Pidge ran to get Lance a glass of water (any excuse to not be around such a display he assumed) and Hunk helped the shattered boy to his bed. It felt like he was all cried out, but salty wetness still tracked from the corners of his ocean eyes. Exhaustion dragged at his body, no longer sustaining the full quaking laments. Right beneath his lids itched, but he couldn't even muster the effort it would take to rub at them.

The next thing he was aware of was Pidge's voice, "Lance, the water is right here on the nightstand if you'd like it." Her voice seemed so small, and so far away. He tried to focus on her. When had she even returned? What had the two of them been talking about?

Distantly he processed that there was a third voice, and in a vague sort of way Lance understood that he should care about that. What if it was one of his older siblings? Or worse yet, his parents…. But why…. Why would that be a bad thing again?

"—a hold of his grandma, she was the only one at the house—" The sounds were grating in his head painfully, and he scrunched up his features, turning into the soft down pillows. "—rest of them—looking—" words were doing no more than weaving in and out of his understanding, and eventually they were replaced with the muted sounds of one of Pidge's video games, and after that, there was nothing.

Lance woke with a headache, unable to pin when he had even fallen asleep. All he knew at the moment was that rays of sunlight too bright to be for the early morning, streamed into a room that was not his own. And that he was basically dying of thirst.

Dying.

The word hung on gossamer thread strangely in Lance's mind, before that twine snapped and everything came crashing down along with it.

Lance shot up and instantly his world began to spin, each tilt another driving screw into his skull.

"Oh hey buddy—" Hunk was, of course, the one who dropped his controller first, scrambling up onto the bed. "Good morning."

Lance wasn't sure how to respond. Sure he knew what would normally be said…. But nothing would be normal ever again. So Lance didn't say anything. With Hunk's help he finished sitting up, arm moving lethargically, fumbling towards the night stand.

"Woah, geez Lance could you be more clumsy?" Pidge's voice was held in an obviously pseudo bright tone as she pushed the cup into the boy's searching grasp.

It was thankfully silent as Lance gulped down every last drop. Thought he could practically taste the bitterness in his water of all the words that remained unsaid…. That would probably be unloaded here any moment. He finished, gaze falling downwards. His slim shoulder's hunched down as his posture became a protective barrier between them all.

"So…" Pidge blew air into the side of her cheek before releasing it. No more words came from her.

Hunk stepped in after an uncomfortable stretch of silence.

"You're not in trouble or anything, that's what your parents want you to know first of all, but—" Lance snorted and took a quick peak at his two friends up through his messy bangs. Neither of them could quite look at him.

Did they have any idea what was really going on?

"Your mom called after we talked to grandma. She said that you have to come home as soon as you're up." Hunk looked so apologetic and Lance wanted to reassure him somehow.

"I can't go home!" Is what came out of his mouth instead.

"Lance—"

"I don't know what to do Hunk!" His head snapped to look at Pidge as if she might have some sort of answer, she always did. Her name dropped from his lips as a plea, "Pidge, you guys gotta think of something! There's gotta be a way…" His eyes stung, but it seemed as if he were well and truly all cried out.

"We're not doctor's Lance—" Pidge stated, but instead of the hard edge that Lance had grown used to hearing in her tone, her voice wobbled. If Lance was capable of feeling anything else he may have allowed guilt to sour in his gut, which now grumbled.

"We can't figure anything out on an empty stomach." Hunk's hands wrung around each other, clearly the boy was at a lost for what else to do. That was right, he'd skipped dinner. That was not even a worry in his head at the moment though, and the realization was a distant, vague one, overshadowed by this gnawing fear.

"I'm not hungry—" Lance mumbled, bringing his knees up to his chest and curling in around himself. "And I can't go home." The finality in his tone was recognizable. He could almost bet that Pidge and Hunk were exchanging a look.

"Lance we really do want to help… but… how bout we just come over later today? After you've talked to your family."

"And uh…. Marco will be here soon to take you home!" Pidge put in, obviously trying to be useful.

"What?" Lance squawked, the same panic that had been held over him like a guillotine, that had not abated in the slightest, sent him scrambling too quickly off the bed and he almost fell, barely regaining his balance his head gave a vengeful throb.

Blue eyes were blown wide, mind clambering after a way to avoid this- when his movements all but stopped.

"I think we broke him." Pidge fell back into the spot that Lance had just vacated.

The quiet stretched on, with Hunk's brows drawing closer and closer together.

"It's almost like you can see the wheels turning." Pidge whispered, leaning towards Hunk.

"Uh Lance, are you—"

"That's it!" The boy was suddenly on the move again, searching the floor for his shoes, which Hunk must have removed for him after he'd passed out.

"What's it?" Pidge leaned forward, her curiosity piqued.

"I think I missed a step—" Hunk's concern had only grown.

"The Witch guys!" Lance practically shouted as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The other two straightened up. "I'm sorry what?" Pidge voiced what they were both obviously thinking, if Hunk's expression was anything to go by.

"You know! The witch in the woods! Remember Marco said she grants wishes!"

"Oh Lance—"

"Dude that was a story." Pidge reached out to him, her expression one of incredulity.

"Don't!" Lance snatched his arm back, "don't." He knew that he was grasping at straws. He knew how insane and desperate he sounded. He knew that this small ray of hope was nothing more than a candle's flame, any wayward breath of reason would cast him back into darkness. He yanked on his shoes swiftly not even bothering to tie them as he turned his back to his friends and stomped out of the room to calls of his name. Lance jumped the last few steps of the stairs. He'd run to the woods if he had too.

"You kids better be ready for a big breakfast!" Hunk's mom's warm voice bubbled out from the kitchen along with the low hum of conversation.

The smells wafting from that direction, usually so delicious, made Lance's stomach turn. Quickly, before anything or anyone else could stop him he spun towards the door, yanking it open with nary a goodbye and dashed out—

-right into Marco.

"Woah there lil bro where do you think you're going?" The laughter that was usually rampant in every aspect of Marco's character was missing. His brother's tone muted in its absence. "Can't have you running off again."