Chapter Text
Lance was running as fast as he possibly could towards Keith’s house. He really hoped with all his heart that Keith would let him in and allow him to explain everything.
It was quite chilly outside and Lance realized he was still wearing his pajamas. He had been in such a hurry to leave that he hadn’t noticed. The morning birds were singing loudly as Lance finally reached Keith’s house and knocked on the door.
“Keith!? You in there!? I need to talk to you! Please let me in!?”
Lance did his best to sound confident but his voice was filled with longing and sorrow.
“Go away, Lance. I won’t let you in ever again.”
Keith’s voice sounded so heartbroken. Lance felt his chest clenching. He was the reason Keith sounded like that. It hurt so bad.
“Please, Keith... Listen! I know this is going to sound crazy but the day we were out together on the ocean I died and this creepy demon dude called Eciv offered me a deal where I could come back if he could use my body for a week while I was stuck in a tiny room. Keith... it was so horrible to watch... I-I’m so so sorry...”
“....”
“Keith, please let me in...”
“....”
Lance felt his knees go weak, his body sinking towards the ground. Had he really lost Keith? No. There was no way. He sat down on the ground right by the door, all his feelings welling up inside of him. His shoulders started to shake and he could feel tears roll down his cheeks. He didn’t want to give up... But he didn’t want to force Keith into anything either.
Lance was now sniveling loudly.
“I-I’m just gonna... stay here until... y-you let me in, okay..? Please Keith... you have to believe me...”
“...”
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Keith was standing on the other side of the door, trembling. Fuck. He punched the wall. Why was Lance back? Why did he sound so sad? Why was he rambling on about a deal?
Keith took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Maybe he should let him in? Keith frowned. No. He could not forgive him. Lance did NOT deserve a second chance. Not after everything he’d done.
Keith walked back into the bedroom. His body felt heavier with each step. His heart as well. Fuck. Why, Lance?
“Why are you toying with my heart?” Keith whispered into the empty room. Why had Lance come back? Why couldn’t he just leave Keith alone, so he could suffer by himself? Why was he back with more pain?
Keith crawled into a small ball on the bed and hugged his pillow. He decided to just wait until Lance left. It was chilly outside today, so Lance would have to be gone by the evening. Keith closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep, not wanting to deal with his mind right now.
—————————————
Lance was sitting outside with his knees pulled up to his chin. He was leaning against the cold door, shivering. Why did today, out of all friggin days, have to be so cold? It wasn’t fair. Fuck. Why wouldn’t Keith let him in..? Lance wanted Keith to hold him so badly. He wanted to hug Keith so much. His heart ached again as tears fell once more.
“Friggin shit...”
Lance desperately tried to wipe his tears, but they wouldn’t stop. It was so cold.
This was the worst. Sure, torture had been bad. But this, the fact that he couldn’t hug Keith, was the worst thing ever. He could live with the cold. He could live with the fact that his body had had sex with his best friend. Those weren’t the things that were killing him inside. It was the fact that Keith hated him. It was the fact that Keith wouldn’t let him explain. It was the fact that he never would be able to embrace his beloved ever again.
“F-f-fuck... s-s-so cold...”
Lance looked down on his hands. They were starting to turn blue. He cursed and cupped his hands over his mouth, blowing hot air into them. It didn’t help much.
“W-w-well t-this is just p-p-perfect...” Lance stuttered, shivering violently.
He leaned his head against the cold door and let out a sigh. Oh well. If he was going to die again, at least this time Keith wouldn’t miss him...
————————
Lance opened his eyes, seeing white. He blinked in surprise and sat up, looking around. He was in a white room. A white room that he had seen before. His stomach turned. No way...
He slowly stood up and was all of a sudden face to face with Eciv. The black haired man grinned mockingly at him.
“Welcome back. That didn’t take long,” Eciv said, letting out a chuckle. Lance’s heart was beating hard in his chest.
“D-did I really die..?”
Eciv shrugged his shoulders.
“Looks like it. And sorry buddy, but I don’t do second deals. You are just going to have to move on to the other side.”
“B-but...”
Lance was scared. He had really died again. He was never going to be able to feel Keith’s embrace again. He was never going to be able to tell Keith what had really happened. The last person he had been with had not been Keith. Lance’s head was spinning. This couldn’t be happening. This had to be a nightmare.
“Want to check in on your boyfriend?”
Lance’s eyes widened in surprise.
“‘Keith!? You mean I can see him!?”
Eciv gestured Lance to look at the wall behind him. He turned around and was once again faced with the projection that he was so familiar with. This time he saw his own body laying lifeless on the ground outside of Keith’s house. His body was blue and looked ice cold. He really did freeze to death. Fuck. This was unreal to watch.
A few minutes passed of Lance just looking at his dead body. It disgusted him a bit knowing that he was never going to return. Knowing that this time, he was really dead.
All of a sudden the door opened and Keith stepped out, a worried look on his face. When he saw Lance’s dead body he panicked. Of course. Who wouldn’t?
Lance watched as Keith fell to his knees and frantically checked for a pulse. As Keith realized that there was no sign of life, the panic took over. Keith started to scream for help, crying and cradling Lance’s body.
Lance watched in horror as Keith’s neighbor walked out. They also panicked and quickly picked up their phone, calling what Lance assumed to be an ambulance. Keith was crying and screaming so much. Lance wanted nothing more than to hug him and tell him that everything would be alright.
But he couldn’t. And he never would. He was dead, beyond going back and it had been his own fault. Going to Keith’s house had only resulted in making Keith even more miserable. Lance felt sick. What had he done..?
“Well then. Now that we’ve seen that lovely reunion, I think it’s time for you to move on.”
Eciv sighed and a door appeared in the wall. Upon opening, it showed a dimly lit corridor.
“After you.”
Eciv gestured at the door, urging Lance to walk through it. Lance desperately shook his head, tears rolling down his cheeks.
“Please... there’s got to be a way for me to go back again... I-I just want to hug him one last time.”
Lance looked down at the white floor.
“Sorry. No can do. You had your chance. You blew it.”
Eciv was now standing behind Lance. When had he moved? Lance didn’t care. He didn’t question this room anymore.
“Now, it’s time to go. Bye bye.”
Eciv suddenly pushed Lance forward thought the door, making him fall to his knees. Lance whipped around, eyes wide with fear. The last thing he saw was Eciv grinning at him, waving his hand.
Then everything went dark.