Lance splashed the cold water on his face and ran his wet hands through his matted hair before looking out the window of his small bathroom. The whole apartment was small really, sitting on the crowded coast of Florida. The surburb, close to Miami was overlooked but just as busy all year long. 

Lance had moved here with Hunk for college in Miami, and stayed after buying an apartment while their families lived a while away in California. Hunk and Lance had been best friends since they were in elementary school, and though Hunk had found and pursued his passion as a chef, Lance was still looking. 

He had gone through college majoring in business, and then got a job at a local fishing market. It wasn't much but he loved being out on the water all day everyday, and it payed the bills so he took it. He split rent with Hunk, who ran an online catering business. Most of his time was spent at home cooking up meals and creating recipes and going to fun events. Lance was happy for him. 

Their college days were like any other college experience, late nights and piles of work but they made it out both with two degrees each and some reliable friends. They met Matt Holt in their second year, he was in the same dorm as them and they soon all started hanging out. 

Matt was extremely smart, and loved science, he was down to earth and fun to hang out with, though he had a wacky sense of humor. His personality seemed to fit perfectly with his shoulder length brown hair and soft brown eyes. 

Romelle, was another good friend of theirs who they met later on, majoring in art. She was outgoing and exuberant, kind of wonky in her own way but creative and really sweet. Her soft blond hair and teal eyes only made her seem sweeter. The four all stayed friends after graduating. 

Matt lived in the same suburb as Lance and Hunk, in an even smaller apartment with his little sister Katie. She was only 18, five years younger than Matt but was taking college classes and stayed with him. She was just as smart, and more head strong and vibrant, she liked to say what was on her mind and didn't fear much. She liked to say she kept Matt in check. Soon she became Lance's friend. Despite her personality being almost the total opposite of her brother's, they could almost pass as twins, sharing the same hair color and face shape. Katie's hair was cut a little shorter, and her eyes had a more defiant fire in them but everything else was similar. 

Romelle had an older sister, Allura, who was generous and kind but honest and independent. She owned a flower shop with Romelle a little ways off from their apartment. Allura had long curly pearl white hair that reached her back, sharing the same teal eyes as her sister. Her skin was a lot darker, because Romelle had been adopted when Allura was four, but it didn't change how much they loved each other. 

Lance loved his friends, but wished he knew where he was going with his life. He had always loved the sea, growing up in Malibu with his large family, and water had always been a huge part of his life, he just wished he knew the direction he was going in. 

Back home, his parents Elaine and Jorge had raised him and his siblings, there were six of them and Lance knew it hadn't been easy so he never forgot to appreciate them for all they did. 

There was his older brother Rico, who had graduated college and gone off with his wife Melissa to raise their daughters, Isabel and Lola, who were 7 and 5 years old. They lived now in New York City, but visited every holiday and every time they could in between. 

After Lance, there was his younger sister Veronica who was 17. He missed her probably the most now, since he had last seen her the Christmas before. It was Spring now, and though it wasn't far off, he couldn't go long without her, and college had been pretty difficult because of that. The two had been closest in the family when they were little, and that hadn't changed. Still. 

Then there was his fourteen year old sister, Bryce. She was the most difficult in his opinion, being as stubborn and persistent as she could be, but no matter how annoying she could get Lance still loved her more than anything in the world. 

And then there was Marco, eleven years old, outgoing like the rest of them and especially loud. He loved soccer, and used to play all the time with Lance and Rico. Lance missed Marco, and knew the young boy was lonely without his brothers. Luckily, Elaine told Lance, Marco was now on a team and played at least four times a week. 

And the youngest, Gabriella, who was nine, sweet and rumbustious. Though the youngest, she always knew how to get her way but was always sweet and generous. Lance liked to say it was because of him she turned out this way but no one agreed. 

And though he missed his family, he still loved the life he was living, even if he didn't know what he was doing majority of the time. 

Lance watched the sidewalk outside the window, a woman walking her dog, a man with a small girl on his shoulders and a couple holding hands. Maybe he watched them a little longer, or maybe he didn't. The time seemed to string together, and he couldn't tell.

His love life was a touchy subject for him, and he was a romantic person, or he liked to think of himself as one, despite the fact that he wasn't actually good in relationships. It took years for him to admit it, but it never worked out for him.

Even when he was younger, and would have a crush he always messed it up by either bullying the girl, or being too clingy, when they weren't even dating. And then when he started liking guys somewhere in seventh grade, he went through a hard phase where he was confused and emotional. Finally, in ninth grade, he came out as bisexual.

He thought it would get easier when he got his first kiss in tenth grade, a short curly haired girl whose glasses were always fogged up. They barely knew each other but decided it was better to get it over with especially when no one else was interested in them.

It didn't get easier, he never talked to the girl again after that, and he had many more crushes and even some relationships yet it always ended one way or another too quickly. He was cheated on or there was bad communication.

Elaine always said it was a matter of time, and there was a certain somewhere out there for him, and until then he would have to endure what was put in front of him. She always said patience was key.

But Lance wasn't patient,and it was hard. For a long time, three years exactly through the end of high school and halfway through his college years, he stayed single and didn't even go after anyone. Then he met Allura and that changed.

He had always considered himself as a flirtatious and charismatic guy, though he could be clumsy and uncomfortable. With Allura, he seemed to up the charm factor. But she was stubborn and denied him every time. Either subtly, with a laugh and a shake of the head or a full frontal "no" to his face. But he was persistent, his whole life he had been denied by cute boys and girls alike. This wasn't new to him.

