(( Angst warning! This brings up what happened to Keith's father, a violent episode takes place in Keith's dream, and this chapter highlights an instance of binge drinking. If that triggers anyone, please do not read!))

It was so awfully cold on the operating table, and his skin was seemingly freezing to its surface. The white lights above Keith were blinding him until something moved in front of it.

" No!" Keith shouted, seeing a knife in their hands.

" Lance can't protect you. This kid is as good as dead when I get my hands on it." Lotor chuckled, running the knife along Keith's large abdomen sadistically. It was only brushing the surface, not yet breaking the skin. The baby bump was there, yet premature.

" STOP!" Keith tried to move, but he soon found that his hands were bound, as well as his ankles.

" You see... I could. But I won't." Lotor grinned, and Keith was hyperventilating as he watched the end of the blade dance over his skin. He was naked. Completely nude on that table.

" FUCK YOU!" Keith spat.

" Looks like Lance beat me to it... I guess we have to start fresh, hm?" Lotor smiled, moving to raise the knife.

" NO! Do anything you want! Rape me! Beat me! Just don't hurt it!" Keith frantically screamed, trying to thrash in the restraints.

" Nah." Lotor said, and next thing Keith knew, he was being butchered. Nothing to numb the pain, nothing to stop the bleeding.

Keith sat up, screaming the word 'no' loudly. He felt around himself, nearly having a panic attack before realizing he was fine. He was in Lance's bed, wearing a baggy t-shirt from his boyfriend.

" Keith?" Lance was startled, jolting awake from the noise and sudden movement.

" Oh-oh God!" Keith said, moving to cover his mouth, running to Lance's bathroom. He got by the toilet just in time to throw up. Not again.

It still burned. The stomach acid was horrible as it rushed up his throat and into the toilet.

Lance finally realized that Keith wasn't sick. It was morning sickness. He smacked his forehead, feeling like an absolute idiot. It all made sense.

He stumbled out of bed tiredly, moving to be by his omega. Lance held back some of Keith's hair as he spilled his insides into the toilet bowl.

" It's okay, Babe... get it all out." He rubbed Keith's trembling back. Unlike some people would've been, Lance wasn't grossed out. This was normal, and even though the vomit's odor was enough to make his own eyes water, Lance wasn't going anywhere.

Keith didn't have time to think about his nightmare as he panted out. He was once again faced with the disgusting sensation of throwing up. His nose and eyes were fiery as he retched a couple more times.

" Lance? You okay in there?" Ronny asked, knocking on Lance's door. Since her room was right next to his, she could hear some pretty alarming things.

She might've been a bitchy teenage girl, but despite how it seemed sometimes, she loved her brother. Ronny had dialed the sass back once she was told about the situation.

" Uh-yeah! Just some morning sickness, we're fine!" Lance called with his sleepy voice.

" Do you need anything?" She asked in a worried tone.

" No! Thanks!" He rubbed Keith's back more, massaging to comfort him.

Keith reached for the handle, fumbling for a second before flushing the toilet.

" Sorry for waking you up..." The omega mumbled.

" Shh... don't apologize, Babe." Lance looked around the bathroom. He flicked on the light, opening up the drawer and finding a new toothbrush for Keith to use. " I have this, and you can use whatever you want in here, okay?" It was obvious that Keith was embarrassed about puking in front of him.

" Thanks..."

" You don't have to thank me either." Lance gave him a small, supportive smile.

...

" Babe, just go back to sleep, okay?" Lance told Keith after he emerged from the bathroom. He'd taken a shower, brushed his teeth a million times, and rinsed his mouth thoroughly with Lance's mouthwash. " You need to rest..."

" What are you going to do?" Keith asked. He was still exhausted. The shower hadn't succeeded in waking him up.

" You feel up to eating something later? You'll need to."

" I mean... I can try." Keith said, and Lance ushered him over to the bed, spreading the covers over him and tucking his boyfriend in.

" Just sleep for now." Lance set the trashcan from his room by the bed. It was lined with a grocery bag as a makeshift garbage bag, so if Keith's stomach decided to give out again, he could puke there.

