What they don't know

Part 17

Lance sat atop the console, legs crossed as he munched on a honeyed brunch bar. His coat was hung over the back of the chair he was supposed to be sat in, leaving him in his usual black, skin tight, short-sleeved shirt. 

"Matt, you should lean forwards more." He called, a fresh notebook open in his lap as he mentally planned its contents. 

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Matt muttered from across the room, panting as he forced himself through the drills with his fellow paladins. "You're enjoying this too much."

Lance rolled his eyes, chuckling, "You'll be more streamlined if you do. It's for you own good." Not to say that anything Matt accused him of was wrong, he was enjoying this. Drills were so much more fun when one isn't an active part of them. 

"Please shut up." Veronica groaned out, a disturbing mixture of pale and flushed. 

She had been lagging a little behind the others for a while now due to no fault of her own. Adam was formerly a soldier who had been training for more than half his life now, Matt was a full time Rebel, Lotor and Acxa were both part of physically superior species with the latter having lived through a lifetime of harsh and gruelling training. Veronica, for all of her talents, fell short physically in comparison. 

Given her competitive nature though, Lance doubted she would allow that to last much longer. 

Adam trooped onto another lap grimly, skin ashen with sweat, not even committing to dryly commenting something to wind his sister up.

Lance sighed, they had been at it for a while and he didn't want to overwork them. He still winced at the memories of the seemingly never ending supply of training sessions Allura always seemed to have prepared. 

Their endurance, for the most part, was satisfactory although there was still substantial room for improvement, but that could wait for another time. 

"That should be enough for now." 

The group slowed to halt in unison, Matt and Veronica flopping into each other bonelessly in protest. In between their heaving pants, they both managed to find time to glower at him though. 

Lance grinned apologetically back. 

Adam hunched over, breathing heavily, not saying anything until Acxa wordlessly passed him a water pouch. 

She continued passing them out, barely any hint of exhaustion on her features at all, until she reached Lotor last and handed it to him slowly, the friendliness she offered to the others drying up at the sight of him. 

Lotor extended a hesitant smile, the air having yet to be cleared between them despite all the time they had been allowed. 

She didn't return it, simply depositing the water pouch into his hands and returning dutifully to Veronica's side. 

Lance hopped off the console, taking up the empty space beside Lotor with a beam, "So there's something else I need us to get through today."

Veronica's face soured and Matt groaned, drawling out the sound until it was practically a whine.

"No. No, Lance." Matt huffed at him, "Bad, Lance."

Adam grimaced, squinting up at him through sweaty bangs, "Lance," His tone tried for kind, "We've been at this for hours."

"And we won't be doing much more physical stuff," the alchemist rushed to reassure, "Promise. In fact, Lotor and Matt have technically already done this." 

"Oh thank god!" Matt flopped back onto the floor, almost feigning sleep as he starfished. 

"What is it?" Lotor asked curiously, folding his arms. He had recovered quickly, already slipping back into his carefully constructed composure.