Ocean Boy: A Lance x Reader Love Story

Chapter 13

There's a loud explosion. Debris rains down from the sky and the ground beneath you trembles. Will's hand is in your own, squeezing you tight. Your other friend, Trisha, a young Galran woman, lays crushed underneath a pile of rubble. Her head and hand hang out, her blood trickling down the rocks, the red sky above making it glow.

You try to reach out for her, tears welling up in your eyes, but Will grabs you and forces you to keep running. Galran ships continue to fire down blasts from up above and Will shields you from a blast.

His blood runs along the ground and you cry out for him, trying to reach him and hold, but your legs don't move. Your planet crumbles beneath you and you're falling, falling, falling into a deep dark abyss.

*****************

"WILL!" You scream, bolting upright.

You're panting, your body damp with sweat. Your sheets are tangled in your legs. Your shoulder hurts a little from where you laid on your metal arm and you massage it gently, still breathing hard. You fall back against your bed, one arm over your eyes as you take deep breaths and try to slow your beating heart.

There's a soft knock at the door.

"(Y/N)?" Keith says softly.

"Come in," You sit back up and fix your hair a little as the door opens.

"Are you okay?" Keith asks gently. He's in a black t-shirt and boxers.

"Yeah," You force a smile. "I'm fine,"

"Did you have a nightmare?" Keith perches on the edge of your bed.

"Yeah," Your voice cracks and you wipe your eyes.

"Hey, it's okay," Keith puts a hand on your shoulder. "Don't worry. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really. I'm fine. Sorry," You laugh a little, still wiping your eyes violently. "I must seem rather foolish,"

"Not at all," Keith says. "My boyfriend had nightmares sometimes. So I understand."

"You miss him a lot, don't you?" You glance at him.

"Yeah." His voice sounds distant. "More than anything. These past months have been... agony."

"I'm sorry," You put a hand on his bare knee.

"It's okay," He puts on a brave face. "He'll be okay. He'll escape. He has to," His voice goes quiet at the end.

"Have faith," You say. "Love always finds a way. Especially true love, which it seems you and James have."

Keith smiles faintly. "Thank you,"

"Anytime," You smile back. "Anyways, I'll let you go back to bed. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's alright," Keith shakes his head. "I wasn't sleeping anyways,"

"But it's late," You say in surprise. "Why weren't you sleeping?"

"I don't like to sleep alone," Keith averts his gaze. He stands suddenly. "I'll see you in the morning, (Y/N)."

"See you,"

You watch him leave, feeling sad at how depressed he is. You fall back against your mattress and roll onto your side.

******************

"Keith really misses him, doesn't he?" You murmur to Lance at breakfast the next morning.

Keith sits dejectedly at the table, picking away at his food goo.

"Yeah," Lance looks downcast.

You take his hand gently and run the pad of your thumb over the back of it. You give him a small, comforting smile and he returns it.

Across the table, Allura and Shiro are having an argument.

"We can't go charging into Galran headquarters." Allura argues. "It's far too dangerous and not worth the risk. We're still recovering from the attack a month ago."

"We need to get rid of the problem from the source." Shiro shoots back.

"We're too unstable to go right now!" Allura slaps her hand on the table.

Shiro stares at her, breathing hard. Allura holds his gaze until he growls and stands up from the table, making it shake as he bumps into it with his hip. He aggressively pushes his chair in, jolting the table enough that Hunk's glass of juice tips over. He storms out of the kitchen.

"What's his problem?" Pidge nibbles at her toast.

Allura sighs. "I don't know. We've been arguing for the past month. It's like he's become a different person in just a few weeks."

"He has been more tense than usual," Hunk agrees.

"He's probably just worried about Jo like we are." Lance shrugs.

"I suppose," Allura looks at her hands folded in front of her.

"It'll be okay," You put your hand over her's.

She gives you a warm look. "Thank you, (Y/N)."

You nod. "Mm."

"What's the plan for today, Allura?" Pidge asks.

"There are still repairs that are needed to be made on the Castle." She says. "Hunk, Pidge, maybe you can help me with that. I'm going to need your help."

"We're on it," Pidge gives her a thumbs up.

"Thank you," Allura yawns. "I'll ask Coran to make sure the teladuv is working too."

"Sounds good," The others nod.

"Keith," Allura asks gently. "What are your plans today?"

"I'm going to go out in the Red Lion again." He puts his fork down and stands, leaving the room quietly.

"He's been doing that everyday for the past several weeks," Lance says depressed.

"Can you blame him?"

"No." Lance shakes his head. "I'd search endlessly for the one I love too."

You feel your cheeks heat up as he squeezes your hand.

********************

Shiro throws himself down on his bed, blood roaring in his ears. He lets out an irritated yell and punches the wall. His Galran arm glows a light purple.

*******************

"We must get rid of Zarkon," The prince says, tracing his lip with his thumb as he thinks.

"But how will we do that, sir?" One of his female companions asks.

"We cannot do it alone." Another woman says.

"No," The man stands. He looks dramatically out to space. "But we can.... with the help of Voltron."