The alpha leaned down, kissing Keith's forehead. He didn't like leaving him in there alone, but Lance knew he was paranoid. He left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

" How is he?" Ronny asked as Lance made his way down the stairs. She was putting on her shoes by the front door.

" He has morning sickness, so how do you think?" Lance said, halting after coming off of the bottom step.

" I don't know. I've never had it." She shrugged.

" You don't want it." Lance walked past her and to the kitchen. " Mamá, what foods are pregnant people supposed to eat?" He asked, seeing that Camila was sitting at the kitchen table.

" Um... the doctor told me a lot of things." She said.

" Well, if I wanted to make Keith breakfast, I have to think about what's good for the baby. He can't keep eating the way he does if the baby is going to be healthy." Lance sat down next to her.

" Is he a picky eater? He seemed to eat what we made him just fine." Camila asked before taking a bite of her morning toast.

" He literally eats a bag of Cheetos everyday for lunch." Lance explained.

" Okay, I'll help you make breakfast for him, but under one condition." She said. " You need to eat the same things he does."

" Ew, next thing we know he'll be eating pickles and ice cream. No way!" Lance stuck out his tongue.

" Not what I meant. You can skip all the pregnancy cravings, but you need to eat as healthy as he does. You can't expect him to change his diet if you don't alter yours." Camila told him.

" I also don't have a baby growing inside of me, but... I guess." Lance scratched the back of his neck. He just wanted to do the right thing for Keith and for their baby.

" Okay." Camila extended her pinky, and Lance made her a pinky promise.

" He has morning sickness, so I really hope he'll be able to eat something." He looked down.

" I know how he feels. But trust me, he'll be hungry when he wakes up." Lance's mother assured. " Remember he's eating for two."

" You sound excited." Lance let a small smile take hold on his face.

" Don't get me wrong, I wasn't expecting to be a grandma quite this soon, but I'm happy." Camila got up, grinning at her son. " Now, lets get to work."

...

By the time Keith woke up for a second time, it was almost ten in the morning. He figured that part out when he reached for Lance's phone to check the time. But right below it, there were seemingly endless notifications. Pidge and Hunk had blown up his phone, worried when neither of them had shown up at school.

Keith sighed, running his hand back through his hair. He didn't respond to anything. All he could do was leave the phone be as he tossed the covers off and got out of bed.

He made his way down the stairs quietly, not sure if anyone was still sleeping.

" Keith?" Lance asked, hearing the ever so slight creaking on the steps.

" Hey..." The omega said.

" I made something to eat, I just finished with it actually." He smiled, pulling Keith into a hug the second he reached the bottom.

" What is it?" The smaller boy curiously asked.

" Well, I talked to my mom, and I figured out that pregnant people should eat eggs at least a few times a week because they have a lot of protein. So I made something called a 'frittata'." Lance chuckled saying that word. It was just a funny thing to pronounce.

" What the hell is that?" Keith pulled back, raising a drowsy eyebrow at him.

" I didn't know what it was either until about an hour ago. But I got some help making it."

" It sounds fancy and complicated." Keith said, and Lance smiled, running his hand down to rub Keith's belly affectionately. That caused the omega to blush a very deep red.

" Well... it's what you and the baby need. I'll make whatever keeps you both healthy." He leaned to press a kiss on Keith's cheek, then another one. " I'll eat whatever you guys eat, okay? Even all the weird healthy stuff."

Keith was flustered as Lance pulled back somewhat. After the night before, he was convinced that Lance wouldn't have been as optimistic as he was right then. He figured that Lance would've been plotting Shiro's murder, not being his personal chef.

" You're going to be a great dad..." Keith hugged him, and it was Lance's turn to blush as he rested his chin on his boyfriend's shoulder.

...

As they walked up to Keith's house, Lance was very very protective. As much as he'd tried to tell Keith that he could find the spare key, and that he could've packed up a good amount of clothes without an issue, it didn't work. Keith was going back, and there wasn't anything Lance could do to stop him.

" He isn't home." Keith said. " He's at work."

" How do you know that?" Lance asked.

The shorter boy said nothing as he grabbed their key from the fake rock.

