Pidge jolted awake as a hand brushed the tip of her shoulder.
The delicate balance she had naturally settled into in the midst of sleep gave way and caused the her to tip out of place in the chair and onto to the floor.
Pushing herself up, the green paladin readjusted her glasses and glared up Keith.
The older boy had the decency to look sheepish as he moved over to help Pidge off the floor.
"Sorry, were you asleep?"
"What do you think?" she snapped. Nonetheless Pidge took the hand that was offered to her, and did her best to ignore the drowsiness that fogged her mind.
Keith glanced at Pidge's seat on the bridge before asking, "How long have you been in here?"
"Hmm, don't know." She replied tiredly as she lifted her glasses to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Few hours I guess."
Pidge retook her seat and attempted to reactivate the interface only for Keith's hand to stop her.
She leered at him, "what are you doing?"
"Go to bed," he instructed. "You've been in here ever since-"
Pidge tore her hand from his and looked away. "We haven't found him yet."
"I know but-"
"But nothing!" Pidge's hand slammed down on her knees. "I've only gone through a quarter of the scans we took. I'm not stopping until I find a clue!"
Keith let out a sigh at her side, but said nothing. Instead he seemed to control his breathing before beginning again.
"If you don't rest you're more likely to miss something." he then added. "I don't think Shiro would be happy if you made yourself sick looking for him."
Pidge's eyes softened at that. Keith was right, of course, but that didn't mean she had to like it.
"But… i-it's not fair." her voice shook with emotion. "Why do I keep losing people? First Matt and my dad. And now Shiro too."
She wanted to cry.
Hell, just a little over a year ago she would have.
But it had all been too much. Too many lonely dark nights wondering what had happened. Too many false leads that lead to dead ends. Too many tears.
Pidge didn't know if she had any tears left to cry.
A warm, comforting hand squeezed her shoulder.
She lifted her head and looked into Keith's grey eyes.
"I won't stop." Her voice had hardened. "I can't stop."
Keith sighed and removed his hand. "Alright, alright. I get it."
But instead of leaving, the red paladin took a seat on one of the steps on the bridge.
"What are you doing?" Pidge asked.
"I understand I can't stop you." Keith leaned back and got comfortable. "But if you doze off again, I'm carrying you to your room. No argument."
She pouted, but didn't argue. After all, she HAD to have gotten at least a few hours of sleep just now. How soon could she nod off?
Keith couldn't help but wonder how someone could be so small and yet so heavy as he carried Pidge out of the bridge and to her room. Then again, he hadn't often had to carry people. It never used to be an issue.
He deposited the girl as gently as he could onto the alien mattress, where she instantly curled into a ball.
Chuckling, Keith couldn't help but mutter to himself. "And people say I'm the one who's like a cat."
Removing Pidge's glasses, and covering her with a blanket, Keith turned to go. Only to stop as a hand tug on the sleeve of his jacket, pulling him to a stop.
Glancing behind him, Keith expected to find an awake, and very bitter, Pidge. Instead he saw an exhausted, sleeping, little girl. Shrugging off the jacket, he draped it over her as a second makeshift blanket.
"There," Keith said as he stood back up. "Here's hoping that makes you stay put."
As the door slid to a close behind him, Keith couldn't help but feel like an older brother putting a younger sibling to bed. And that was something he didn't mind in the least.