Clones and Despair

Fear

 "What's this about, I could still have been sleeping." Lance said groggily. "This is about our suspicion about Shiro." Keith declared. Keith brought out the glass jar and dropped the Altean flower in it. The stem of the flower didn't touch the bottom of the jar. Pidge gasped, and Keith wasn't that surprised about it. "What does this even mean?" Asked Shiro worriedly. "I think we both know what this means. Shiro you're a clone!" Declared Keith. Coran's eyes widened, "This is what you were using it for?" "Yes! We tested it on Pidge and the stem touched the bottom. So this proves that my hunch was right! That's not the real Shiro!" Exclaimed Keith. "Keith this is crazy. Hunk don't you have any thing to say?" Lance looked over to Hunk for help, but he was at a loss for words. "I- I don't understand... are you saying... I'm not real?" Shiro stuttered. "Keith! Look what you're doing to Shiro!" Lance yelled. "Don't any of you care! You all are like a family to me! If that's not the real Shiro, don't any of you want to find the real one!" Keith yelled back. "Keith, what do you even know about family! You're just an orphan!" Lance yelled angrily. Keith dropped the jar, glass scattering everywhere. Water flowing around the paladins feet, the Altean flower's petals flowing with the water until all that was left was the stem, that was ominously pointed at Shiro.

"Lance that was too far! All of you are hopeless! I cannot believe any of you!" Pidge said as a tear rolled down her cheek. Keith had his arms folded and clawed at them with his fingernails until his arms started bleeding. Shiro stared at the flower stem. Lance was brimming with anger. Hunk was trying to wrap his head around what just happened. Shiro bent down to grab the stem, "So you're saying this proves that I'm not real? I don't understand... I thought I was real... it- it doesn't make any sense." Keith nodded his head. "No it doesn't, you don't have to listen to him." Lance said angrily. "He doesn't have to listen, but it doesn't mean it's not the truth." Pidge shot back. "I believe Keith, maybe that's why the black lion won't respond to me..." Shiro trailed off. "Seriously Shiro? You're actually going to believe this crap?" Lance stormed off to his room. Coran went to Lance to try to calm him down. Keith sunk to the wet floor, not saying anything. "That was the experiment you were working on with Keith?" Hunk blurted out then regretted it. "Sorry." Hunk looked back at the ground. Trickles of blood rolled down Keith's arms. Pidge noticed the blood, "Keith, we need to bandage your arms." "It's fine, Pidge." Keith replied quietly. Hunk went over to Keith and picked him up to go to the healing pods. Pidge followed behind, leaving Shiro by himself. Shiro went to his room and sat on his bed, was it even his room, his bed? Shiro covered his eyes with his hands, "I'm not even real... and I'm useless... what if they kill me?" Tears flowed from Shiro's eyes. Shiro dropped his hands to his lap and looked at them, "How am I not... real?"

Hunk set Keith down in one of the healing pods. "It's just a little blood, Hunk. I'll just take some bandage to wrap around it." Said Keith walking out of the pod. "Pidge could grab some bandages, please?" Asked Hunk. "On it" said Pidge as she ran to get some bandages. Hunk turned back to Keith just to find out he was crying, "I'm sure Lance didn't mean it, he was just surprised and angry to find out that you and Pidge thought Shiro was a clone." Keith looked up, "So that means you don't believe us then..." "That's not why I meant- I mean I don't know that's crazy, I didn't even know that cloning was possible." Hunk was conflicted about the whole thing. Keith shook his head, "I'm not mad at you, it's just no one gets it and Lance didn't help at all." Pidge came back with the bandages. Hunk took the bandages and wrapped Keith's arms. "There all better." Said Hunk. Keith chuckled, "What are you my mom?" Keith went silent after he said that. The three of them did a collective sigh. "Well, thanks Hunk, Pidge." Keith said as he walked to his room. Hunk and Pidge stared after Keith then looked at each other. Hunk was the first to break the silence, "You holding up okay, Pidge?" "I guess, all the talk about family makes me miss Matt and what are we going to do if that's not really Shiro? On top of that I promised Keith that we all would be here for him and now everyone is mad at him and I- I don't know. I'm just kind of lost right now." Pidge rambled quietly. Hunk smiled gently, "Well everything will work out in the end and if it doesn't work out then it's not the end."