Red

9

Lance woke up in the middle of the night after he felt like he was drowning. Gasping and coughing, he sits up. Not able to calm down he blindly grabs for his phone.

Calling the first person his finger lands on. It rings a few times, Lance was full on sobbing and heaving.

"Lance?" Keith's voice sounds from the speaker, groggy. Upon hearing the panicked breathing Keith curses.

"Shit. Lance, hey. Listen to me, quit breathin' like that you'll black out. Take a deep breath in through your mouth and let it fill your chest and belly. Can you do that for me?"

Lance nods even though Keith isn't able to see him. He breathes in deep, still slightly feeling as if the water is licking at his neck, creeping up to enter his lungs.

"Hold it til I tell you to let it out."

Lance does. It feels like an eternity when Keith tells him to breathe out, but really it was only a few seconds.

"Breathe out. Repeat, c'mon lets get your breathing under control, yeah? Then you can tell me what happened, yeah?"

"Y-yeah." Lance's voice was scratchy and broken. Like he had swallowed a whole box of razor blades. Like he had been screaming nonstop for hours.

"Okay, breathe in."

Lance does. Sitting there, rocking and breathing. His fingers trembling as he holds the phone.

"Hold."

Holds it. Holding it carefully like an egg. Careful to not let it out, not to let it drop.

It felt like his intestines were knotted up. Felt like his heart was in his throat. Tears drying so thickly he thought he was crying blood.

"Out. Just a few more times."

Repeat.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Each time the water creeped down. Eventually stopping at his toes before draining away completely.

"Wanna tell me what happened now?"

"Mhm.."

"Mkay, c'mon."

"I-I don't get it. In life I already feel like I'm drowning, but that dream. It woke me up and I could feel the water. I could feel it all around me, barely off my nose. It was cold too." Lance mumbles, still shaking slightly.

"Its not real. I know how real it felt, but dreams cannot hurt you. Unless it's some Freddy Kruger shit, then you're dead."

Lance laughs a bit at that. How did Keith manage to make him feel so much better? Make him smile in the worst of times?

"You still there?"

"Mhm, sorry."

"Its fine." Keith yawns.

"Why don't you go ahead and sleep?"

"Wanna make sure you're okay."

That shouldn't make his heart speed up and make his face flush.

"I'm okay, Keith. I'll be fine."

"M staying up, shut it." Keith grumbles, clearly drifting to sleep.

"Sleep, Keith."

"No gotta- gotta make sure you're okay." Keith mumbles, yawning again.

"I just told you I'm okay, go to sleep."