Sunshine.

Chapter 2.

            It’s dark.

            That much he’s sure of- there’s an endless darkness filling up the room; filling up his mind.

            It’s an eerie type, not calming one bit. There’s a sense of hopelessness and mourning that wraps tightly around him, cocooning him in a tight, grief filled blanket. It has anxiety warping his chest into something tight- something unbearable. He can’t breathe- oh God, why can’t he breathe? Is there something on his chest? Is someone choking him?

            Hands flying up, he clawed frantically at the shirt covering his sweaty skin and gasps in a harsh breath.

            It burns.

            It’s a stark contrast to the everlasting numbness the rest of his body feels.

            He flexed his toes, trying to work some type of feeling into them, but it’s useless. There’s only numbness and burning, a horrid combination that has him gasping and trembling, his body feeling more than out of control.

           Am I dying? He thinks, mind working frantically to keep up with what was happening.

           Another, somber thought crossed his mind.

          Will I get to see him?

          But it all ended quickly, and his eyes flew opened as he sucked in a harsh breath, chest heaving as his lungs cried out in desperation for some relief. It came, in cool waves that increased his trembling, and he turned on his side to curl up into a tight ball.

          Get it together, Lance.

          But that sinking numb feeling was working it’s way up, into his legs, his arms, his chest and his head. It left him feeling dizzy, but he preferred it much more over the anguish he usually felt.

          Reality came crashing down into him all at once, and the only thing he could do was stare at the wall in bleak horror.

          Keith was gone.

           Keith was dead .

          His love, his little flame, his reason for waking up each day.

          His sun had gone out, leaving nothing but an abiding darkness in his place.

          It had been weeks since then- months maybe. The team hadn’t handled it well, especially Shiro and Lance. It tore them apart, physically and mentally, leaving a hole in the team that couldn’t be patched up.

          Lance hadn’t felt much other than pain and that damned numbness since that day. Since the day he held Keith’s body in his arms and watched as the life left those gorgeous, violet eyes.

          A shudder ran through his body, and he curled up more, only to jump where he laid when an alarm suddenly blared throughout the castle.

          He should’ve felt panic as he jumped up from the bed, but he didn’t.

          He should’ve felt excitement as he suited up and entered Blue’s hanger, but he didn’t.

          His cold, distant eyes watched his teammates as they all shot out into the endless realms of space, and he followed silently, well aware of the missing piece of their puzzle. It was too apparent to not notice- Red’s cries echoed throughout his head. It sent chills down his spine, but he ignored it.

          The Galra fleets seemed endless, hundreds, or thousands it seemed, lined up and ready to attack.

          Lance worked on auto pilot, Blue’s worry poking at the back of his mind. She tried to comfort him, but he pushed her away.

          The battle only got worse the longer they went on. Shiro was shouting orders, Pidge was darting about, taking down ships as she went, and Hunk was yelling Lance's name.

          ”They have their Ion cannon on you, Lance! Get out of the way!” He shouted to deaf ears. Lance didn’t respond, he slowed Blue’s controls down into a gentle float. Blue roared in his mind, trying to gain some type of response from her grief stricken Paladin, but it was to no avail.

          The Ion cannon lit up, blazing with a purplish hue that contrasted with the blue light in Blue’s hanger.

          Shiro and Pidge yelled something that went ignored by Lance. He reached up, hand shaking, and turned off his communicator.

          The Ion cannon was ready to attack, and Lance jerked Blue’s controls forward, swerving directly into the line of fire.

          Blue roared again, and as the blast shot towards them, Lance looked up…

          And he smiled.