(( Sorry for the late update, Loves. I got tied up in my personal novel and oneshots. I also just needed a breather. I hope you all can understand :) ))

Keith couldn't have been more pissed that Lance had allowed the girls into the room, but he couldn't concentrate on that as he slipped on the rest of his clothes. He wasn't trying to get in another fight with his boyfriend over it. As long as nobody tried to murder each other, it should've been alright?

Since they'd gotten their clothes out of the other suite, Keith had his suitcase at least. He wore some red skinny jeans, and a low cut black tank top that showed off his sides. He tied his hair back, almost like he was a girl preparing for a bitch fight.

He emerged from the room, seeing Allura and Romelle seated on the couch, and Adam looking very tired while getting coffee. Someone had gotten a rude awakening.

" So..." Lance began. " What do you want to know?"

" Everything." Allura answered immediately.

Keith snorted, plopping down beside Lance.

" You'll have to be more specific. Do you want a list of everyone he's killed? Cause we don't have that. I know where he keeps his drugs, and I can tell you all the fucked up things he's done to us. How does that sound?" Keith smiled sassily.

Lance socked Keith in the arm.

" You don't have to terrify them."

" This is nothing." Keith growled.

" He's killed people?" Allura asked shakily. Her eyes beaded nervously, and she squeezed Romelle's hand to try and calm down.

" And worse." Lance told her. " He's had people kidnap our members before, he likes to shoot maids anytime we hire a new one, and he's actually buried our leader alive before."

Adam came into the living room, scowling into his cup of coffee. He'd been filled in about everything, and words couldn't describe how bitter he was.

" Don't forget him ordering the killing of my brother." Adam added. " I'd love to see his head on a stake."

" Do you have any evidence of this?" Allura asked.

" Are you fucking serious?" Keith hissed. " Do you need a fucking video of him murdering people? Is my friend being in the hospital not enough proof for you, you dumb bitc-"

Lance covered Keith's mouth before the hothead could say anything else.

" Baby, stop." Lance told him, and Keith squirmed. Lance pulled him closer and had Keith in his lap, and somehow the cuddling helped Keith take a breath.

" Ally... he's not a good guy. I wanted to warn you... he just threatened me with so many things that I was too scared." Romelle turned to her.

Hunk and Shay were holding each other close, standing and allowing the others to sit.

" If you want proof why don't you go catch him in the act? I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard." Keith scoffed. " That is if I don't kill him first..." He muttered.

Lance squeezed Keith tighter.

" You don't have to be so harsh." Lance told him sternly. " Shiro wouldn't want you to talk like that."

" Who is Shiro?" Allura sniffled.

" Shiro is the head of the family." Adam explained. " He also happens to be my boyfriend, and the person who rescued me."

" So... let me sort this out..." Allura sighed. " You're all in a gang war with Lotor? And I'm just now finding out about this?"

" To put it lightly." Keith remarked. He wasn't in the mood to play nice. " Why don't you just ask him?"

" If everything you've told me is true... I doubt he'd be honest with me anyways." Allura said, standing up. She sniffled while trying to keep her composure. She was in love with a monster. " Thank you for... being honest with me."

" And thank you for not calling the cops on Keith." Lance said, and Hunk led the girls toward the door. Once they were gone, everyone could breathe again.

Keith huffed while getting up.

" You're so mean." Lance shook his head at him.

" This is war." Keith told him. " Being nice gets you killed."

" So does sneaking off by yourself..." Lance murmured, standing up. Keith heard him anyways, and he couldn't help but look down.

" Do you need me to apologize again? I told you... I couldn't think straight." The smaller boy told him, and Lance found his arms sliding down Keith's sides. He held his hips, looking down at him. Lance could only thank everything that he still had him, and had prevented him from doing something he'd regret forever.

" I don't need anything except you." Lance said, leaning down and meeting their lips together in a kiss. Keith's eyes were open for a moment, but his arms began unfolding slowly. His hands rested on Lance's chest, and Lance lovingly held him close.

" Let's just go." Lance told him after pulling back. " The Uber should be here soon."

...

...

" Matt, please... you need to eat something." Shiro told him, running his hand through the man's ginger hair. He couldn't help but sigh while watching him stare at his sister blankly, just wanting nothing more than for her to wake up.

