, we were raised in the same family, of course I know what that feels like." Shiro told him. " I just don't think it's worth the risk."

" Well, I do." Keith had more than just a hint of salt in his voice. Lightly salted? Never heard of it. He was a whole salt shaker in his tone.

" I don't want anyone getting hurt..." Shiro tried to say.

" Well maybe you should've thought of that before you started a gang war." Keith retorted.

" Woah. I didn't start anything." Shiro raised his hands.

" Really? You were the one who kicked him out." Keith growled.

" I-"

" Guys!" Lance cut in. " It doesn't matter how it started. Now we have to deal with the results."

Shiro sighed, trying not to get worked up and angry about something so dumb.

" You're right." He said. And Keith was still having an internal temper tantrum. He wasn't wrong to miss the comforts of home when he was literally abducted from there.

" Can I just get my stuff? If I already don't get to go back to my job because you are keeping me here, I at least get to grab some things. You owe me that." Keith took a deep breath. " They're only after me to hurt you for what you did..."

" Thanks for that, Keith. Because I don't already feel guilty about it or anything." Shiro stared off to the side, hurt.

Lance felt like he was failing at keeping the peace between them.

" I can take him over there." He offered. " If we go at night it might be easier."

" I like that plan." The little brother mumbled. He hated the fact that he and Shiro had been at odds recently. It had slowly been going downhill, one by one as the people died it got harder. Now they were the only blood family members in the gang. Well, maybe besides Matt and Pidge. That had definitely changed from the start of it.

He didn't want to fight with Shiro constantly, but it seemed like a defense mechanism. The longer he stayed there the longer he became a part of the family again. Disassociating himself was pointless.

" Okay then." Lance took a deep breath, hoping that the back and forth bickering was over. " I'll get Matt, and maybe Pidge can be our lookout."

" Since when does Pidge come on assignment?" Keith asked, flabbergasted.

" A lot has changed since you left, Keith." Shiro said quietly.

That statement had more than one meaning, but Keith wasn't about to start butting heads with him again.

...

Keith had yet to see Matt since coming back to the mansion. But was that really a surprise? Matt loved spending time in his room, either snacking on Hunk's experimental concoctions, playing PS4, or tinkering with his laptop.

He and Pidge were their resident tech gurus, but he also worked out sometimes.

While Lance was busy getting Matt to emerge from his hibernation chamber- or sorry- his room, Keith was getting ready.

Normally they were dressed up in their suits, looking sleek and clean cut when on assignment. But this was an operation that required precision and an ability to blend in. Keith was looking through his for the most part empty closet, not sure what he was supposed to wear. The outfit he'd been kidnapped in was probably buried in the abyss of a laundry room. Their maid, Shay, was rarely ever on top of the chores. They really should've had more than one maid, and Shiro knew that much, but he didn't want to risk getting someone else killed.

The last maid they'd hired had been shot on the porch and left as a message from Lotor, and Shay had been the one to clean it up.

Long story short, there was a lot of work for one person to handle, and Keith's clothes wouldn't be back for at least another day or two.

He sighed, seeing that there were only a couple stray suits hung up in there.

" Keith, you ready?" Lance asked, coming into the room through the open door.

Keith was currently wearing a thin muscle top and a pair of basketball shorts he'd found in the bottom of his otherwise empty dresser. He would've froze if he left the mansion wearing it.

" I think I have to go root through the laundry pile." Keith grimaced, almost cutting by Lance while trying to walk out.

" Wait." Lance grabbed his wrist. " You can just wear something of mine."

The smaller boy made a face.

" We fucked once. Don't think you can make me wear your sweatshirts." He pulled his arm back, crossing both of them across his chest.

" What?! I wasn't-" Lance grew a bright shade of red. " I didn't say anything about that! You did."

Keith stared him down, raising an eyebrow.

" Okay, you'd look hot in my hoodie, I won't deny that." Lance cleared his throat awkwardly. " But I didn't mean it like that."

There was a brief silence, one filled with a very subtle amount of tension.

" Come on, let's go to your room." Keith said.

" Ooo, okay." Pidge could be heard from outside the door frame. " If you guys are going to fuck, make it quick so we can leave." She commented while walking by. She had really sharp ears apparently.

" Shut up!" Keith exclaimed, turning a very crimson color and growling a little.

Lance smirked seeing his aggravated, yet not completely hateful facial expression. He was just a very cute person in general.

The shorter boy kept sulking at the floor in an attempt to hide his blush.

It was going to be a long night.