" Shiro doesn't miss work." He answered as he unlocked the door and crept in. So that was it. Shiro had made him feel like a stranger in his own home.

The stench of alcohol was the first thing Lance noticed as he followed Keith through the door.

" Hey, do you smell that?" He asked, pulling Keith back before he could go any further into the house.

Keith was alarmed, because Shiro rarely drank. And when he did, it was only a beer or two. He was always so terrified that he would develop the same problem as their father did. He was always scared to have more than that in one sitting.

" Shiro never really drinks..." Keith whispered. Him and Lance quietly shut the door, and walked forward into the living room. There were beer bottles littering the couch, as well as the floor. A lot of them were smushed, like he'd crushed them in his palm. There had to have been at least ten of them there, if not more. But Shiro was nowhere to be found.

" We're checking upstairs. You're not going anywhere besides right by me until we figure out if he's home." Lance said, surveying the room in shock. For all they knew, Shiro could've called in and crashed in his bed.

" Lance-"

" It's not up for debate. I already don't like you being in here if he is." Lance led Keith out of the room, and they snuck up the stairs, being careful to stay light on their feet.

" I'll check..." Keith whispered, looking at Lance over his shoulder as they stood in front of Shiro's bedroom door.

For Lance, this was forbidden territory, enemy lines.

" Be careful." The alpha cautioned, hesitant to let him go in.

Keith gulped, feeling like he was in some sort of horror movie as he cracked the door open a sliver. There wasn't anyone in the bed, but as he walked into the room, the smell of alpha slammed into him. He coughed, breathing it in on accident.

" Babe?!" Lance exclaimed, following him in and nearly choking on the scent.

" Allura." Keith said. " I know she was here... this is her scent. And Shiro's." He grimaced. The aromas were... intertwined. That was an immediate indicator that they'd done more than just share a bed.

" No way. Did he realize he fucked up then drunk dial her? Allura is too nice not to come here and cheer him up." The other boy sniffed the room, letting his face angle into one of a more outraged nature. Sure, Lance was happy that Shiro wasn't beating down his doorstep and trying to take Keith back home. But who the hell could make their own brother run away from home, then call their girlfriend over and do that? It just didn't add up.

" Does he not care that I left? It seems like he had a fucking party while I was gone or something. Maybe he was celebrating..." Keith looked down, feeling like he wasn't worth anything at all.

" Babe, I'm sure it wasn't like that. If Shiro was really so happy to see you leave, he wouldn't have called me." Lance tugged Keith from the room. " Let's get out of here before he decides the hangover is too much and comes home from work early."

" Yeah..." Keith said in a saddened tone. His face was forming a frown as they walked to his room.

" Hey..." Lance stopped him, hugging Keith from behind. " It's going to be okay. I promise."

" Lance. It's-whatever. I'm fine."

" That's what people say when they're not fine." Lance snuggled closer to him. " He's your brother. It'd be weird if this didn't hurt you."

" He's acting like our dad." Keith scuffed his high top at the floor. But then his eyes widened, and he immediately tensed. Keith started running down the stairs, and Lance could barely keep up with him.

" Keith, woah, slow down!" He called after him as Keith headed for the door to the garage.

Keith swung it open, heaving a sigh of relief when he saw that Shiro's minivan was gone, and that nobody was hanging from the ceiling. Shiro wasn't that much like their father, and that much was enough to make Keith overcome with a sense of alleviation.

" Keith, what is with you?" Lance asked, seeing Keith nearly keel over from how much he was panting and breathing heavily. Then Lance remembered what Keith had told them on their first date. About his father. About the drinking after Keith's mom left.

This was the same. Keith's mother was everything to his father. Keith was Shiro's everything.

" I left him just like mom did!" Keith almost fell to his knees. " I ran away just like she did!" He had tears falling from his eyes as Lance held him stable. " Lance! I'm just as bad as she is!"

" Keith, your father never shamed her for being pregnant. Not that you've told me. You left because you wanted to protect our baby." Lance and Keith sank down onto the couple of steps that connected the garage and the house.

