Feeling Blue -- (VLD)

Battle Within

Lance hadn't been sleeping well.

Sure he got a few hours in here and there, but he knew he couldn't go much longer like this, his skin would give him away. However at the current moment he was at peace with his newfound insomnia, for if he had been trapped in the blissful clutches of slumber, Pidge's muffled sniffles would have gone unnoticed. An act that, in Lance's mind, was a punishable offence. 

The kid already went through enough crap as it was, a tiny child fighting in a war to great for her. It was too big a job for the young girl - too big a job for all of them really. It shouldn't be up to a bunch of kids and a traumatised man to save the universe, but here they all were, fighting to protect their home planet who didn't even realise they were in danger. It was a horrible burden to bear, especially for their youngest paladin. That meant that any support Lance could provide, he would- even if it meant adding to the weight of his own burdens that he carried silently on his shoulders.

Lance shrugged off his blankets, as easy as he shrugged off his own thoughts. He glanced at the clock-like device that he had been provided with, noting that it was close to the early hours of dawn. He wondered what had even woken Pidge up.

Thunder chose this time to roar throughout the Castle. Lance sighed, rolling onto his back once more and staring at the ceiling. This planet was prone to storms - except the storms here seemed similar to the Altean equivalent of rain, rather than the rain on earth that he loved. 

The rain (or whatever the heck was falling from the lower atmosphere) drummed over the Castle from outside. Allura had deemed it safe enough to not put up the shields, but Lance was second-guessing how much punishment the Castle could take in this weather.

Thunder crashed again, and Lance started at another quiet cry from Pidge, jumping out of bed. He had other matters to think about, not some trivial dents in the hull of the ship.

Lance pushed open the door, just in time to see a small figure sprinting as if their life depended on it. Lance went to step out but winced at the chill, grabbing his thick blanket and draping it over his shoulders before heading out into the dark hallways of the ship. No light came out from under Keith's door, loud snores slipping through the gap in Hunk's. Even Shiro was asleep, a rare occurrence to witness.

Lance followed the sounds of despair, a sentence he never thought he would actually think. What had his life become? Lance quickly shoved that thought train off its tracks. He didn't have time to wallow in self-pity.

He found Pidge in the lounge, huddled in between the couch cushions. Lance stared, amazed at her ability to squeeze into the smallest of spaces. Although after the air vent incident, he wasn't all that surprised.

"...Pidge?" He whispered.

There was a muffled shriek of surprise, followed by a squeal of fear as the thunder rolled once again. Pidge trembled in her spot, staring up at Lance in absolute fear.

One brief glance into her eyes showed Lance all he needed to know. 

Pure desperation flickered with just the smallest hint of sadness, one that hid with every loud sound outside. It would resurface at any opportunity, mixing with the fear.

It was in that split-second moment that Lance decided Pidge's eyes were windows to her soul- guarded from anyone but those who cared to look close enough. The one moment between the booms outside and her reply was all Lance needed to know that he saw the young girl as a pseudo little sister.

"L-lance..." she stuttered, shivering in fear, and from the cold draft that swept through the airy rooms. She unwittingly flinched again as the storm outside grew worse.

"Come'ere, pidgey." Lance chuckled, opening the blanket to let her into its circle of warmth. Pidge scowled, a fantastic re-creation of Keith's trademarked expression, and opened her mouth to protest. Instead, all that came out was a short whimper, followed by a squeak at the sound of more thunder. 

She wriggled a bit more, trying to bury herself further in the cushions. Alas, there were even spots to small for the tiny paladin, so she attempted to cover the rest of herself with her arms.

Sighing, Lance pulled her out from her hiding spot, wrapping his arms and the blanket around her and flopping back onto the couch. Another roll of thunder sounded, and Pidge shivered in his arms, curling up further into the blanket's warmth.

Gently he stroked a hand through her hair, hoping the physical contact and affection would calm her, or perhaps even lull the girl into much needed sleep.

"You won't- you won't tell the others?" Pidge murmured, causing Lance to startle at the sudden question. "Pr-promise you won't?"

The logical part of Lance's brain was telling him to at least tell Shiro, but Pidge sounded so sincere. She didn't want anybody to know about this. Lance fell silent for a moment, weighing the options.

"Only if you tell me why it's scaring you."  He bargained. There was the off chance she wouldn't, but in her vulnerable state, hey, Lance could try. Learn something about the tiny enigma that lay curled up in his arms.

"I-it sounds too much like a b-battle." she said quietly into the darkness, clinging tight to Lance as the thunder increased in volume. "Like the Galra could attack a-at any moment."

Now that she had said that, Lance could hear the gunfire too. Every small sound would have the capability to hide an enemy ship's attack. "...Ah."

"Y-yeah..." she shifted a tiny amount so she was able to wrap her arms around Lance better. "As a kid, I was scared of storms because I thought a giant had come to eat me. Now, it's much worse."

Pidge's reveal of her childhood fear suddenly reminded Lance of how young she really was. It was just now beginning to hit him that Pidge was still a child, barely old enough to be in the beginning years of high schooling.

Sudden anger flared within him. When he was fourteen he was worrying about fitting in at school, not focusing on survival whilst trying to save the universe. 

At her age, he had been allowed to make mistakes that wouldn't reflect on the world around him. He had been allowed to take it easy- rest when it all got too much. Yes, the paladins could take short breaks, but the weight of the universe on their shoulders caused so much stress. Lance could see that as he looked down at Pidge.

 A feral need to protect burst from his very core, and he hugged the girl tighter. Would they be back in time to throw her the sixteenth birthday she deserved? Somehow, Lance highly doubted it. He wondered if Pidge had already had a crush and a first kiss back on earth? Again, he didn't think so. 

Pidge would miss so many things- they all would- because they were protecting the universe from a threat with a ten thousand year headstart.

Lance was reminded for the second time that night they were all only kids, trying to do a job much too big for all of them. 

 "It's okay, Pidge. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." Lance consoled, hugging her tightly.   "No one will hurt you here, they have to get through me first, and I'm the strongest guy around." Lance grinned. 

He heard Pidge's muffled giggle and smiled softly. Pidge might have thought he was joking, but it was actually a promise to her. He would protect her to his dying breath, because the brave warrior in front of him deserved it.

He would protect Pidge with everything he had, because Pidge had so much more to live for than he ever would.