"Wh-what is he doing here??" Lance stood, knocking his leg against the coffee table.

"Uh-" Rachel chuckled. "I just told you I wanted you to meet hi-"

Keith stood up too, backing up from the table, eyes locked with Lotor, who smirked.

"How long have you been with him?!" Lance asked, freaking out.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Few weeks? Why, does it matter? Why are you acting weird? You know each other?"

Lance's eye twitched. "Rachel...how did you forget?"

Rachel cocked her head. "Forget what?"

Lotor took off his trench coat, smiling and hanging it up on the rack beside the door. He kissed Rachel's cheek.

"Love, I was never here for you." He turned to Keith. "I was using you to get to him."

Rachel's smile faded. "Wha-"

"Rache," Lance said. "He's Galra."

Silence ensued for a split second, before all hell broke loose. Lotor lunged across the room for Keith, who grabbed his papers and jetted to Rachel's room for the window.

Rachel gasped before clasping her hands to her chest. "Lotor...I knew.. I knew he'd been familiar, I-" She glanced up at Lance. "I'm so sorry."

Lance grimaced. "Don't apologize to me. We gotta get him away from Keith."

"What's going on??" Rachel said. "Why is he after him? Why is Keith here anyways?"

Lance shook his head. "No time to explain, start the car."

Rachel nodded, grabbing her keys and heading out the front door.

Lance rushed into Rachel's room, throwing the door open. He spotted Keith and Lotor both pulling at the suitcase of Keith's papers.

"Give it to me and this can all be over." Lotor said, yanking at the handle. "My father will forget about this and let you live a peaceful life with a new identity."

"I don't want a new identity." Keith yanked back. "I want to be free as myself."

"You can't. If those papers get out into the public system, Galra is doomed. You know this. Have you no shame?"

Keith glared at him. "After the betrayal Zarkon imposed on me? Not an ounce." He finally pulled free, falling backwards with the force, Lance rushed to his side.

Lotor towered over them. "You have no idea the pain I've suffered, never gaining a bit of my own father's love while he focused on you. It was always you. And he fails you one time and you act like this? You're a selfish coward, Keith." Lotor said.

Keith continued to glare at him, saying nothing.

"I'll be back." Lotor said, turning on his heel.

When he was gone, Keith finally let out a long breath he'd been holding. Lance helped him up. "C'mon, Rachel's downstairs."

Keith followed him silently, in a daze. So much had just happened.

But despite what Lotor had said, Keith still felt no remorse. He hated Zarkon with a passion, and the entire Galra for raising him as if they cared. They were supposed to be his family. He'd never had a family before them.

So why was their facade of love just a ruse to acquire his skills as a criminal?

He'd never go back.

                                               .............

"Where am I going?" Rachel asked, driving her beat up car through downtown NYC.

"Anywhere. Far from here." Keith said, head against the window as rain pattered against it.

"Keith..." Lance said.

"Leave it alone." Keith said. "Just drop it. For now."

Lance eyed him. "Ok."

Rachel huffed. "Fine, but when we hit Maine, I want an explanation."

6 hours of driving up North in silence gave Keith enough time to get his thoughts intact. He was exhausted, mentally and physically, and all he wanted was Lance to explain himself.

Lance wanted the same thing. From what he'd always known, Keith and Lotor were partners in crime when it came to Galran affairs. The best of the best.

Rachel pulled into a diner on the outskirts of Maine, at 2 in the morning. They all piled into the warmth of a bright red booth.

"So." Rachel said after they were seated, as soft jazz played overhead. "What the hell is going on here?"

Lance glanced at Keith, who glanced at him.

"I probably owe Keith a proper explanation." Lance spoke up.

Keith eyed him, fiddling with a napkin on the table.

"I...I was apart of Galra for a few years during high school. Dropped out to join because some friends forced me. I was in one of the lower sub gangs, not very important. We just robbed basic stores and such and such. But we heard tales, we knew of the higher ups, the big man Zarkon and his wealth, how he used you and Lotor to control the black market.

" But my friends betrayed me. Left me in a dangerous shoot out, a sacrifice. I realized I wasn't valuable to them, just a pawn. So I left. It was easy as I was clearly expandable. But my family disregarded me after what I'd done. Rachel was the only one who listened, and helped me start over with a normal life."

Rachel smiled, patting his hand.

Lance smiled back. "But I've been running from that part of me ever since, and when I saw you and Lotor I had to help, I just had to. It felt like a debt I owed, to do the right thing. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier though. I honestly didn't know how."

