Tidepool (A Klance Surfer AU)

Friends At Last (Chapter 15)

Hey guys! I'm going to have late night updates for the next five or six days, I'm sorry. But hey, the story is actually having some Klance moments like I intended!! Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this, feel free to comment, and thanks for reading!

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The two had stopped in a cave hidden in a coral reef as the sun set and the waters darkened. They didn't talk to one another, and Lance was a little afraid to, due to the dark, glaring scowl that was on Keith's face for the past three hours, ever since they left.

"The stuff I wanted to tell you about earlier..." Lance started awkwardly, knowing he needed to let Keith vent.

"It doesn't matter now."

"We can still fight, we can still win--"

"Don't you get it?!" Keith snapped angrily. This shouldn't have happened, it never would've happened if it wasn't for stupid Lance! "This is all your fault! My people are gone, my home is destroyed because of you!"

"Keith--"

"If you hadn't gone to the surface, you wouldn't have left Voltron defenseless! You're the Oceania, you were supposed to protect us--!"

"I'm not the one who slept in the shallows all night while Voltron was being invaded--" As soon as Lance said it he regretted it. The shock and hurt twisted on Keith's face replaced the scowl.

Lance deeply wanted the scowl back.

"Keith, I--" the mer was gone before Lance could even apologize.

Lance started to follow him, then had second thoughts. After the argument they had, Lance was probably the last person the fuming teen wanted to see.

Keith had a point. "I'm such an idiot," Lance sighed as he leaned back onto a pile of seaweed.

The sound of sniffling and whimpering snapped Lance back to reality as he jerked up. Seeing no one around he looked down, and saw Pidge and Hunk balling their eyes out through the watch.

"Hey guys, did you hear...?"

"That's so sad!" Pidge cried as Hunk violently nodded. Great...

"Guys, I'm sorry you had to hear about Voltron that way--"

"Forget Voltron," Hunk cried. "You need to make it up to Keith!"

"What?"

"You heard me!" Hunk snapped. Keith, Lance could handle when he was mad. In all the years he'd known Hunk, he'd never seen him this, upset? Angry? Angset? Something like that. "Go make it up to him!"

Lance sighed and slowly floated out.

He peered through the dark waters, eyes quickly searching for the familiar glimmering red scales. He knew they couldn't be exposed like this for long. Galra were probably looking for them. Lance heard a sigh above him, and looked at the top of the cave, and found who he was looking for.

He swam up and paused beside the mer.

"May I join you?"

Lance saw Keith give the smallest nod, and Lance sat on the rock beside him. They sat together in silence as a few minutes passed, staring up at the glimmering reflection of the full moon.

"What do you want?"

"To apologize," Lance admitted sheepishly. Keith's ears twitched slightly, his arms tensing. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. It was my fault, I shouldn't have left, when I needed to stay and protect the tribe. I-- I guess I'm just not used to people seeing me as a hero..."

They sat in awkward silence once more. Lance finally sighed in defeat and started to head back down to the entrance.

He stopped when he felt a hand gently grab his arm and pull him back. Keith still sat there in silence, the only sound being the lulling, distant splash of the waves overhead.

"Who were you talking to? I heard voices, but they weren't Galran, so I didn't rush down there," Keith mumbled.

"It's one of the things I wanted to tell you and the others about," Lance smiled as he held up his watch and it buzzed to life. "Hey guys."

Keith spotted two people on the tiny viewing machine. It glowed, but not like any shell, coral, or fish Keith had seen before.

"Holy QUIZNAK!" The smaller one screeched, making Keith dart back.

"It's okay!" Lance assured with a laugh. "These are my two friends I visited last night. They know about all this and can really help us out."

Keith narrowed his eyes, gaze almost boring through the screen. "T--They're mer..."

"Yeah, we helped save Lance from the Galra when he was a baby, and took him to the surface and have been here ever since."

"You won't return?" Keith asked.

"It's been nearly sixteen years, we wouldn't be able to handle the age recovery once we went in the water," Pidge replied. "Anyway, I'm Pidge, and this is Hunk. We look forward to meeting you face to face one day, mister, uh...?"

"Keith," Keith introduced.

"Good to meet you Keith," Pidge smirked slyly. "Lance told us a lot about you--!"

"Alright. Bye. I'll come by later," Lance muttered quickly before shutting off the device and cutting Pidge short.

Keith's face reddened and he looked away. Lance talked about me...? I swear if it was anything bad...

"S--So, they mentioned saving you from Galra as a baby?" Keith recalled. "Who are you, Lance? Where did you really come from?"

"I'm still finding that out for myself, to be honest," Lance chuckled nervously. "I had just found out from those two yesterday."

"Found out what?"

"I'm not fully human. I wasn't born on Altea. I was born in the Voltron tribe. My parents fled with Pidge, Hunk, and I when I was a baby from the invading Galra. My parents sacrificed themselves, and Pidge and Hunk took me onto land and have been my best friends ever since--"

"But you don't suffer the age withdrawal--"

"Because of my powers. Pidge and Hunk would, and can't return to the water again. I kept my friends from ever returning home again," Lance replied, his demeanor saddening.

"They're not just friends," Keith replied certainly. He couldn't stand seeing Lance so upset. "We aren't just friends. Voltron prides itself on closeness, family, and intimacy. We're practically brothers with one another."

"You think we're friends...?"

"If we weren't, I wouldn't be wasting my time here with you," Keith smiled. Lance returned it.

"So, uh, what about your real family? What happened to them?"

"Dead. Galra," Keith replied and Lance started to drop the subject, but Keith continued. "I guess we're both orphans," Keith chuckled. Lance couldn't help but laugh with him.

"Come on, we should go inside and get some sleep," Keith invited, offering his hand to Lance before they returned inside the cave together.