3:46 AM.
Pidge was relentless in trying to get the Ghost Goggles (as dubbed by Hunk) to work. Hunk was on his second cup of coffee since Keith refused to let them slack. Speaking of the raven-haired boy, engineering was not his specialty. He could operate foreign equipment and technology with ease, but he was somewhat useless in creating original gadgets. He did help Pidge design it, though.
The logic behind the Ghost Goggles was simple: if Lance could be seen by spreading flour in the air, they needed to stimulate that phenomenon with the goggles. Lance's 'body' seemed to have the same logic as a laser- or at least the laser in between its origin and destination.
Between worlds.
The night, er, morning was quiet. Pidge was focused on her computer, programming the Ghost Goggles. Hunk was busy making the tangible workings of it. Keith would slip the device on every now and then to see if it was comfortable.
Lance hovered over them, occasionally looking over their shoulders to watch them work. He was excited. Pidge was a genius with tech, so if he had a shot, it was with her.
Lance smiled softly and hugged her gently. The part of his figure that would've made contact merged into her body.
Time skip: 2 hours
Lance heard a car pull into the driveway. He went outside to see a black mustang and a familiar face. Lance moved aside (even though it wasn't necessary) so the man could unlock the door with his copy of the key.
The man looked around the house before getting to the rest of the team's workspace.
"What are you all doing here?" he asked in a chuckle.
Hunk woke up at the sound of his voice. Keith and Pidge snapped their attention to him.
Keith smiled gently and stood. "Shiro!"
"Hello, everyone."
"What's up?" Hunk asked groggily.
"I came here to check on Keith," Shiro answered. "What are you all doing here?"
"What a responsible dad," Lance laughed.
"Lance is here," Keith answered.
"Lance?" Shiro repeated, brow furrowing in concern.
"Yes," Pidge confirmed. "And we have evidence to prove it. The Ghost Goggles are almost done."
"Keith, can we talk for a minute?" Shiro asked, a hand placed on the mullet-haired boy.
He made quiet eye-contact with him before nodding. He led his unexpected guest to the kitchen.
"I'm not keen on this," Shio started. "I'm concerned for your mental health."
"My mental health?" Keith echoed. "Shiro, Lance is here. He wrote on the mirror and Pidge and I saw him."
"This is getting out of hand, Keith," he said firmly. "First, it was depression. Now, it's denial?"
"You don't believe me?" Keith shot back in offense.
Shiro paused. "It's hard to believe."
"We'll show you," he retorted indignantly.
Shiro sighed before reluctantly following him. "Pidge, let's test them out."
"What? But they're not ready yet," she insisted.
"I don't care just do it!"
She narrowed her eyes in frustration and turned them on.
"Power On", the programmed, female voice said.
Pidge decided to be the beta tester. She slipped them on after detaching the Goggles from her laptop.
It was a bit static-y (something she'd fix later), but seemed to work.
"Okay, Lance, put on a show," Keith instructed.
Lance appeared in front of Pidge, his eyes pressed against the 'lenses' of the Ghost Goggles. Pidge jerked backward, yelling in surprise.
"Do they work?!" Hunk asked in shock.
"Yeah! I can see him! I can see Lance!"
Lance's face lit up. "Pidge! You can see me?!"
Pidge smiled broadly and nodded.
"Oh man…" Lance was so excited and happy he could barely breathe. "I missed you! I've missed all of you so, so much!"
There was a high-pitched noise that made Shiro raise his eyebrows. The Goggles started sparking.
I miss you, Lance thought, happy tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Pidge, take them off!" Shiro ordered.
"No!" Pidge shot back. "He's here! Lance is right here!" She gestured to the empty space her friend occupied.
More sparking.
But I couldn't ask you to give yourself up for me.
"Now, Pidge!"
"You can't tell me what to do!"
The crackling sound of the sparking got louder.
That'd be selfish.
"Pidge-!"
"You're not my father!"
For a seventh wheel.
There was a bright flash, then smoke. The Goggles were destroyed. Pidge chucked them off her. Her face was tainted with a black substance, and her bangs were burnt.
Lance stared at her wide-eyed. "Pidge?"
She was crying silently. Her eyes were screwed shut, but the tears still leaked out.
"That's enough!" Shiro snapped.
"No, Shiro!" Keith argued. "He was right there. Heck, he probably still is here!"
"Keith, don't you see what happened? Pidge could have died!" Shiro said firmly. He slammed his palm on Keith's shoulder. "Keith, Lance is gone, and there is nothing you can do to bring him back. You can't keep dwelling on it. You have to move on!"
Hunk had averted his gaze, feeling rather awkward.
Pidge stood up. "I'm with Keith. The technology just wasn't ready!"
Lance stood between the argumentative triangle, looking back and forth as each person spoke.
Shiro picked up the ruined Ghost Goggles. "I know you all miss him. I miss Lance, too, but… we have to leave him behind."
"Behind?" Lance echoed.
"He's gone," Shiro continued. "There's nothing we can do for him. What good what it do even if you did contact him?"
That's true.
"I know your personality, Pidge," he added. "As a scientist, you always want more. Soon, it won't be enough, and then what? Do you plan on killing yourself?"
Pidge felt short of words. "No, I-"
Shiro set the Goggles down on the table, then brought his eyes back to his comrades. "Then let this all go."