What they don't know

Part 19

Adam looked remarkably peaceful, the rise and fall of his chest steady and strong. His glasses were set to the side, the minor damage that had been found on them repaired and the lenses thoroughly cleaned in Acxa's absentmindedness. 

Lance had one leg hooked over the other, reclined in a chair set beside Adam's medical bed. Exhaustion had already rolled over his body, leaving his eyelids heavy even as he refused to let them fully close for more than a few seconds. 

While the rest of the team went ahead to settle arrangements with this reality's Voltron, Lance had volunteered to accompany the still-unconscious Adam to the med-bay - under Acxa's supervision, of course. Because that was something he had decided to agree to. 

Acxa sat almost perfectly still across from him, eyes drifting about occassionally to roam over the room with a hint of bored curiosity. Her hands were set symmetrically on her lap, posture as strictly maintained as the blank look on her face. 

She had been quiet since Adam had been settled although Lance couldn't exactly say this wasn't the case most of the time anyway. She had never been particularly talkative within their team with anyone aside from Veronica. With everyone else she was ultimately entirely business focused. It was undeniable that she cared for them as her team and comrades but that didn't exactly give Lance any starting point with how to talk to her. 

So he stuck to the silence, following her lead and idly examining the room. 

It was mostly the same as what Lance remembered the med-bay to be. This room in particular was an offshoot of the main pod room, hospital beds arranged carefully around more simple dressing and examination stations. Lance had been in there more times than he could count due to a mixture of tending his own wounds and helping Coran clean and restock the place. Even though he couldn't quite put his finger on it, Lance knew it well enough to know it was different - perhaps a little shabbier than he remembered? Or maybe the beds were slightly disorganised?

"We still trust you." Acxa announced out of the blue, expression not changing in the slightest as she appraised him. 

Lance blinked at her, frowning ever so slightly, "Thank you?" He hadn't meant for it to come out so uncertain, but he couldn't deny how true it felt once it was out. 

"We know your intentions and where your loyalties lie," Acxa continued, "Stick to that and we will find a way past this."

This time he was more certain in his gratitude, his lips tilting upwards softly, "Thank you, Acxa. That... really means a lot." 

Acxa nodded, "You are a good person - better than I was back then. You don't deserve this distrust."

"I wouldn't say that." Lance frowned again, adjusting his legs once he noticed one of them had started to go numb, "You've helped us a lot and your hearts in a good place. I'm not better than you." 

Acxa didn't agree but she didn't disagree either, simply moving along with a tilt of her head, "No matter where you go in this universe, there will always be those who refuse to see anything but the worst in you. Just because they are justified does not mean you deserve their assessment. Ignore it, it will pass."

"Alright." 

Her words were clinical although bore a hint of warmth and reassurance. Lance smiled at her, thinking for a moment just how much her attitude complimented his sister's. Alongside that thought, another one sprung up; he really knew very little about their new green paladin. 

"Acxa," Lance began, waiting for her acknowledgement before continuing, "If you wouldn't mind, I just thought I really don't know much about you."

"You want me to tell you about myself?" Acxa answered with her signature blank face, frowning ever so slightly, "It's not all that interesting."