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He closed the door with a sigh, sinking down to the floor. He was so sick of running, so sick of having to find another place to live. Sick of being in fear of everyone. He was sick of this hurt, the pain, the lies.
The new place was small, just the right size for one man and his cat. It was in a small town, far enough from the noise of the big city. It was a nice town, and he was happy he’d found it. Close enough to his new job and he was studying online anyway.
He hoped it would be safe here. For as long as he had left, anyway. Safe enough.
As though the mere thought triggered it, his chest constricted as glowing runes tightened cruelly through his body. He clutched fruitlessly at his shirt, hoping to ease the pain, but the runes ran deep, ran to his very soul.
Tears escaped unbidden down his cheeks and he sobbed. It was almost too much, almost more then he could handle. Lance wanted it all to end, to be over. But there was no escape. Nothing that could be done. This was his price to pay. His burden.
It passed, as it often did, and he stood. He felt shaky, weak, but he needed to move. He knew how much worse he’d feel if he didn’t. On the bright side, he didn’t have much to unpack. Just a few things to make the place feel like home.
His cat, the only friend who’d been through it all with him, who knew what he was going through, watched from the back of the couch. She was a beautiful blue eyed grey cat he’d called Blue. Original, but it wasn’t the worst.
Lance ran a hand down her back with a soft smile. She purred, arching into his fingers. He was glad to have her.
His phone pinged and he turned, reaching for it. One of his online uni friends had texted. The reason Lance had moved to this town was to be closer. He and Hunk called almost daily, texted several times each day. He was the only person Lance felt like wasn’t trying to use him.
Hunk wanted to meet up, and Lance was so ok with that. Hunk had picked the place, a cute café he worked at with his girlfriend. Lance was all ok with that, he didn’t know the town well enough yet. He’d been friends with Hunk now for years, he was so ready to meet him in person.
Lance rubbed his chest, ignoring the lingering pain best he could. The attacks were getting closer together now. He didn’t have long left. He’d be damned again if he was going to let it stop him from meeting his friend.
Blue’s gaze followed him out the door and Lance waved to her. He would be back, he would.
Hunk was exactly as Lance pictured. He gave Lance a huge, crushing hug that almost triggered the runes on his chest. He loved every second of it. He wanted all the hugs from this man.
“So, this is Shay,” he said, introducing his girlfriend. Lance had been talking to Hunk when they’d gotten together, convincing Hunk to ask her on a date. He was glad he had, they were so sweet together.
“It’s lovely to finally meet you,” Lance said, waving. She smiled politely, dropping into the seat beside them. “It’s nice to finally meet both of you.”
Hunk laughed, a huge grin on his warm features. “I know, right? Two years now! So exciting. Oh, I’m having some friends around tomorrow, you’re more then invited! It’s super casual, but they’re super cool.”
Lance found himself nodding. “Any friend of yours would be super cool.”
Hunk’s smile never wavered. “How’s the move? How’s Blue settling?”
“She’s fine, she was getting her hair all over the couch when I left.”
“Can I meet her?”
“Dude, yes. She loves people.” Lance said, already drawing a map of his schedule. He was so happy to finally have time to see Hunk in person.
Hunk leant back in his chair, one arm draped around Shay’s shoulder. “Awesome. One of my friends has this cat, but I don’t think I’ve ever been able to pat him. He’s skittish, I think. Or angry. I can’t read cats that well.”
“Boy cats are more opinionated,” Lance said, with absolutely no evidence to back up his claim. He loved all cats. Most of them loved him, it was something about being kin. Or, he was. Used to be.
He missed it, so much.
Lance moved on from the topic of cats, smiling as he asked about Hunk’s plans. They were so close to finishing their studies. Lance wanted to use his to go on for further studies. Academia was his calling, much as he wasn’t sure he would be able to for much longer.
He knocked on Hunk’s door. He was perfectly on time, thank you. Maybe a couple minutes late, but he’d had an attack and he’d needed to look presentable. They were getting worse, more intense. Closer together. Time was running out.
Hunk opened the door and welcomed him in. the place felt so alive, so warm and welcoming. Lance smiled, moving to the living space where the others had gathered.