When they graduated, he finally let her go, and they decided on staying good friends, but every so often he would like to flirt or play around with her, and she was fine with it as long as he didn't go too far. And he knew what too far was.

After college, with work and being with his friends so much he didn't get out much to meet others and be attracted. All his co workers were kind of boring in his opinion.

There was his boss, Dayak, who was mean, cruel and around the age of 50. And his few friends at work, Thace, James, Kinkade, and Matt.

Thace,James and Kinkade were all nice guys that were good at their job, and had welcomed Lance and Matt when they were hired. James and Kinkade had been friends for a long time, and Kinkade's first name was Ryan,last name Kinkade but he insisted they call him Kinkade. So they did.

Matt only worked there because he needed the money. Katie liked to fix computers whenever she had the free time and could find a client, but it didn't bring in enough, especially with her classes piling up. Matt was looking for a job that could get him somehow to NASA, but scrolling through space engineer careers all day wasn't going to keep the lights on. So in the meantime, he caught fish.

Dayak had been running the business for 30 years now, started it with her husband who died when she was 35. Ever since, she ran it on her terms. Strictly and proficiently.

They mainly caught spotted sea trout, which was easier and more abundant. Locally, it was popular, and Dayak shipped it out across the country.

The fish was easy to catch, roaming usually near the surface of the bay, and lived all along the coast all the way to Maryland. They liked the saltwater of the Atlantic, and that made it easier for Dayak to bring in more money. But she wasn't the one doing the work.

There were 30 guys on the team, with shifts to catch the fish throughout the day leaving the harbor on their boats with nets to catch big schools of the trout just off the coast. It was tedious job, but Lance loved it.

He usually worked with Matt, but sometimes got placed with Thace, Kinkade, or James or one of the other 25 guys in the team. He worked four days a week, 10 to 8 every week but didn't exactly hate the job. He loved the calm hours spent out on the water, rocking slightly in the floating boat. And of course, getting his check in the mail every Friday.

"Lance! It's almost 9:30, are you almost ready?" Hunk called from somewhere in the apartment. Lance tore his eyes away from the couple and rushed out of the bathroom.

"Yeah..yeah I'm coming." He called tiredly before slipping on his brown rubber boots. Seeing the storm clouds accumulating overhead, he grabbed his yellow rain coat before rushing out of the house and wishing Hunk a good day.

As he expected, it started to drizzle about ten minutes into his drive to work. When he arrived he went up to the dock house like every morning.

The men who had shifts at the time would meet up with Dayak who would give them their locations on the water, usually the same every day, before they headed out.

"You're late." Matt whispered as Lance quietly closed the door to the house and hustled over next to him.

"I know I know." He said waving his friend off.

"James, Nick, Eastern Shore." Dayak called out without looking any of them.

"Thace, Kinkade, Eastern Shore."

"Lance, Matt, Western Shore." Lance said in a deeper, gravely tone mocking Dayak's usual announcement.

"Matt, Harry, Northern." Lance furrowed his brows as Matt chuckled at him before heading out with Harry to the equipment shed.

A few minutes later, she finally called Lance's name. "Lance Southern Shore." She said before heading to her desk and sighing as she sat down.

"Um.." Lance said. No one else was left in the house. How was he going out alone? There wasn't even a team in the southern area. It had to be a mistake.

"Uh..ma'am?" He asked as he shuffled over to her desk.

She looked up from her thick book and piping hot cup of coffee. "Yes Lance?"

"Well..its just. I don't know..I'm all alone out there. You didn't send anyone else to the southern area of the bay and-"

"You think I made a mistake?" Her eyes scanned him but she didn't seem to be upset.

"Well..yeah.."

"No. I didn't. And I'm going to ignore the fact that you think I would make a mistake." She shook her head. "Ive been here too long for that. I just think that you're skilled enough, you're one of my best men."

"Oh." Lance said. Was he? Sure, he caught a lot but he was almost always late.

"Yes. And I want to see how you do on your own. You always catch kore than the others." She picked her nail absently. "And if you don't catch as many..well one without a good catch won't hurt anyone am I right?"

She looks him in the eye and he knew he was sweating. She had never been this kind. And it was suspicious. "Y-yes. Yes you're right. Thank you."

"No problem. Now get out before I change my mind."

He didn't need to be told twice and was immediately out. It was pouring hard, and he pulled the hood of his coat before rushing across the muddy ground to the shed. Grabbing his net and the only boat key left, he ran off across the slippery dock to the boat.

It was a white one, with a blue stripe across the sides, the word 'Blue' in cursive font. He cursed as he stubbed his toe getting into it but soon had it started up and was out in the water.

The hours passed as he sat in the boat in the southern area, he was waiting for the rain to steady up a bit, because he knew the fish wouldn't be near the top of the water if it was raining this hard. Since he was alone though, there was no one to talk to and he was alone with his thoughts.

He started thinking about Dayak and how suspicious she was before thinking of Hunk and his friends and then his family. After a while of replaying memories in his head, the clouds began to clear and it began to drizzle.

He started getting some of the water out of the boat with a bucket before he headed to the edge of the boat and threw the net over. He had this part of the job down to muscle memory and quickly reached down to tie the net to the edge of the boat before heading to the wheel and steering towards an active school of trout right beside the boat.

Only when he started turning the boat around did he realize the net wasn't in the hook on the side of the boat. It was floating off across the water, and quickly sinking.