Lance stared at the ceiling of his room in horror.
How could he have been so stupid? What was the first ten years of his life for if not to handle situations like this?
He was out of practice. Spend years acting the idiot and before you know it, you are one. He didn't think the skills his father had drilled into him would be needed out here. Allura and Corran did the political bonding stuff, Hunk and Pidge had all the tech stuff covered, and Shiro and Keith were the fighter pilot badasses.
Not that he didn't give his all to what they were doing, he just did what he thought he should to fill in the gaps. Not a very fulfilling role, and one he honestly hated, but the others were good at not making him feel too left out; especially with Keith now out of the picture.
Keith…that bastard.
Lance swore and stood up to pace.
He had to figure out what to do next. He had practically painted himself into a corner, but he was sure his many years playing 'the floor is lava' would aid him in this.
But what if…
No, the safety of the others came first. He thought Pidge and Matt had said something about secret communications and whatnot. Lance had planned to ask her about it and if she could help him contact Keith without anyone else finding out.
Surly he'd know what was wrong and figure out a way to solve it. The guy had been the leader, and, Lance grudgingly admitted, once the jerk calmed down a little and got over himself, he was a really good one.
"Lance, you in there?"
"Yeah, come in."
Pidge walked in and she did not look happy.
For the love of pearl what did I do this time?
"You lied when you said only Lotor was upset," She said after she'd closed the door.
Oooohhh…
"He wasn't upset with you; we're the ones fighting," he said, "I didn't think dumping my complaints on a sick person was a good idea."
"What about all the other times you came in?"
"And bother you while you were working?"
Lance was grinning, but Pidge was unimpressed.
"I think you should go apologize," she said. "You went a little far calling him 'crazy'. They guy has been through a lot and, honestly, that was a cheap shot."
"That..ssss…"
Was that his next move? Would this approach work out? Did the answer to this worry just waltz in and shower him with knowledge? His family was devout Catholic, but this was the first time he felt like thanking the saints.
Clearing his throat, he replied, "yeah, it was a cheap shot; I realized that right after I said it. But he's been so moody lately I haven't found the time to approach him."
"Well," Pidge said, "He's pretending to train all the while just standing there starring at the wall."
"That's what I mean by 'moody', Pidge," Lance said with a sigh. "He'll probably just walk away, or I'll startle him so bad he takes my head off."
"Want me to come along?" She offered it with a snide smile.
"Oh yes," he said in his princess voice, "And would you mind holding my hand too?"
"Just get in there, you wuss," she laughed. "I can't believe you guys have been like this for days!"
He laughed as well while trying not to show just how worried he was.
What if it doesn't work?
He made his way to the training deck and tried his best to gain control of: first, his emotions and thoughts; second was his facial features; and third, his body language. He needed this to work. Lance was not going to slip up again; he couldn't afford to.
Pidge was right. The black paladin was just standing there in the middle of the floor with a blank expression.
Lance took a deep breath and coughed slightly a safe distance away from the mans reach.
Shiro looked over at him and blinked in surprise.
"I just wanted to say I was sorry for saying such cruel things," Lance said quickly before Shiro could walk away or say something that would make Lance not want to apologize anymore.
Shiro sighed, "I didn't handle it very well either."
And that was the closest Lance was going to get to an apology back. Lance nodded in acceptance and continued.
"I just wish you would trust me a bit more. I know I'm not the brightest crayon in the box, but I hoped you would rely on me the way a right arm should be."
"Lance, this has nothing to do with your intelligence or anything," Shiro shook his head. "Nevermind. I'm glad we've been able to talk again, so, let's not have a repeat of before."
The man left, and Lance waited until he was good and gone before sucking in as much air as he could. He had been more nervous than he'd thought. Hopefully the result would be worth this stress.
