Lance has never seen snow before they arrived on the ice planet. He always thought that snow was fluffy and warm by the way that it looked. Instead of being put out, he started playing in it. He also didn't know that he could get sick by it.
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When Lance looked at pictures of snow in magazines and books, he always thought that it looked so fluffy and warm. He never had the opportunity on Earth to go and visit somewhere cold enough to get snow, so when they landed on a planet that was completely covered with the stuff, he was understandably excited for it. When he got outside and found himself in the blistering cold, destroying any previous expectations he had of the stuff he wasn't disappointed like the others thought he might be. Instead, he scooped some up and threw it back at them, starting their first team snowball fight. At the time he couldn't imagine why people complained about the snow, it was so much fun!
At least it was until they all went back inside hours later when it was time to get ready for bed. They headed off to their separate rooms to change into their normal clothes again. His hands felt unbearably itchy and hot as he started to peel the black body suit off. The same going for the rest of his body; although it was cold to the touch and shivering it felt like he was burning from the inside out. He changed into his robe and pants quickly and curled up under his covers, trying to generate warmth under his covers. He hoped that he would be able to fall asleep even though he was still shivering violently. He thought that maybe he should go ask the others if it was normal to be cold for a little while after, but he didn't want to seem dumb in front of them if it was something that happened often. He tugged the blankets tighter around his body and clenched his eyes shut, hoping for sleep. It wouldn't come for several fitful hours.
The paladins waited around the breakfast table waiting for Lance to appear. They just knew that he would spend the morning talking about the fun they had in the snow the previous day and couldn't wait for him to show up and see how happy he was. He should have been to the dining hall by now though and they were starting to worry about him.
"I'll go check on him," Shiro decided standing up from his spot at the table. As he made his way to the quarters he couldn't help but worry about the paladin. It wasn't like him to be late to breakfast nowadays. He knocked lightly on the door and waited for a reply. He didn't get one. He knocked again and pressed his ear to the door, hoping to hear some sort of muffled snort or panicked response from him but there was only silence.
"Lance?" He called once last time. Again silence. He pressed his hand to the scanner and the door slid open. He could clearly see Lance laying curled up on the bed, but it didn't explain why he didn't open the door. He knew for a fact that Lance was a light sleeper. He quietly walked over and gently shook his shoulder. There was a low groan from the teen and he quickly did it again, making Lance turn over and open his eyes slightly. He furrowed his eyebrows up at Shiro, as if he was confused why he was there.
"Hey Lance, you coming to breakfast?" He asked with a smile. Silence once again greeted him, and he finally noticed the flush on his cheeks and that his shirt was soaking through with sweat.
"Oh my god Lance," he said panicked as he pressed his hand on to Lance's forehead.
"Mark? Is that you?" Lance's weak voice asked. His hands came up and wrapped around Shiro's wrist, keeping it pressed against his forehead. Shiro's eyes widened, he recognized the name from Lance's stories from home. It was his older brother; if Lance thought that Shiro was Mark then his fever was high enough that he was hallucinating. He had to get him to the med bay immediately.
"I've got to get you to see Coran, okay Lance?" He asked coming closer ready to scoop up him up. Lance hesitated for a second before nodding his head slightly. He didn't need any other indication before he had Lance in his arms and began heading towards the med bay.