A dog, a beautiful, large shepherd, bounded over to him, tail wagging.
Lance froze. Dogs. He had a difficult relationship with dogs. Probably had something to do with being a cat. But the dog was all droopy lipped smiles, jaw hanging open with a lolling tongue. He licked a stripe along Lance’s exposed leg and he shivered.
“Kosmo,” someone called and Lance blinked.
Wow. Purple eyes watched Lance apologetically. The owner of the most impressive eyes Lance had seen called the beast back to his side. Lance watched the dog bound back over to his owner, tail wagging. He half wanted the dog to have stayed longer, just so he could have those eyes back on him.
Hunk ruined the moment, breaking the spark of something that Lance felt. It was cut, like a cord. A twinge in his magic, something he’d not felt ever.
“Sorry, I should have warned you, that’s Kosmo. He’s a good dog.”
“That’s ok,” Lance said, the words almost foreign on his tongue. He felt something beneath his skin, fighting the runes. It made him want to run, far, far away.
“Introductions,” Hunk said, snapping Lance back to the moment. The group consisted of Pidge – Lance had heard of her, she was studying computer sciences. Allura, who was truly beautiful, Lance couldn’t help but stare. Romelle, Allura’s girlfriend, just as beautiful and so, so smart. Shiro, town detective, apparently, good looking bloke with a prosthetic arm. Adam, Shiro’s husband and local teacher.
And Keith.
Keith, with the beautiful purple eyes and long stare. Keith, who hadn’t said anything to Lance. The mechanic, apparently. A mechanic studying to become a pilot, work on engines.
Lance tried so hard not to just watch Keith all night. There was just something about him, something that almost wanted to pull him closer. The only thing he could think it might be similar to was meeting one’s soulmate, but the runes had taken swift care of that. Whatever was pulling him closer to Keith, he wasn’t sure, but his magic wanted close.
The night passed so slowly, Lance so tense in his chair, trying not to watch Keith. He tried to engage with Hunk’s friends, they were all super cool. Lance was so glad to have found a group who could accept him.
He hoped this place would be his last. He didn’t want to move again, to leave Hunk. Didn’t want this all to be ripped from him like everything else.
Lance watched Keith leave, trying hard to make it look casual. But how could he even pretend to be, when Keith was so beautiful? Kosmo went bounding out the door, and Keith had little choice but to follow, leaving Lance with a strange hollowness in his chest.
Others began to leave and Lance went to do the same. Hunk caught his sleeve, eyeing Lance. “Don’t let Keith get to you, he’s really a marshmallow.”
“He didn’t do anything.” He wasn’t sure why he felt so defensive, Keith hadn’t said anything to him all night. Hadn’t even looked at him.
Hunk nodded, turning slightly towards the door. “Just, give him a chance. He’ll warm up.”
When Lance saw Keith again, it was because Lance’s car needed a tune up. Remembering that Keith was a mechanic was the real incentive. Keith was about in the shop, working on an old Holden. He was covered in grease smudges and Lance had to pull his mind from how unfairly attractive that made him look.
“Lance, right? Hunk’s friend?” it was the first time Keith had spoken directly to him, and something about it made Lance’s skin light.
He nodded, ignoring how his body, his magic wanted closer. “That’s me. Car needs an oil change and tune up, reckon you’ve got time?”
Keith followed Lance’s gestured arm to the old Corolla sitting in the parking lot. “Think I can manage that. Won’t take long if you want to stick around.”
Lance nodded, passing his keys off to the mechanic. It felt so wrong to hand them out to a stranger, but he was also Hunk’s friend, and this was his job. Instead, he moved to sit in the lounge, pausing as he passed a cat. Instincts warred with him, but eventually, he sat on the same couch as the ginger feline.
The cat stared at Lance, eyes wide. Glared might be a better term. Lance smiled to him, watching the calculating gaze. His collar was a bright red, a tag with the colour written on it.
“Hi, Red. I’m Lance.” He said, unable to stop himself. He was a cat person, not a dog person.
The cat made a noise, moving to stand. He was a big tom cat, his short coat well groomed. He took slow, cautious steps towards Lance, who was holding his breath.
