The Stars Between -- (VLD)

[18] More dramatic than the Titanic

"Oi Matt, d'you wanna toss that balloon pump up here?"

The next day found a much calmer Lance sitting atop the Blue Lion in the early hours of the morning – well, what could be considered morning on Base. He leaned dangerously close to the edge, peering down at Matt, sifting through a box of tools. Matt had understandably opted to do the groundwork, leaving the climbing to the more able-bodied Lance.

"It's not a balloon pump kid!" Matt whined, running a hand over his tired face then through his hair. Lance supposed that was his fault. He had dragged Matt out of bed rather early so they could work on Blue in the quiet. "Balloon pumps don't fix dents."

Lance retorted in a childish manner, sticking out his tongue as Matt found the pump and tossed it upwards.

Lance reached out to catch the tool, only to yelp as it completely bypassed his hand and smacked him in the face. He covered his nose with a hand, eyes immediately beginning to water at the sudden pain. It was only a moment before his eyes widened again as the equipment started to slip down Blue's nose. It glinted evilly, leaving Lance to watch in horror.

"Nooooo!" he shrieked, diving for the pump as it slid closer to the edge, teetering for a moment before falling completely.

With a war cry, Lance launched himself off Blue, using one hand to grab the tool and the other to grab Blue's nose. He flicked the pump back up onto the top of Blue's head, before using both hands to raise himself into a pull up, much the same way one would pull themselves out of a swimming pool.

He grinned down at Matt, who was standing just below Lance, hands on his hips and a half-smile half-gape on his face. Lance cackled at the panic in his eyes, knowing Matt had moved to catch him if he fell.

Matt groaned, pinching his nose. "Kid, you're gonna give me a heart attack..."

"Admit it, you thought that was cool." Lance called down, wiggling his eyebrows. Matt pulled a face, before looking up again.

"Well..." he started, tapping his chin in mock thought. "I'll admit that it was-" he paused, smirk forming on his face.

"Yes?" Lance prompted, leaning forwards so he could hear Matt's words clearer.

"More dramatic than the Titanic." He completed, and Lance groaned loudly, falling backwards on top of Blue and staring at the hangar's ceiling.

"Also, your brace is slipping."

Lance stuck his leg in the air, noting that yes, his brace was indeed slipping down his foot.

Despite the bad roll he had done to his ankle before, Lance didn't have to wear a bandage anymore, replacing it with a shiny blue brace. He'd freaked out when he first saw it, scared it was a prosthetic before Kelaan had shown that it was made of a deceptively stretchy material.

Besides, blue was a pretty cool colour.

Lance reached up to readjust his brace, flexing his foot to make sure it was positioned correctly. He pushed up to sit again, reaching for the pump and tossing it into his other hand, slamming it down on the dent closest to him.

With some effort, he yanked it back, causing the dent to pull itself out with a satisfying thwock. Lance ran his hand over the patch to make sure it was smooth, whacking the pump down on a rough spot and pulling it up again.

The process was eerily similar to unblocking a clogged toilet, and Lance had done that way too much in his lifetime.

Lance shuddered, pushing down the terrible memories of his Abuela's toilet. That was nasty.