" I can't... I'm not hungry..." Matt mumbled, and Shiro tried to hand him some food from the vending machine. The pickings were slim, and it definitely wasn't a seven course, luxury meal... but it was something. Shiro had found some string cheese and crackers, and that would have to do. Matt refused to go anywhere until Pidge woke up, and it seemed like they would be there forever.

Matt was so anxious, so on edge, that he feared if he ate anything it would just come right back up. He was holding her hand, knowing that Pidge could've woken up at any moment. The anesthesia would've worn off, but she was very in need of rest after everything that had befallen her.

Shiro sat beside Matt, eating some chips and trying to comfort him in any way he could. Shiro might've been angry and devastated, but it didn't change the fact that he needed to eat something. They both did.

" Matt. Eat a couple crackers. You're going to feel even more sick if you don't. Come on, your body has to be running on fumes at this point-"

" Shiro. Stop." Matt told him. He turned to look at his boyfriend seriously, and right as Matt was about to snap something at him, he heard a quiet cough from the bed. There was a shaky breath that followed the raspy, worn out noise, and Matt's head whipped around.

Pidge's eyes had struggled to open, and he felt tears racing to his eyes as he saw her.

" M-Matt?" She stuttered, trying to sit up. Pidge winced and leaned back into the pillows soon after, though. She felt at her side, clenching her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut. With all the painkillers they had to have been pumping her with, she didn't understand.

" Hey, stay still. We're here. Everyone else is on the way, too." Matt assured her, trembling. Pidge's heart monitor sped up the pace of its beeping, and she looked around herself in a daze.

" Shiro?"

" Yeah, it's me." Shiro smiled a tiny bit, relieved. There were bags under both Matt's and his eyes from the ordeal they'd been through. If they were that worse for the wear, neither of them even wanted to imagine the world of hurt Pidge must've been in.

Pidge was nauseous, out of it.

" I feel like I'm about to puke..." She covered her mouth.

" That's just the anesthesia. You should probably drink something." Shiro said, looking around. " Here, I'll go find a nurse."

Matt squeezed Pidge's hand, smiling at her even though he was enraged and depressed, and every other emotion on the planet.

" I'm so glad you're okay." He choked up.

" Matt..." Pidge murmured. " Where am I?"

" You're at the hospital. You got out of surgery a few hours ago." Matt informed her, and she seemed to be in her own little reality. Everything was fuzzy.

That's when it all came flushing back into her head at once, the events thrashing around and trashing her emotional state. She recalled the feeling of getting sliced, of getting beat up by the three, of stabbing one of the girls back before her own injury. She remembered the stench of blood, and how it'd gotten everywhere, and she remembered her laptop getting smashed.

She gasped, coughing and choking on air.

" Woah, woah!" Matt exclaimed, and she sat up and looked around herself frantically. " Hey, you're safe." He put a hand on her shoulder, and her breath staggered as she struggled to find a rhythm in her breathing. It was anything but good.

Shiro returned with a pair of nurses, who went to work checking Pidge's IV and taking her vitals. Pidge was slowly calming down, but she was still in shock over everything that had happened.

" I'll have to talk to Doctor Keaton, but I'm guessing he'll want to keep her for observation for two days at least." One of the nurses spoke to Matt. Shiro internally panicked. He'd completely forgotten that she'd need recovery time, as stupid as it might've been on his part. He had planned on getting everyone off the island after she was discharged, but apparently they couldn't just flee. And that was the scary thing, aside from almost losing Pidge. Who was next? Was it even over?

They got Pidge a paper cup, one filled with water. She reluctantly drank some of it, feeling weird. Was she missing something?

" Matt... my glasses?" She looked over to him, and thankfully the older brother had them. Though Pidge didn't need them to see or anything, she was attached to them. He handed them to her, and she sighed while putting them on. " That's better."

Shiro looked out into the hall, seeing that everyone else was just arriving. He beckoned them inside of the room, and Hunk began sprinting.

" Pidge!" He beamed, about to run inside. Shiro stopped him, unsure if Hunk was about to tackle her in a hug.

" Be careful with her, remember." He reminded him, chuckling. Hunk scratched the back of his neck, slowly approaching the bed. He grinned at her, pulling up a chair.