Red sat down at Lance’s hip, curled up and went back to sleep. Lance smiled, feeling a soft tug at his own chest. He wished he could curl up like Red, wished he could be as content as this feline. He couldn’t.
The runes on his chest felt like chains more then usual. He looked down at Red, the tightness returning and Lance rubbed at the runes. It did nothing but tighten them. He grit his teeth, trying not to alert the feline or the mechanic of his growing discomfort.
Keith returned sometime later, pausing at the door. He looked between Red and Lance, surprise colouring his features. Red was awake instantly, watching Keith. “
“How did you do that? He hates everyone.”
Lance looked back to Red, who hadn’t moved from his perch beside him. “He just moved here, lovely little thing.” There was nothing little about this cat.
Keith shook his head, unable to suspend his disbelief. Lance felt the urge to run a hand over the felines back, really show off, but he didn’t want to upset the cat accidentally.
“Your car is done,” Keith said finally.
As Lance moved to stand, Red made a noise. He hissed, claws latching onto Lance’s jacket. Lance froze.
Keith laughed, the sound good natured and practically enchanting. It made Lance want to hear more. “Looks like he’s got a new favourite. Let him up, Red.”
But the cat only hissed at Keith, moving to fully sit on Lance’s lap. His claws retracted, fortunately, but Lance had enough practice with cats. That could change at any moment.
“Sorry,” he said, not wanting to meet Keith’s eyes.
Keith dropped into another office chair, a small smile on his lips as he watched his cat. “Don’t be, usually I’m trying to keep people around long enough to pay, Red can be a tad aggressive. This si what he does to me most mornings.”
“Is that why he comes here?”
“Yeah, he’s my office companion. He’s good around the machinery, keeps the mice out. And he’s useful at keeping people from not paying.”
Lance grinned, finally running a hand over Red’s back. The feline only purred, arching up to the contact like Blue. Lance softened, such a beautiful creature. “You’d love Blue, my cat. She’s a grey tabby.”
“Red and Blue, huh.” Keith mused. “How original.”
“Well, she had blue eyes. She’s beautiful. I’ve always wanted a tuxedo cat though.” He bit his lip, a pang of longing hitting him. He wished he hadn’t said it, but they were in the air now.
“She sounds lovely. Between Kosmo and Red, I’m happy.” Keith moved to pat Red, but the feline hissed at him. “I’m not removing you from him, relax.”
Red merely growled, tiny chest vibrating on Lance’s lap. Lance ran a hand over him, soothing him.
“He likes you.” The words were completely redundant, but Keith sounded so resigned.
“He’s really quite lovely.”
Keith laughed, a single sound that Lance wanted to hear on repeat. “He’ll get a big head.”
“Blue’s going to get jealous, Red. I really need to leave.” He saw the protest in the felines body, feeling the need to assure him. “I’ll come back, Red.”
He grumbled, though did get off Lance. There was a threat in those dark eyes that Lance understood perfectly. He would be back. Or else.
Keith stood too, following him to the car. Red poked his head out from the office, watching Lance.
“Thanks for entertaining Red.”
“Thanks for the service,” Lance said, awkwardly trying to think of something else to say. He came up blank, sighing.
There was no point getting close to someone anyway. He would be gone soon. The runes were making quite sure of that.
He met up with Hunk for coffee, who’d invited Pidge and Keith along. They’d entered the café openly discussing the appropriate weight ratios of metals, heat conversions and effectiveness for space travel. Lance had been eager to jump right in with his two cents.
The pull Lance felt around Keith was only growing. It was almost strong enough that he thought it might become tangible. He hated it. The ghost of something he’d always dreamt of having. A last ditch attempt for his body, his magic, to rid itself of these runes.
Keith was so easy to talk to. Soon enough, Lance was backed into a fierce battle over which superhero was better. It morphed naturally into other easy conversations. Lance discovered Keith liked to draw. He wasn’t just a cat person, he was an animal person. Keith was adopted, but his birth mother had rekindled a relationship recently. Shiro was his adopted brother, but was the truest family Keith had.
