Where are you now? (Keith x Reader) [discontinued]

10||The Lost Cousin

Keith stepped out of his new lion, looking... disappointed? Sad? Stressed. Probably just wanting to dissapear. Very relatable. Keith walked over to us.

"Look, I'm not a leader, I can't replace Shiro," Keith said. I glared at him, this was his duty, and he refused to accept it. Lance walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, to which Keith emitted a small gasp.

"Keith, no one can replace Shiro, but the black lion wouldn't choose anyone it didn't think was worthy. I respect its choice, you should too."

"I'm not doing it," Keith said, as if that was the end of the conversation. 

"No." I said. Keith glared at me.

"Excuse me?"

"I said no!" I burst out, stomping my foot. "We all have a role to play in this war Keith, and we are not going to lose because you don't like yours! You are going to pilot this fucking lion and help us win this war! Do I make myself clear?"

"You aren't my mother," Keith snarled.

"YOU NEVER HAD ONE TO START!" I yelled back. Keith flinched, and I knew I hit a nerve. This time, I felt no remorse. There were more painful things than words in war. Keith said nothing, but glared at me. I felt a hand on my shoulder, Kekini.

"Jade, apologize," Kiwi said sternly. I shrugged out of her touch.

"For not doing his job? If he doesn't do his part, there will be consequences, this is his."

"But–"

"Fuck off, this isn't your argument!" I yelled at Kiwi. I felt more than angry, I felt rage. I wanted to hurt something, to kill something. Kiwi backed away from me, looking disappointed. "Anyone else want to get yelled at?"

No one said anything. I looked at them all, and saw that I had scared most of them, Lance was the only one who didn't seem scared of me in the slightest. He stepped foward.

"Jade, calm do–"

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, LANCE! DO YOU CARE ABOUT OUR FAMILY? DO YOU CARE ABOUT EARTH? IF YOU DO, YOU'D BE SIDING WITH ME!" I screeched. That's when I broke Lance. With a sad look in his eyes, he walked out of the room, and I swear I heard a sniff once he did. 

My rage faded, and I ran after him. All I heard were the footsteps against the shiny white floor as I sprinted down the halls. No one could make me feel as much guilt as Lance. I found him in his room, tears rolling down his cheeks, staring at a picture of our family.

"Lance? I'm s-so sorry..."

Lance looked up at me, and I didn't see any anger, just homesickness. I walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. He nodded slowly, but the tears came faster. I pulled him into my arms, letting him cry into my shoulder. "Lance, I'm such a bitch.... I'm sorry... we'll end this war, I promise. I still haven't forgotten about that hot cocoa."

I could feel him smile. He sat back up, wiping his eyes. "Don't say things like that about yourself, it's not your fault. War affects us in different ways, this is how it affects me. You know I was never a fighter," he sobbed, staring at the picture. "I'm weak."

I grabbed his chin and turned it sharply so that he was looking directly into our eyes, noses less than an inch from each other. "Lance Charles McClain, you are not weak. If you were weak, you'd be dead. The weak would never survive this long in a war. Lance, you are the strongest person I have ever known. 

"When Abuelo died, Veronica, Louis and Marco were devastated, and here's the difference between us. I hid away from everyone else and shut out my emotions, but you embraced them and mourned with our siblings. I was too weak to confront the matter, but you not only stood up to pain, but you helped others through it. So don't ever say you're weak."