I'm Fine

(7): Left Behind

- Back at the castleship -

Keith, Allura, Shiro and Coran all felt the pent-up anxiousness and nervousness that had diffused over the castle in the six days they'd had to think things through. Without three paladins, the ship seemed to be vast, empty and unnervingly quiet, and they all hated it because it gave them time to think about what was missing.

Keith found himself missing Pidge and Hunk's nerd-talk, and how that the next time he saw them, he might actually listen.

Also - and this suprised him - he missed Lance's annoying up-beat racket and antics even more. Usually, they frustrated him to no end, but he had gotten so used to it that now that they were absent, it didn't feel the same.

The quiet bothered Shiro more than anything, as it reminded him of his imprisonment in the Galra ship. It uncovered flashbacks that he'd rather not remember, so he wished that something would fill the silence, something that would bring the feeling of normality back. Keith and Lance's aggravated banter was a good solution for that problem, and so were Pidge's intellegent and sarcastic remarks at random intervals in the day and Hunk's enthusiasm as he tried to explain how he created his various recipes.

Allura was used to the castleship always being busy, even with its few occupants, so the lack of anything for her to do really got to her. She was always having someone or something to deal with - especially Lance, because of his tendency to get into trouble - and she kind of missed it, because without it, she was left alone with plenty of time to create worst-case scenarios. It was all she could do to try to ignore them and hope that none of them had come true.

Coran found himself with the Kirins, catering as much as he could to their every need. It was a good way for him to distract himself from the fact that their team was missing three of its members, and gave him something to do so he wouldn't think too much about it.

But more than anything, Keith, Shiro, Allura and Coran just wanted each of them to get home safely.

. . . .

- In the Green Lion -

Pidge yawned and sat up straighter in her chair, stretching her arms out beside her.

They had been traveling for three days on the exact same route she had taken with Lance on their way to save Hunk, and she was so done with it. Space is beautiful and all, but once you're stuck in it for a long time, it starts to look the same, she thought, gazing out through her lion's monitor.

"Ugh, Pidge, are we almost there?" Hunk groaned from behind her. She turned around to see that he was rubbing his stomach. "I haven't had any proper food in forever."

He held up the last of their supply of Coran's space goo tubes, dangling it between two fingers as if it disgusted him. "No offense to Coran, because these things are very good at doing their job, but my cooking is much better."

Pidge laughed. "Yeah, I'd agree. You really have a way with food."

"Do you have a favorite recipe that I make?" Hunk asked her, filling up their time with small talk.

She rubbed her chin in concentration as she contemplated her answer, staring at her shoes. "I think I like. . . . your Altean space goo version of spaghetti. Now, if you could make cake, that ranking would change pretty quickly - " Pidge looked up and gasped. "Hunk, look!" She tugged at his yellow armor. "It's the castleship!"