The Closet

I'm Innocent!!

"Run, dude! They're right behind you!" Hunk's voice called out loudly as Lance raced past him down the hall, Pidge right on his tail. His eyes following them as he leaned out of the door to the hanger where he'd been working on Yellow. He couldn't help but wonder what Lance had done to make Pidge chase him. Maybe they were playing? Yea, he kind of doubted that. Should he be worried? He was kind of worried. Wishing his friend luck, he ducked back into the room and let the door slide shut just as Pidge's voice echoed down the hall. He really didn't want to get between those two.

"Lance! I know it was you!" Pidge's outrage was present in the their voice. Already they had managed to catch up to Lance, even with the head start he'd managed to get as they'd yelled at him over the training rooms com system. Admittedly they hadn't planned to chase Lance in the first place, but the blue paladin had been asking for it. There was a lot of things they could forgive, but this was Lance's final strike on the long list of annoyances he'd manage to rack up just this week.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Pidge! I swear I had nothing to do with whatever it is!" He was already feeling out of breath having just finished his 'one on one' training with Shiro, his punishment from skipping group training for what could only have been the hundredth time since they'd come aboard the Castle ship.

He swerved around Coran just as the other walked out of the holo deck, shooting a quick, "Can't talk now, too busy not dying," as the Altean called out after him.

"Where are you two off to in such a rush? A wild chase, eh? Is this another of your strange Earthian customs? Such spirit, why, it reminds me of the Flari in Altea that went around chasing children who.."

Coran's voice faded into the distance as he kept up his swift pace. He didn't know why, but he was terrified. Who knew what Pidge would do to him if they caught him.

"You're not getting away that easily!"

"Shit, shit, shit," Lance cursed beneath his breath as he skidded around the next corner and darted around another before Pidge could turn the first, hoping to lose them.

Taking the chance to look back, he missed the door ahead sliding open and Keith stepping out, head down and lost in thought. They crashed, sending them both sprawling to the floor. Keith groaned, shooting a glare at Lance as the other boy scrambled up. "Watch where you're going, Mullet!"

Lance moved to keep running, only to trip and fall to the floor as Keith caught his leg and sent him sprawling back to the ground. "You ran into me! What were you even doing here?"

"I was trying to escape!" His voice was a shout and he sucked in a breath as he heard the pounding of feet signaling that Pidge was closer then he was currently comfortable with.

"Lance! I know you're out here!"

Speak of the devil and they shall appear. He gulped and stumbled back to his feet, looking around frantically for a place to hide. He turned to the door behind Keith and rushed towards it, but it refused to open back up. "Come on, come on."

Tugging at the seam and banging on the door did nothing and he turned to stare at Keith who had pushed himself to his feet and was rubbing at his arm with a frown.

"Keith, my buddy, my man, open the door. I need to get out of here like yesterday!" He motioned at the door with a flail of his arms and Keith merely frowned at him.

"I can't."

"What do you mean you can't! I just, you just came out, so obviously you can.."

"Coran opened it with some kind of key, it's an old weapons hold he needed cleaned up and I somehow go.."

Lance gave a frustrated groan, cutting the other boy off mid word and Keith's eyes narrowed as he turned to leave. Fidgeting, Lance glanced back the way he came, the footsteps pausing and then continuing on as if Pidge wasn't quite sure where he was. He didn't have much time.

His eyes scanned over the hall for another hiding place and he flailed, startled, as he heard Pidge call out with victory in their voice. "I've got you now."

Cursing in both languages he knew, he darted around Keith and sprinted down the hall and around the next corner, leaving the other paladin staring after him in confusion.

Pidge appeared around the corner, glasses gleaming and then paused beside Keith, practically still jogging in place. "He went that way, didn't he?"

Keith shrugged, then after a second, nodded and the other grinned and dashed off with a raised hand in thanks.

"They're gone, you know." He said after a minute or two, once Pidge had disappeared from sight.

Lance stumbled out of the dead end he'd been cowering in, a hand to his chest. Keith hadn't given him away. He was floored, speechless for a moment before giving a startled, "Dude, did you know that was a dead end? Why didn't you say anything!"

It was all he could think to say as the red paladin turned and started heading the other way. Pidge would realize he'd lied soon enough and he'd rather not be here when it happened, "Yea."

Lance reached out and placed a hand on Keith's shoulder. "I-I guess I owe you one."

He really didn't feel like saying thanks, despite how relieved he was, the other was still an ass.

Keith froze for a moment, the hand warm even through his jacket and he felt his cheeks begin to flush. "Don't mention it. Seriously."

He laughed, giving Keith's shoulder another pat and froze when he heard a painfully familiar beep. Glancing up, he saw Rover hovering just at the end of the hall. He'd forgotten all about the little guy. Oh shit.

"RUN!"

Without thinking, he grabbed onto Keith's hand and darted back the way he came with the other being dragged behind him.

"LANCE!"

The red paladin wasn't amused in the slightest and he was left stumbling for a moment as he caught up and kept pace with Lance.

"Don't drag me into this!"

"You did this to yourself, Mullet Man. They'll be after both our skin."

Keith grumbled beneath his breath and dragged Lance back by his hand, darting down a smaller hallway, which Lance swore wasn't there earlier. How did he let himself end up a part of this ridiculous situation.

"What did you even do, Lance?"

"Hey! I'm innocent!"

Keith gave him an incredulous stare.

"Don't give me that look! I'm telling the truth here!"

Another corner up ahead and they were back to a dead end.

Lance let out a curse and made to turn back, but Keith held him still and motioned towards a door to their right he'd completely missed. "Coran pointed this out to me earlier, it's a storage room or something, but I think I saw a way straight into the vent system when I peeked in. If we can find a way out, we can sneak past Pidge and find Shiro. He might be able to calm them down."

"Keith, you mullet head, you're a genius." His relief was short lived as he heard the sound of beeps, Rover had followed them, "Let's hope this works!"

He missed the growing flush on Keith's face, eyes soft around the edges as he watched the blue paladin. Slapping a hand down on the door's panel, it swished open, just in time for him to shove the both of them inside and another quick touch had a sliding shut as Rover came around the corner. Lance didn't think it'd seen them, at least.. he hoped not.