Keith

"Lance you need to come out. You've been down there for three hours." Keith knelt by the water, speaking loudly before the stick his hand into the pool near the wall as close as he could get to the entrance to the next room over and shook it about.

It took a few minutes, but eventually Lance's tan form came slithering over the grass and sand. He stopped though before he came up, pausing by a patch of blue grass. Keith watched with a frown as the Siren turned and started to rub against it, turning at grinding down into his best he could before he grabbed a handful of golden sprouts near by and shoved them in his mouth. Keith's view was distorted but he could see it all before the sea creature floated to the surface.

"We need to talk Lance." Keith sighed as he reach for lance to take his hand. The Siren didn't say a word as he took the appendage and was hauled out of the water. He wrapped a towel around Lance's shoulders and another around his waist before he led him to sit on the bed. The blood soaked letter sat of to the side, the dark threat scrawled in loopy handwriting clear as day from where they were. "You need to tell me what's going on. And who I need to protect you from. This ain't just because I'm the fucking prince okay? I'm a solider who was put in charge of escorting you in the first place. You're my responsibility. You need to tell me who the danger is."

"It won't mater. It doesn't mater if you think you can help.'there's nothing you can do. Nothing unless you give me a Child Keith. Please."

"Lance, you know I can't do that." Keith sighed. This was the hundredth time they've had this conversation. And every time it got them no where. "Please. Please just tell me why an innocent baby was harmed. What happened? What was done to earn such a cruel punishment?" He asked, taking Lance's hands to give him something to hold. He had been sinking his claws into his palms.

"I'm not what you think I am. Neither is any other Siren in Altea." Lance eventually whispered. "I'm not some specially selected or bred Siren picked to be sent up. I'm a criminal. I'm a thief. And every other one of those here are guilty of something."

Keith frowned, a growing rise for concern bubbling up in his stomach. He subconsciously reached to feel that the handle of his mother's knife was still In its sheath. He'd strangle the Siren here and there if it was gone.

Lance hadn't missed the way Keith had instantly shown his distrust. He couldn't even wait for Lance to fully explain himself before jumping to conclusions. He didn't understand the importance of the knife, but he knew Keith prized it greatly. Keith flinched slightly, looking away with a guilty look when he was met with accusing eyes.

"I should have spent three years in confinement for stealing precious food in hopes that I could just keep my youngest sibling alive! But instead I was sent to the surface to be a whore. Unable to return to the ocean until my duty is done, I and every other Siren have been given rules by the empire. We are not allowed to sing or use magic, we are not supposed to do anything more than what our purpose is, we are required to walk elegantly, to appear untouchable but submit to any whom is around us or the Empire will harm your family.

Lance turned away and shielded his face with his hands so that Keith couldn't see the tears trailing down his face. He hunched over himself. "You get to go back home when you finally give birth to as many children as years you were convicted. But instead, because I was Selected for the Royal palace because I have never mated with another and am young, I was told my sentence was deemed undetermined. That I'd stay here until I was deemed no longer necessary."

"There is no one to take care of my little brother. Every day that keep me here without giving me a child is a day longer I would have spent praying he'd survive another day without me. I thought that in the end you'd be the reason he'd die. That it would be your fault because you can't just be like any other land dweller and shove your dick in something soft and warm and go to town. But instead it was me. Because I'm stupid and incapable of following simple orders." Lance's body was wracked with a violent son. "I'm worthless. I couldn't feed Mama's baby, I couldn't keep my promise. I failed her, I failed him. I've failed everyone and the baby is the one who has to pay for it."

Keith stared Lance. He didn't know what to do. What was he supposed to do!? He'd never had a friend other than Shiro. And Shiro was far from being the one who needed comforting. Keith stuck to himself, he didn't have practice with people. He didn't trust them, they always disappeared or died. He could have them enough to love them but not long enough to have the chance to cherish them. It was a vicious cycle that had yet to break. Every time he tried he was left standing alone in the end in front of a grave stone or a map wondering where his friend was. He'd stopped trying by the time he was fourteen.

"He's alive Lance. And right now you should just try and breath and thank the stars that your brother is alive." He started, voice wavering and unsure. It made him cringe.

"He's not going to live long without his fins Keith!" Lance snarled. "If I cut your legs off from the legs down and set you off to survive how long do you think you'd survive? How long would you survive if you were a baby?"

"Isn't there anyone who could take care of him?"

"No Keith. There isn't. Food is too scared to waste on a pup that isn't your own. Especially not one who will need to be cared for their entire life." Lance said glaring over at him with red eyes that made the blue of his irises almost glow vibrantly.

"Where is the rest of your family?" Keith asked softly.

"They were forced to migrate. We were all going to go together but something went wrong . . . Galra attacked near the outskirts of your kingdoms shorelines. I grabbed the pup and swam back. I don't know if they're alive. I don't even know where we were planning on going."