In turn, Lance told him about his own dreams, desires and wants. He told him about his hope to become a researcher, his large family – he didn’t say he’d never see them again – and how he wanted to settle down someplace.
Keith listened, watching Lance with a soft smile. He was so beautiful. Lance just wanted this moment to never end. But, it wasn’t just them, and grateful as he was that the others had allowed them to converse, it would be rude.
And then, when the time came to leave, Lance gripped Keith’s arm to stop him. All at once, it was too much. The touch burned. Lance ripped his hand back, covering it with his other. The runes were practically glowing, furiously burning into his skin. The place where they’d touched burned hotter, his magic a raging inferno within his body.
Keith seemed perfectly oblivious to the war within Lance’s body. He turned, eyes wide, watching Lance. It took a significant amount of effort not to show how much his body was trying to tear itself apart. The binds tightened, dampening down the magic that desperately wanted to escape.
He couldn’t do this with Keith watching.
Lance took a deep breath. Steadied himself. “I was thinking, maybe I could get your number?” the words tumbled from his mouth in a rush. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep the runes under control.
Keith’s lips quirked into a soft smile. It was peaceful, something Lance wanted to see more often directed at him. It eased the storm within his body. “I’d like that. Maybe we could meet up sometime?”
Ignoring the thump of his heart, the warning of his head, he nodded. He ignored the fear, the tightness of his magic and said, “as a date?”
A delightful rush of colour filled Keith’s cheeks. “If you would like.”
He would. He very much would. It was the most selfish thing Lance would ever do. He wasn’t long for the world, but he would take whatever happiness he could get. He just hoped Keith would forgive him when it was over. Hoped he could move on, let himself find someone else and love them.
“I would like.” Lance ignored how his chest tightened, ignored how much he needed to run and hide, craving Keith’s company more.
“Then it’s a date.” Keith held out his phone and Lance typed in his number with fingers that were on the wrong side of shaky. He managed on the third try to get his number correct.
Keith’s fingers brushed his as he collected his phone and Lance felt that fire return. Magic at war within himself, trying to burst, to be free. To reach out to Keith, but it was blocked painfully by the runes.
Those damn runes.
Lance left, curling into a ball on the kitchen floor. Blue curled up beside him, a comforting presence at his side. Lance ached as the runes glowed bright reds and angry gold. He wanted it all to end. He needed it to stop. He just wanted to be free of this. His body couldn’t handle much more of this.
Their first date had been – somewhat awkward. Lance’s last date had ended with him covered in runes, and Keith’s last date had slapped him. They were both nervous. But, once the awkwardness faded, it was beautiful. Keith took them to a park, a lovely stroll along a steady creek.
It was beautiful, so alive. If Lance had any access to his magic, he knew how loved this place would feel. How strong the magic would be. But, he couldn’t. He was stuck with the mere imagination.
And their second date had Keith reaching for Lance’s hand. He was so prepared for the whirl of his magic, but it still shocked him. His magic was angry, curling around furiously within his soul. It was furious. He’d felt it hurt, felt it sad, but never so angry. Not even when it’d first been bound.
They kissed on their third date. It was quite simply magical. Lance felt the spark between them, both from Keith’s soft lips and his magic. He felt like he was crawling free of a cage, but the bars only gave so much.
Kissing Keith was everything Lance wanted. His magic didn’t seem to agree, the kiss having Lance unable to sleep as it refused to settle.
He had to cancel their fourth date. His body was wracked with pain, the runes glowing deep in his chest, constricting his breath. Lance ached. He felt weak, far weaker than he had for years. He could do nothing to stop it.
His body had gone far too long without shifting. The runes trapped his magic, preventing him from finding his soulmate, but the worst one was they stopped him from shifting. As a familiar, that was a death sentence.
A slow, painful death. He’d had the runes for five years now. Five years without shifting. Most familiars could last at least one without physical repercussions, but Lance had gone five.
Eventually, the runes would be beaten by Lance’s own form, and he’d be forever trapped as a feline. He would become nothing but a traditional house cat, no magic, no real thoughts. He wouldn’t be able to study, or talk to Keith. He’d be a cat.
