Figuring Out

The Bridge

Pidge was standing there, crying to herself. She had overheard everything.
Brotherly instincts kicked in like when he would protect Keith, and he threw a finger over his shoulder. Satisfied with the gasp, he slammed the door shut, and picked up the girl.

After a few moments of her crying into his shoulder, she spoke up.
"You can put me down now."
"I can. But we both know that you don't want me to, right?"
She just nuzzled further into his shoulder as a response. "Thanks for sticking up for me back there."
"No problem. It was the least I could do."

"Are we going to my room?" She asked after a few more minutes. The consistent heavy steps of Shiro that echoed around the halls made her growing headache worse.
"Ah, no. Though I've only been in there once, I kinda hate being in your room."
"Oh, sorry, I'll clean it."
"No, no it's not because of that- Want down now?" She had moved to face him.
"Yes please."
"Kay." He leant forward and the girl slipping out of his hold, now padding along side him in her socks.
"Anyways, it's not because it's messy, that's not why I don't like it."
"Well, then, why?"
He sighed to himself, rubbing his neck as he thought it through.
"You don't have to tell me-"
"-No, no, just thinking."

They turned another corner, waiting for him to speak. Their steps were out of time, forming a strange melody of his constant ones and her awkwardly short but fast ones.

"Back on Earth, my room was like that. Messy, but not organised like yours, it was chaotic and awful. When I moved in with Adam, it got a bit better-"
"-Wait, Adam? I thought her name was short for Adeline?"
Shiro's face went blank at his slip up, then it eased. "I may have lied. Addie was his nickname, but it was short for Adam...my boyfriend." He looked away, anxious for her response.
"Oh. Okay." Not what he expected, but better than nothing.
"Okay.... anyways, when I moved in with him, I still had my own room, because I liked having my own space, and we weren't paying for a two room apartment for nothing." He chuckled at the memory. "But it still was bad. It would be messy for months, then I'd get some really good days and I'd have it spotless, before it would all crash again." He rubbed at his neck again. "That's part of the reason I don't collect...things. If all I have are my clothes and any other essentials, it can't get messy. And I clean it each day before I leave it, because it motivates me, yknow, I cleaned my room. It's a small thing, but it's nice."

"I never knew that. You always seem so strong and secure about yourself, clean and collect."
"Yeah, I know, but I kinda have to be. Allura and Coran weren't in the position to take charge when they first woke up, Lance was too immature, Hunk doesn't have the heart of a fighter, he's a healer, and no offence to you, but I really doubt anyone would have taken you seriously. So I stepped up."
"None taken, I didn't want to be the leader anyways. What about Keith?"
"Keith, though mentally and physically capable, was too emotionally immature. Hopefully his time with the Blades has changed that."

They turned another corner.
"Where are we going exactly?" She asked, having never taken this route to anywhere on the ship before.
"To the bridge, should be empty by now. I just took the long way around so you could gather your thoughts."
"Oh. Thanks."

They walked on in silence. It was tense with questions.

"Are you okay, with the fact that I'm gay?" He suddenly blurted out.
"What? Of course, why would you think I wasn't?"
"It's just, you're awkwardly quiet, and when people are quiet about it, well..."
"Oh. OH! No, no, I'm just thinking, sorry."
"Right. Matt said you did that when you had something on your mind."
"Oh, well, does anyone else know? Not that you have to keep it a secret, I'm just wonderi-"
"Keith knows, and now you. That's it. It would have been hard to hide it from Keith, I practically raised him until I left, so..." he chuckled at another memory. "But, uh, he doesn't know about the whole, messy room thing, and I'd rather him not worry about me any more than he does, you know?"
"Yeah, yeah. I got you."