a/n; i really like this i may continue it
also!! dead hearts is the song I was listening to while writing its pretty awesome you should check it out
From the moment the Castleship had entered Aequarus' atmosphere, soft drumming had filled the outer rooms of the Castle. No one paid much attention to it at first, but after ten minutes of constant tapping, the paladins started fidgeting, worries arising.
"Hey, Coran?" Shiro questioned, walking over to Coran who was overlooking the navigation. "What's that noise?"
"The pitter patter?" Coran replied, his voice high and excited. "At first I thought it was glass! Raining glass, it's terrible, really is. That's one storm you don't want to get caught in!" He chuckled. "But then I realized how silly that was! We are on Aequarus, not Devoss!"
"Of course...," Shiro replied, hoping there was some sort of explanation coming.
"Never mind that," he began again. "Why don't you go look for yourself." He nodded to the door. "We just landed."
Hunk's head turned to the door, an ear to ear grin on his face. He knew exactly what the pitter patter was. Running to the door, he disregarded how his feet slid across the slick floor, too excited to meet what was outside;
Rain.
Racing outside, Hunk threw his head up into the air, laughing as the cold rain drops bounced off of his skin. He let the rain soak through his clothing as he happily danced around in the puddles. The scene transported him back home to when he used to splash around in puddles when he was a little kid, his rain boots far too big for his little feet.
Pidge and Keith followed Hunk, pushing each other in the doorway when they got stuck. You and Shiro stayed back, watching the paladins laugh with relish from the feeling of rain on their faces, something they all missed, whether they admitted it or not. Shiro glanced your way, smiling when your eyes caught his. He gestured to the door and began walking towards the other paladins.
Reluctantly, you followed him. Stepping outside, your hair began to stick to your forehead and your clothes to your body. You'd be lying if you said the rain didn't feel nice; it was apart of your home, a part you deeply missed. It brought back memories of dancing in puddles with your friends, memories of running from dry spot to dry spot like your life depended of it, memories of him.
Without a word, you walked up to Shiro who was laughing as he watched the young paladins. His laugh made you smile but it wasn't enough to shake your pain.
"He would have really loved that...," you said, startling Shiro with your presence. You nodded to Pidge, Keith, and Hunk. They had begun pushing and splashing each other into the larger puddles. "Lance, I mean."
Shiro's face fell. He knew this conversation would come up sooner or later but now that it was here, he didn't know if he would be able to handle it properly.
"He liked the rain?" Shiro knew that telling you to let him go would be no use. Talking about him, though; maybe it would help. Maybe it would help take your mind off of all the pain and sadness.
"Yeah," a ghost of a smile made its way to your lips. It vanished when you pressed your lips together in a thin line. "He loved the water. He loved rain. It was one of the things he missed." You turned to look at Shiro. "Is there anything you really, really miss? Something that seems silly; not like your family. Everyone misses their family. But something you miss that seems just as important?"
Shiro was quiet as he thought your question over. His mind went back to before he was captured; he knew what you were talking about. He missed the lights, city lights. The obnoxiously bright, neon lights you just couldn't blink out of your vision. It reminded him of the laughter and bustle of the city that moved around those lights.
"Yeah," Shiro whispered breathlessly, "I know what you mean."
"That's how Lance felt about the rain. He just wanted to be back at his house, the rain soaking him to the bone as he watched his younger sister squeal from the cold rain and his mother calling everyone inside, warm blankets waiting for them."
"How do you know all of this?" Shiro asked, a sad smile on his face from your description.
"He was my best friend, Shiro," you smiled, "I knew a lot of things about him."
"Hey, he still is your best friend," Shiro corrected. Your lips twitched, your smile widening.
"Yeah, he is." Letting out a deep sigh, you looked to the sky. The clouds were dark and heavy, barely any sun was able to peek through. Nature; cliché as ever. "I just can't believe he died before he got to see the rain again." Your voice was soft. "Or his family."
"I know," Shiro replied. "Don't think about that stuff; it only makes it worse."
"I can't help it." You shook your head. "What are we doing here, Shiro? We're kids. We shouldn't be fighting a war. We shouldn't have to tell Lance's family he was killed fighting in an intergalactic war. He should be with his family right now, goofing off with his siblings." You let out a shaky breath. At least with the rain, no would know that you were crying.
"We are here so no one else ends up with a story like Lance's. If you don't want to fight anymore, we can't make you stay. I'm sure Allura would open up a wormhole for you to go back to Earth if you really want."
"No." You shook your head. "That wouldn't be fair to Lance. Nah... I'm not going home; I'm going straight to Zarkon to stick a blaster up his ass and end him."
Shiro laughed under his breath, glad to see that you were more determined than heartbroken. "You won't be alone. We're going to take down the whole empire."
"For Lance."
"For Lance."