" But-"

" No buts. Don't feel bad for running. He fucked up." Lance held Keith close, wanting to just rip into Shiro for indirectly making Keith blame himself for this.

" What if he kills himself because of me?!" The omega blubbered. " What if-"

" Shiro wouldn't do that and you know it. I may sort of hate him right now, but I know him well enough to tell you that he'd never try anything like that." Lance whispered, knowing that Keith was paranoid. These hormones were going to be the death of him. That was probably it, too. Keith had missed his hormones the night before.

After about five minutes, Lance had finally gotten his boyfriend to calm down.

" Sorry." Keith wiped his cheeks.

" Don't say that. Keith, I made a promise to you. I'm here no matter what, okay?" Lance kissed the top of his head.

" We should get going..." The omega said, standing up from where he'd crumbled on the steps. " We have some packing to do."

" Are you seriously bringing a suitcase?" Lance was surprised as Keith grabbed luggage from the closet. After that outburst, and the guilt he had for leaving, it was astonishing. Apparently Lance had gotten through to him that staying with him was the right thing to do.

" Yeah." Keith exhaled loudly, unzipping the large, cherry red suitcase on the bed. " I won't be coming back until he apologizes to both of us." As much as it pained Keith to say it, his brother needed to learn that he couldn't treat him like that. He'd put up with the yelling in the beginning of his and Lance's relationship, but that time was over. Keith was done taking people's shit, even if it hurt him to stand his ground.

He went to his closet, looking at the vast array of colors. Black. Red. Wow, so diverse.

Keith grabbed his onesie first, knowing it was one of the most important things in there. Lance felt his heart flutter while watching him take it out.

Next came the green jacket, which was sitting in Keith's armchair. It was the most important jacket ever. It was the stereotypical boyfriend jacket that Lance would never be getting back. Ever.

" Hey, what do you want for shoes?" Lance asked, kneeling down in the closet and surveying the footwear that resided there.

" Uh-grab my boots." Keith told him while taking his My Chemical Romance shirt off of the hanger.

" These ones?" Lance held up the white, red, and black boots that Keith wore with his other jacket. The omega could only nod. " Anything else?" He put them aside.

" I don't know. Um... my red Converse I guess?" Keith was taking the shoes from Lance, knowing that they belonged in the bottom of the suitcase.

" You'll need pants and underwear and socks and all that." Lance stood up.

" Thank you, Captain Obvious." Keith responded.

" Can I just grab you some random ones?" Lance ignored the sassiness while opening up the bottom drawer of his boyfriend's dresser. He kept his underwear and socks in the same one, so it wasn't hard to find them.

" Yeah sure, I don't care." Keith said.

As Lance rifled through them, he found a particularly hot undergarment.

" Ooo la la~" He pulled out some red lingerie. It was the same one he'd gotten Keith on his birthday.

The smaller boy went completely crimson upon seeing the lacy fabric make an appearance from the far back of the drawer. Now the memories of that night came rushing back.

" We're definitely bringing this." Lance tossed the skimpy underwear at Keith, who caught it in his fist.

" If you think we're getting kinky in your house, you're crazy." Keith packed it to appease him. " There are kids and your parents would kill us."

" Chill. We probably won't get like that with the baby on the way." Lance had a handful of boxers as he piled them on the bed.

" But we're not not having sex for nine months." Keith looked at him seriously. " Pregnant sex is safe."

" I never said that we won't. You have needs, I have needs-even if my sex drive has been lower lately- and I won't neglect them. But I'm not getting rough with you." The alpha said with certainty.

...

Keith wrote Shiro a note on the stationary from the fridge. He wanted to at least let him know that he wasn't gone for good. And that was already more than they could say for their absent mother.

Don't turn into dad. Learn to accept this baby, apologize, and get a grip. Until you can do that, I can't come back.

-Keith

He left it for him, and Lance put a hand on his shoulder as they locked the house back up. Lance was rolling the suitcase behind him, and it had everything they'd need, hormones and all.

Keith was walking his motorcycle out of the driveway, not wanting to leave it. This was just so... disheartening. The omega could only look back, saddened as they walked away. His home seemed like a house.