He was terrified. It was close, he could feel it. The only thing that would solve the problem was finding a witch. His witch, specifically. But without the ability to find his soulmate, he could do nothing. Even if he did meet his witch, there wasn’t any way for the witch to trust it. His magic couldn’t call out to them, couldn’t entangle so they knew Lance was theirs. The runes severed him quite spectacularly.
It was a curse on his soulmate too. Somewhere out there was a witch who would never have a true familiar. Would forever have magic that was unpredictable. Weaker, without a grounding familiar. Lance’s heart broke for them.
He felt unbelievably weak, but he wasn’t about to cancel on Keith again. The mechanic, his boyfriend, had invited him for dinner at his home. Lance had accepted, despite wanting to curl into a ball. He wanted nothing more then to let the curse finish it’s job.
Instead, he rocked up to Keith’s house and greeted him with a kiss. He ignored the magic lashing in his chest, in his heart. Kept a smile on his features. Tried to look relaxed. He wanted to be here, with Keith. He could ignore the warring magic.
Shiro was home, cooking a fine meal for them. Lance greeted him, trying not to be too stiff about it. This was his boyfriend’s brother, a detective. Shiro merely smiled, waving him on through.
A black cat, one Lance hadn’t met before, lay on the couch beside Red. Kosmo, Lance noted, was fast asleep on the floor beside them.
“Who’s the new guy?” Lance asked, offering Red a pat.
Keith shot Shiro a look, one Lance’s brain was far too exhausted to comprehend. “That would be Black,” he said, the cat looking up at him with amused eyes. “Shiro’s cat.”
Lance didn’t reach out to touch him, seeing the warning look in his eyes. He kept his hand on Red, the feline purring quite happily.
“I’m starting to think he loves you more then me,” Keith said, wrapping an arm around Lance’s waist. Lance leaned into the contact, craving the comfort. He craved Keith, warm and solid. The magic would war, but at least he had this.
“I’m very lovable,” Lance said, grinning.
Red hopped onto the back of the couch, moving closer to Lance’s hand. He demanded more pats, and Lance was only too happy to oblige.
“Are you feeling ok? You look a bit pale.” Keith said, spinning him so he could get a closer look.
Lance flushed, looking away. He wasn’t used to someone caring so much. He hadn’t realised how obviously ill he looked. Unfortunately, Keith’s concern made the inevitable end that much worse. He’d spent so long fighting these runes.
“I’m ok,” he lied, putting on a fake smile. He really hoped Keith bought it.
He didn’t, but he said nothing, merely led them to the couch. Lance fell into the cushions, Red pouncing on him the moment they were settled. Lance laughed, curling up to Keith’s warmth and tucking the feline onto his lap.
Part way through dinner, the runes activated. His body practically convulsed. He excused himself as calmly as he could, making it only as far as the first bathroom before his legs collapsed.
He gasped, clawing at his throat, at his chest, anything he could reach. This was worse. So much worse. His body had spent its energy trying to get to Keith, he was spent. It couldn’t keep up. The runes were weakening.
This was it.
Something pattered into the room, Lance’s eyes finding two cats. The black one, its dark eyes watching Lance carefully, and Red. The ginger whined, moving quickly to Lance’s side, confused and scared. Black just sat there, dark eyes watching.
And then, because Lance was delirious, the black cat spoke.
“That looks painful.”
Lance’s jaw was clenched far too tight for it to drop. He glared at the cat, hands tearing at his chest. He could feel the blood he was drawing, could feel the runes digging deeper. He couldn’t stop. He needed them gone. He sobbed, low and broken.
Black walked forwards. The familiar – for how else could he speak? – observing the runes. Scrutinised them. Lance felt so exposed. Only another familiar would be able to read them. They were innate, an understanding of runes ingrained in their bodies. Witches had to learn, but familiars were lucky.
Then, he ran.
Lance sobbed again, laying on the bathroom floor, body at war with itself. Magic trying to free itself, feline shift trying to force its way through and runes trying to fight it all. He just wanted to sleep.
Three shadows entered the room. Lance’s eyes, foggy and glazed, landed on the three people who lived there. He didn’t want Keith to see this. Didn’t want him to watch Lance leave.