" How are you doing?" He asked her, and Pidge scoffed.

" How do I look?" She laughed, but then broke out into a coughing fit. Hunk frowned, as did Matt.

Keith, Lance, Shay, and Adam came in.

" Keith, where's Kosmo?" Shiro asked him, wondering what they'd done with the dog.

" He's in the room. I gave him everything he needs." Keith assured him, and then Shiro hugged him suddenly. He felt himself getting squished by his brother's muscular arms, and he wondered how Matt didn't pop and deflate every time Shiro hugged him.

" Don't ever run off again." Shiro whispered, and Keith wheezed. " You're my brother, I love you."

" F-Fine..." Keith stammered as he was set free, and Lance chuckled at him. He found it funny that Shiro had almost just crushed him. " Oh shut up." Keith shoved Lance's arm, and Lance pulled him close.

Shiro saw Adam, who was obviously hung over. Adam looked up at him, then wrapped his arms around Shiro. They embraced, not even needing to say a word.

" Pidge..." Keith looked over to the bed.

" Keith." She smiled. " Lance."

" See, Keith, aren't you happy you didn't murder anyone?" Lance teased, trying to lighten the mood. Keith ignored him, and Pidge narrowed her eyes. Oh no.

" Keith... what did you do?" She asked, and everyone in the room cringed besides she and Keith. Lance nervously chuckled, realizing the joke might've been off color.

" I might've pressed some people for information." Keith folded his arms.

" With a scissors." Hunk deadpanned.

Pidge facepalmed, rubbing under glasses. Such a classic Keith move.

" Please tell me there isn't a warrant out there for you?" She asked him, and Keith shook his head. She breathed a sigh of relief, feeling more pain from her side as she did so. " Good. If anyone gets revenge, it's me." She added, and everyone's eyes bulged.

" Nope, nuh uh, you're going to stay right here in the safe hospital with all the nice doctors." Hunk told her, smiling nervously.

" You're never going off alone again. None of us will." Matt looked between her and Keith, sending them both a message. What Keith had done was outwardly reckless, but Pidge had still chosen to be alone in the room. That wasn't wrong of her, but looking back... she could've just worked on hacking in the same room with Matt and Adam.

" I'm making a new family rule." Shiro spoke up, clearing his throat and using his 'dad voice'. It was the voice he used when making an important address, the one when he wanted to show that he wasn't kidding in the least. He tucked Adam against his side tighter.

Lance was holding Keith from behind, resting his chin on the smaller boy's shoulder and holding him. Then there was Shay, who was sitting on Hunk's lap innocently. Every one of their attention turned to Shiro.

" From this day forward, we're using the buddy system. Nobody goes anywhere alone as long as we're on this island. Do I make myself clear?"

" But... what about going to the bathroom?" Lance asked. " No offense to people, but I don't wanna just whip it out in front of-"

" Someone can wait outside the bathroom for you, Lance. That's besides the point." Shiro shook his head. " We're vulnerable here without weapons, and look how close we came to losing someone? There are certain risks we can't afford to be taking." He explained. " And, Keith, this goes especially for you. If I catch you trying to sneak out, trying to do anything that you know we wouldn't approve of, there will be consequences."

Keith stood stiff, never having been warned of something in that manner before. Shiro had never threatened something like that before.

" And that doesn't just go for Keith. Any one of you, including myself." Shiro spoke. " Nod if you understand."

Nods were seen all around.

Matt and Adam both looked at Shiro, finding his taking of control very sexy. It wasn't the time or place for that, though.

" Well, Babe... I guess I'm going back to being your bodyguard." Lance whispered to Keith, knowing that he'd never let Keith endanger himself again. He was too valuable, too precious.

" Did you ever stop?" Keith asked him, leaning back on Lance and feeling the taller male bury into his neck. They both knew the answer to that question already.

Lance would never stop protecting Keith, never stop trying to protect everyone. Everybody had their thing, and Lance hadn't thought he had a place for a long time. He was dead wrong back then, though. He was the stabilizer, the protector, the guy people could go to.

He'd found his definite meaning in Keith.

(( That moment when I just got back from fleeing the country, but I'll have a bounty out for my head in a couple chapters. Heh... heh...))