Keith saw the sincerity in his eyes. He was genuine. And Keith had figured this much was true. Just wanted to hear it from him.

"Thanks for telling me. I understand it was hard."

"Of course." Lance said.

Rachel nodded. "Now that that's out of the way, what's going on between you and Lotor??"

"No, first what's going on between you and Lotor?" Lance said. "How were you dating the top guy from the gang I used to be in??"

Rachel blushed. "I..I honestly forgot about him. Keith too, until he showed up and I remembered his name. But honestly, Lotor was such a sweet guy, and I thought he was the one. I still can't believe he was using me."

"I'm sorry he did that." Lance said. "But how did he know Keith would end up involved with us?? That's what I can't understand."

Keith furrowed his brows. "Yea, it's a far fetched guess on his part. But I'd assume when I ran from Galra a few weeks ago, he set it up from the beginning."

"How so?" Rachel asked.

"He was the one who said we'd meet for the exchange of my papers at Lance's bar. He probably knew Lance worked there too, and figured if he was close with you Rachel, he could get close to the workings of the bar. He set it up, so I'd be trapped."

"Wow." Lance said. "That's insane."

"He'd do anything to get me. He hates me." Keith said.

"Why?" Rachel asked. "I thought you guys were close."

"Me too honestly." Keith slouched. "But apparently he's always been jealous of me because Zarkon praises me. Because I saw Zarkon as my father figure while he neglected his real son. But he can have Zarkon. I'm done with all of them."

"Why? What happened that made you run?" Lance asked.

"Zarkon threatened me. He told me to stop pretending we were family, and start showing results in the money. I'd been slacking, and the rage he felt caused him to show his true feelings. I was just another pay check to him. I felt lied to, and alone. As an orphan I'd never known what family was like, so when Galra scouted me and I began working for them alongside Lotor, I thought.."

He fell silent, staring at his hands.

"I get it." Lance said. "I'm so sorry."

"It's whatever." Keith said. "I was too soft anyways." He sighed. "But at the bar I was hoping Lotor would have Zarkon let me off the hook. Just live free as my own person, and never be involved with them again. But that backfired- they believe I'll out them to the police. Which I honestly should."

"You think that'd stop them?" Rachel asked. "If we outed them to the police?"

"Yeah." Keith said. "I just haven't had a chance to, what with Lotor on my ass for the past few weeks."

"Well. If you want to, I'm game. After what they took from Lance, and after Lotor lying to me, I'll do whatever it takes to see their downfall." Rachel smiled.

"Same." Lance said. "And Keith, I know you don't trust easily, especially after this, but you got us, okay? You can be your own person, we'll be by your side."

Keith smiled at them. "Thank you. It means a lot."

With that, they ordered food and headed to the nearest police station.

Keith sent in an anonymous tip that the black market in New York was being led by the notorious gang leader Zarkon Galra, who needed to be apprehended immediatley. He put the address of the headquarters too, and his own information as a previous gang member as evidence.

The three of them stayed in the nearest motel for a week as investigations began in New York- it wasn't until two weeks later though that breaking news appeared on the arrests of Zarkon and Lotor, being taken into custody for working in drug and weaponry trade.

It wasn't long before the black market began to fall apart, and Keith returned home with Lance and Rachel.

Months passed, as Keith got a job at Lance's bar, and Lance graduated. Rachel got a new boyfriend, and Lance packed his bags to leave for aviation school while Keith bought his own apartment.

It was the night before Lance left for school, and him and Keith had just endured a long going away party with Rachel and their family- who had finally reaccepted Lance now that he was oursuing his career.

Lance and Keith sat on the roof of Keith's home, looking up at the moon. George Micheal played on Lance's radio, just like the first night they'd met.

They'd only known each other for a few months, but it felt like a lifetime.

"It's ironic that the past we both wanted to forget brought us together huh?" Lance said.

Keith chuckled under his breath. "Yea, but I've been thinking about this whole trust thing..."

Lance turned to him. "Oh?"

Keith smiled at him, his violet eyes reflecting the moon's shine as he grabbed Lance's hand. "Yeah and I'm thinking I wanna try it out again."

Lance grinned, his freckles like stardust. "With me?"

Keith nodded. "Yeah. With you."

And they moved on from the past they struggled to forget, to move on to a future they would make together.

Lotor free of course.

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hope u enjoyed!! i definitely took a hiatus on uodating these oneshots buttttt here u go! that is the end of the deal short story :)