Where had the familiar gone?
Shiro knelt beside Lance, Keith moving to his other side and grabbing his hand. Adam remained at the door, unfamiliar sorrow filling his eyes.
“Lance, look at me. I need to know how to break the curse.” Shiro’s voice was muddy, underwater. Lance couldn’t process them for a long moment.
“He needs to be bonded,” Adam said, his voice even further away.
Shiro cursed beneath his breath. He looked to Keith, who was looking far too lost, too desperate, for Lance’s liking. “Keith, can you feel him?”
Something tugged at Lance. Unfamiliar and painful. He yelped. His magic howled within him, reaching for the tendrils of that other, unfamiliar presence, trying to keep it.
“I can’t,” Keith said, shaking his head. Lance felt the magic retreat fully, unable to stop the sob that escaped him. Keith pulled his hand from Lance’s chest. “I can’t feel him at all.”
Adam walked closer, movements slow and deliberate. “Lance, I need to see the runes. Please.”
He didn’t have a choice. He allowed his shirt to be removed, closing his eyes as the room got a full view of the damage. He’d never felt so exposed, so naked. His whole soul on display. Glowing red, gold and black runes lined his chest, marked it, scarred it.
Adam made a pained noise. He sounded like he’d just been hit.
“What?” Keith’s voice, demanding as it was, made Lance reach back out to clasp his hand. A witch, Lance thought numbly. Keith was a witch. It was why his magic was trying to reach out to him. Keith could break the curse.
“I’m so sorry, Lance,” Adam sounded so broken. He fell to his knees, Shiro pulling him in close. “He can’t shift. He can’t use his magic, and he can’t – he can’t find his soulmate.”
Silence, hurt, broken silence filled the space. Lance closed his eyes.
“That’s awful,” Shiro said. “Who would do something like that?”
“Someone who wanted revenge,” Lance muttered, voice so far away.
A look of raw panic flickered across Keith’s features. He clenched his fingers around Lance’s hand. “I lost my soulmate connection five years ago. I assumed death, but what if – what if, its you?”
Shiro looked pained, but hope was beginning to bloom in Lance’s chest.
“If you bond him, he could die if you’re not. If he’s already had a failed bond.” Shiro said, watching his brother carefully.
Lance felt how angry his magic was. How furiously it wanted to get to Keith. How it had been calling to him this whole time. “It will work.”
He gasped, the runes glowing. Body tensing.
Keith reached forwards, magic diving deep into his very soul. Warm, tender, soft magic that coiled around the rough, scarred edges. Pulled, curved, melded together.
Lance gasped, body sagging. He went boneless, a feeling of numbness encompassing him. He passed out, the last thing he saw was Keith’s face, hope lighting in those beautiful eyes.
Everything hurt. Everything was so sore. Lance opened his eyes, blinking in the darkness. He wasn’t alone, Keith was right next to him, eyes wide open watching him. Waiting. He’d been moved, they were on Keith’s soft covers. Red and Kosmo were present, laying at the other end of the bed.
Slowly, awareness of his own being came back. He wasn’t in magical distress. He wasn’t even human. Black and white hair covered his body, hair he’d thought he’d never get to enjoy again. His body was so small, so dainty. He was a cat finally, and he had his own mind.
Magic flowed beneath his skin, soft and steady. It hummed, burning so pleasantly within him, an ache finally sorted. A connection, a thread, tied directly to Keith’s magic, strong and sure. He’d had a bond forced onto him before, but it had never felt like this. This was natural, pure, strong. It was a ribbon, connecting him to Keith. It was peace, it was love. Keith’s magic was dangerously warm, so strong, but he knew it was controlled. Lance’s magic threaded it, creating a pure thread of glowing strength.
“Lance, are you awake?” his voice was filled with a soft panic. Keith had almost lost his boyfriend forever. His boyfriend, who was now his soul bound familiar.
He lifted his head, small and dainty as it was. “Are you ok?”
“Am I – am I ok? Lance, you almost – I could’ve lost you.” Keith swept Lance into his arms, the familiar moving easily enough to be close and comfortable. He didn’t have a whole lot of control over his limbs yet.
