Peeling Covers: Lance

Untitled Continued

"My name is Lance McClai-hmm" the second shock registers, lasting a second longer than the first and stopping Lance mid-way through. Like quiznack they didn't hurt' He thinks sarcastically. Lance purses his lips in frustration at the tingling feeling in his arm.

Shiro is the first one to recover from the other paladins watching in confusion. "Is that not your real name?" He asks, surprisingly soft. Maybe he'll say something that'll make all of this make sense. Lance snaps his head toward his leader.

Hunk blinks, while Pidge sports an unreadable expression. Keith, shockingly to Lance, make a slightly offended face. Lance meets the peering gazes of his teammates with a look of confusion.

'It should be my name by now.' The paladin thinks, honestly puzzled. He'd had that name for as long as he could remember - for years. The rumors concerning his family shouldn't interfere with that, right? There was no proof that he was that son after all.

"Maybe it's broken." The red paladin says appealingly, after looking at the confusion on Lance's face. "Allura?" He shouts up.

Click. "It all seems to be working. I have one on as well, and Coran and I have just tested it." Her pleasant voice fills the room. The paladins turn their eyes to Lance, unwilling to believe Lance was lying just yet. His expression seemed honest. They will give him a chance to explain.

Lance sees their looks and sighs. Greattttt.

"That is my na-hmm... or, that's what's I consider it to be as it's been that way for a very long time. There were disputes over my name, so I, don't really know what my given name is. But I've by Lance McClain for as long as I can remember." He explains while glaring at the band as if daring it to shock him again. Thankfully, no shock is produced. "I'm surprised my brain thought that was a lie, it's what I go by now."

No shock follows that statement either.

Shiro still looks skeptical, but the other paladins accepted the answer easily enough. If the second statement was true, and it seemed it was, then Lance hadn't been lying before. However, Hunk looks about ready to ask a follow up, and no thank you to that, so Lance quickly asks, "Keith, do you want to go back to Earth?"

"Wha- of course I do. Why would you ask that?" Keith answers quickly, raising a brow. It seemed Lance didn't want to talk about his past just yet. Hunk closes his lips together.

"Well, partially because you adapted so quickly to life out here... but also to change the subject off me." Lance says truthfully, not wanting to get shocked again. The rest of the paladins take in the information silently. There would be time to address it.

Lance, waiting for an answer, pondered that he could, of course, simply not answer the questions or endure the shocks.

But Lance needed to be- well no, he didn't have to be honest... it could be nice though. He couldn't expect to be a team with them if he wasn't upfront.

But. There was also the issue of him simply not being 'paladin' material.

What is it with my sudden obsession with honesty? Lance wonders, trying to pick at his own brain. It seemed to him that he was just dancing around his issues needlessly, such as the other night. But he couldn't deny he had been a bit fixated with it, even though he couldn't pinpoint why.

"Don't you like being the center of attention, Lance?" Pidge asks slyly, not ready to relieve Lance from the spotlight just yet. Pidge smiles inwardly at seeing Lance jolt at the question; his mind clearly previously elsewhere.