Voltron x Reader Oneshots *OPEN FOR REQUESTS*

Nothing Part I

Y/N flew down the dimly-lit hallways of the Galra prison, Keith right on her heels. She could not hold back her giddy excitement. Y/N shot Keith a grin as she glanced behind her at him. Just a few more moments and she would be reunited with Layla. Just a few more moments and she would be in her sister's arms. Keith had warned her that they might not find her this time either, but Y/N had a feeling that this was it. Keith was beside her now. Y/N's joy at the thought of finding her sister turned into boldness, and she halted in her tracks to take a breath. Keith stopped too. Before losing her bravado, Y/N pounced on Keith and engulfed him in a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear. "For helping me find her."

Keith stood frozen in surprise for a few seconds before returning her embrace. His strong arms gripped her waist and he buried his face in her dirt-stained hair. Y/N wished she could stay like this forever, buried in his arms, safe from the worry and uncertainty that plagued her existence. She wished she could wear his embrace like a warm, winter coat. Take it with her wherever it was cold and lonely to quell her discomfort. And maybe she could. Y/N decided then that after she had found her sister, she would tell Keith the truth about how she really felt about him. She did not think he would return her feelings. Keith was always so...distant. She doubted that he thought of her in that way. But Y/N didn't care. Her experiences had shown her that you could never know when you might lose the ones that you love. Every moment counted. So, she would take that chance.

Y/N forced herself to let go, and smiled up at Keith. She was shocked to find him smiling back at her, a warm look crossing his face. It was a strange but lovely change of expression for him. And then she was even more shocked when he pulled her hand into his. Together, they sprinted the final distance to the holding cell. Keith pried upon the door with his bayard, and they tumbled into the room.

Y/N glanced around, eager to see Layla's face, her brown hair streaked with gold. Where is she? There were other prisoners, and she would be happy to release them too, just as soon as she found Layla. As Y/N scanned the room, she noticed a glint in one of the empty cells. In it was a sapphire ring. Layla's ring. The one that she had gotten from Mom and Dad for her 16th birthday. She had had it when she disappeared. Y/N used her bayard to get into the cell, and snatched the ring from the floor, wiping it on her sleeve. And then she noticed the pool of dry, dark blood in the corner of the cell.

She turned to the prisoner in the adjacent cell, a frail woman with orange antenna protruding from her forehead, who was gripping the bars and watching her carefully.

"The girl in this cell," Y/N turned to the woman, "where is she?"

The prisoner didn't answer.

Y/N held the ring up and tried again. "Where is she?!" she yelled.

Again, the prisoner just looked at her, unfazed by her frustration.

"She's dead." It was a deeper voice, coming from behind in a cell to her left.

"What?"

"She died three days ago. They pulled her body out just before abandoning the place."

Y/N shook her head. That was a lie. It wasn't true. Layla was alive. Layla was okay. Layla was supposed to be here. WHY WASN'T SHE HERE?!

Y/N felt Keith's soft touch on her shoulder. She brushed it off, and walked back inside Layla's cell. She walked around the cell. Once, twice, three times. She looked around it, again and again, as though Layla was just hiding in the shadows, waiting to jump out at her and surprise her. Finally, Y/N dropped to her knees in exhaustion. Keith dropped beside her and pulled her towards him.

This time, Y/N did not notice the warmth of his embrace. She did not notice anything. She felt nothing. Three days ago. If she had just been here three days ago, Layla would be the one hugging her now. Just three days. The difference between her misery and her joy. Y/N did not cry. She just stared at the dark red stain, while Keith whispered, "I'm sorry, Y/N. I won't leave you. We'll get through this."