“I didn’t, I’m ok.” Lance said, and he was. Despite all the attempts, the familiar of ice had found his true witch. The witch of fire, no less.
“You’re ok. And apparently, my soulmate. Lance, what happened?”
He blinked, looking down to his own paws. He’d never been so happy to see them. He’d always loved this shape, but never more so than that moment.
“His name was Lotor,” Keith stiffened and Lance wondered if he’d heard of him. Lotor was from a prominent witch family, according to Lotor anyway. He was the holder of grace magic.
He was a glorified beautician.
But he wanted power, which Lance found out the hard way. “He – we dated, and at the start, I didn’t know he already knew I was a familiar. It came out somehow, I don’t know. But he tried for a bond, it failed and we continued dating. Apparently, the bond needed to be stronger.”
Lance felt Keith’s hands gently on his tuxedo coat. Reassuring, kind, present. So unlike the last hands to touch this fur. It should have been a sign, but hindsight was 20/20 and he’d been so naïve.
“The bond worked, I fell for him. Like an idiot. The second he could wield my magic, he changed. Became – abusive. Hit me, you know. And, like an idiot, I thought it was my fault.”
“Like a victim,” Keith said, holding Lance’s gaze. “You’re not an idiot.”
Lance blinked, warmth filling his chest. Warmth, magic and love. “I know, I just. I feel like an idiot for staying as long as I did. Familiars, we can break a bond if we need to. I didn’t even realise I had, not at first. He came home, and he was furious. Blamed me for the magic he no longer had.”
Lance closed his eyes, feeling the rage, the burning memory seared to his mind, to his magic. “He had enough strength to curse me. Told me that if he couldn’t have me, no one could. Cut off my contact with my soulmate.
“I left, ran, didn’t care where. He found me a couple years later, so I just kept on running. And then, I found you. I’m done running. I can’t use my magic, but you can.”
Keith’s hands were so gentle, so strong, so safe. He curled around Lance, pulling him even closer. Lance melted, unable to do anything else. “I swear to you, Lance, I wil never abuse your trust, your magic or you, like that. You, Lance, are the most incredible person I have ever met. I am so, so lucky you’re mine.”
Lance felt a purr rise in his chest, and he did nothing to stop it. It had been so long since his natural urges were allowed to surface. “I could say the same about you, Keith. Your magic is so intense, mine kept trying to break the runes to get to you. I just didn’t realise why.”
Keith hummed, chest vibrating in time with Lance’s. “All that matters is that we’re here, now. I have the most incredible familiar. Thank you, Lance.”
“Who would have thought fire and ice would be so compatible?”
Keith laughed. They settled together on the bed, Red and Kosmo sleeping around them. Lance could not believe his luck. This powerful witch was all his. He slept so well for the first time in a very, very long time.
“Keith, when did you get another cat? And where’s Lance?” Hunk asked, reaching down to offer the tuxedo feline a pet. Him and Pidge had been invited over for lunch, Shiro and Adam already cooking.
Lance, two days into freedom, had yet to change back. His body and mind needed to heal. Besides, he got so many more hugs from Keith like this, and Adam had even joined at one point. Familiars valued time together too.
Keith ran a hand over Lance’s soft fur as Hunk pulled away. Lance arched into it, purring instinctively. He picked Lance up, the feline going willingly.
“Oh, this? He’s my new familiar.”
Hunk and Pidge both stared. They were both aware of their friends’ abilities, but Lance had never said anything. How could he? They knew how much Keith had wanted his own familiar, so the smiles that spread across their faces were so genuine and pleased.
“Who?” Hunk asked.
Keith grinned, unable to stop himself and Lance watched him. Had he lips, he’d be smiling too. “Lance, of course.”
Pidge leapt forwards, extending her hand. She paused, remembering herself. Lance reached forwards, accepting the pat.
“So weird.”
Lance loved every second. This was his home now, safely in Keith’s arms. He’d change back to human shape eventually, but for the moment, he could have this. Warm, safe, protected. Loved.
Yeah, this was all worth it.