Keith was quiet, his gaze turned to the floor. This wasn't fair. None of this was fair. His father was worried about the safety of the sirens in their homes, when in reality the underlying problem
Wasn't even just the abuse, it was the fact that the Siren Empire was sending up sirens to be raped in turn for freedom all while having the lives of others hanging over their heads. That was just sick.

"When you said that all of you are criminals, what kind of crimes have they been trialed for? Are they a danger to Altea?" Keith asked warily.

"Only those framed fragile enough to best into submission are allowed to come to the surface."

Keith turned towards Lance and offered him a slight smile. "Then what are you doing up here?"

The Siren didn't smile back. He only stared at Keith blankly before pulling his knees up to his bare chest. "I'm a virgin. And I had a pup under my care. I complied quite easily." He answered flatly.

Keith faltered slightly and looked down at his hands. He should just shut up.

"What is the name of your little brother?"

"Mama hadn't given him a name. He was only born days before our departure. I've been calling him My Little Petal."

Keith could see where the name could easily come from. The fins in the box that Lance had taken from him to store bellow the pool for some unexplainable reason were like those of a baby petal fish. Keith would know. He used to have a few of them when he was younger until they started having too many babies and he turned his loose to the sea where they all belonged. The parents had been born in a laboratory anyways. They were meant to be released.

"We're going to go get Petal. And you'll bring him up to the surface." Keith said looking over at Lance.

"Have you forgotten that I can not return to the sea? That I must stay at the side of my master? I can not return Keith. Besides, he can't shift. He can't stay on land. He needs to grow up in the sea."

"He won't grow up if he's dead."

Lance didn't say anything in response for a long time. He hung his head and refused to look at Keith as tears were wiped away from his eyes.

"We'll avoid the Altean coast. We'll enter away from where they should be able to notice your entry and then we'll get your brother and come back. We can find a way to treat him, we'll keep him in the palace with you." Keith continued as he stood up.

"What makes you think I wouldn't leave the moment I have him back in my arms?" Lance asked looking over at Keith, his interest peaked but his expression guarded.

"Because you're my responsibility. And if you go back you're only going to start the cycle all over again. I can keep you fed here. You're protected if you're with me. I can declare that anything you've done to break the law as been under my command. I will inform them when your services are complete."

"If I We're to do this then I'd never be able to return. They'd kill me for treason. And then they'd go after Petal." Lance said as he stood up to meet Keith. There was a dangerous look in his eyes, like the fury and power of a storm itself was contained in his eyes.

Keith swallowed, resisting the urge to take a step away from the Siren. "Then you won't go back. I'll protect you."

Lance laughed, only this time it didn't sing. It was dark and cruel as he closed in on Keith, forcing the land dweller back. It morphed into a snarl from deep in the creature's throat as his lips were pulled back to reveal dangerous hands.

Keith groped for the wall and startled when he knocked into it sooner than he'd expected. He was suddenly very much aware of Lance's height over him, the strong muscles rippling under his skin, toned after a life time of swimming.

"You think that you have the right to tell me, a creature born of water that I may never return home? You think that you" Lance planted his hands on the wall on either side of Keith's head with a loud bang that made the Prince jump. "-a land dweller should ever conceive the idea that you could possibly protect something like me?"

"I just-"

"I understand that I owe a debt, but I will not pretend I am weak any longer. Your word will be my command, but should anyone ever lay a hand on me I will not hold back. My Empire has tainted our image and I will not let myself be a set example of the pet they want us to become. You can't protect me Keith. My mother and her mother have the lives of six hundred men and women on their name. You are nothing a meal in waiting so don't act like I'm the one who needs to be protected." Lance backed off with an angry puff of air through his nose, lips still pulled back with a snarl.

"Okay." Keith glared back up at Lance, the sound of his voice wavering. He took a second to get over the shock of the sudden interaction, trying to slow his heart beat so it wasn't pounding loud enough he was sure Lance could hear it. "I  never wanted to treat you like a pet. I'm sorry for assuming I could offer protection. Maybe the word I was looking for was refuge." There was a sharp bit to his tone.

Lance relaxed his expression and looked down at Keith, he'd grown once more just like he had the first time Keith found him. Bouts of emotion must trigger some sort of shifting response though Keith couldn't understand why he would get bigger of all things and not sprout spines or something. He stood an easy nine inches over Keith.

"Do you want to go or not?" Keith asked.

"I will not be the one responsible for your death when you get yourself eaten." Lance said as he turned towards the door.

Keith steppes away from the door and followed after the Siren, clearing his throat. "Lance, you need to put something on."

"Fuck you and your land clothing. If someone stares then so be it. Will you lead me or not?"

"Could you please at least wrap something around your waist?"

Of course Keith was coming.

Never adored as always.