Don't Ask About My Demons

Remember

"Shiro! Shiro!"

Shiro stopped short, turning to meet Pidge and Hunk in the corridor. "Are you two alright? You guys look like you've seen a ghost."

"For once, I would have preferred a ghost." Hunk replied breathlessly.

"Okay, so do you remember that time when Keith was in the Galran arena?" Pidge asked.

Shiro furrowed his brows.

"You know..." Hunk cut in, bringing his fingers up to his mouth to mimic fangs. "...Grrr?"

Shiro watched them with confusion before his eyes widened. "Oh no."

"Oh yes," Pidge replied.

"Where is he?" Shiro demanded.

"We left him in the... dining room." Pidge's face fell and her attention darted to Hunk. "Quiznak! Okay, maybe we shouldn't have left him alone."

"Well I wasn't gonna stay with him!"

"We should get back before he leaves... or hurts someone. Come on!" Shiro turned on his heel and sprinted away with the other two Paladins running to catch up.

They slowed to a walk and paused just outside the doorway. Shiro turned to them. "Alright, stay behind me," He whispered.

"Don't worry." Hunk replied, clutching Shiro's shoulder tightly. Meanwhile, Shiro's other arm extended out in front of Pidge protectively.

Shiro took a hesitant step forward, his right arm held at eye level to prepare for an attack.

"Is this some sort of stealth exercise?" A sudden voice said from behind.

Shiro stiffened while Hunk screamed and Pidge dropped to the floor.

"Don't sneak up on us like that, Lance!" Hunk exclaimed, clutching his heart.

"Uh... sorry?" He moved to step into the dining room.

"Lance!" Hunk hissed.

"What?" Lance asked, only half listening. He looked around the room to find Keith sitting with his eyes trained forward. He appeared to have just come out of a daze. "Oh, hey mi amor." He ruffled Keith's hair as he passed by to grab a plate.

"Lance!" Hunk whispered desperately. "Don't--"

"Hey, darlin'." Keith replied calmly, tucking his hair behind his ears. He wiped his face with a napkin then set the napkin down neatly beside his plate.

"So," Lance said after getting comfortable in the seat to Keith's right. "Did you guys have a food fight without me? It's a mess in here."

Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro exchanged bewildered glances then stared at Keith.

Keith looked up from his plate and bit his lip self consciously when he noticed three sets of eyes trained on him. "Why are you guys all staring at me? It's getting weird."

Lance took a bite of his food and swallowed before turning to the other three. "It's rude to stare, you know."

Shiro cleared his throat. "We're sorry, Keith." He stepped inside to find a seat. "It's just... do you remember anything that happened within the last twenty minutes?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lance asked.

Shiro ignored him. "Keith, please. Do you remember the time before you came to the dining room and after you took a break from repairing Red? It's important."

Keith's eyes darted to his fidgeting hands. Lance wordlessly slid his hand over to Keith who took it, intertwining their fingers. The feeling of having a hand to hold calmed his racing heart slightly.

Keith hesitated before shaking his head. "...no. It's all muddled. I can't make any sense of it. Did I do something wrong?" He tightened his grip around Lance's hand.

"I don't know," Shiro replied sympathetically.