Fake Mistletoe | Plance

16 (Lance)

Apologies for how late this chapter is :)

When Pidge smiled, it felt like a blessing. Like a secret you were being let in on. Not that Pidge smiling was a rare occasion, but her smiles had always felt intimate. At the Garrison, over three years ago, when she'd been pretending to be a boy (I still was not over that fact), she rarely smiled.

I sat (lay?) in silence for a solid ten seconds before I realised I'd been staring. Either the inevitable painkillers coursing through my body were making me vacant, or Pidge was just ~that~ mesmerising.

"Lance," Pidge waved her hand in front of my face. She'd tilted her head to meet my eye level, which was certainly... odd, as I'd normally be the one to be bending down to look at her. "Hello..?"

"Hi, Pidge, hi," I said, almost wearily. Her eyes were glossy, gem-like as her eyebrows raised slightly.

"Are you tired? I can just... leave you alone, if you want," She pressed her hands into the mattress to push herself up.

"No!" I grabbed her wrist. "No, it's fine," I softened my tone and grip on her arm as she sat down again, albeit alarmed and tentative. "Sorry, I'm just... Bored," I decided 'bored' would be an accurate description of just lying there, unable to sleep or do anything. And Pidge was someone I was close to, someone I was completely comfortable around, so why wouldn't I want to talk to her?

She'd always drawn me in, from the day we met. She was fiery and unafraid right from the start. Her way of doing things, the ridiculous-sounding science-y words and mannerisms were... enigmatic. She'd always been a force to reckoned with. Awe-inspiring and clever, all the while keeping her down-to-earth (excuse the pun) and bright personality.

"So..." Pidge started, slightly awkwardly. "Anything on your mind?" Just how you're completely captivating.

"Not really. I'm just... thinking," I quickly glanced around the infirmary.

"Oh yeah?" Pidge puffed out her cheeks a little. "What about?" It's you, Pidge.

"Allura," I blurted, unsure of what else to say. It had almost become a default in the time I'd spent liking her. Pidge looked as though I'd just slapped her. I realised my mistake as soon as I saw the hurt in her eyes. "And, well, how well her and Hunk get along," I tried to cover my mistake.

"Yeah," Pidge sighed, not meeting my eyes. "Hunk really gets along with everyone. That's what I said in that weird game show. I stand by that," she nodded contemplatively.

"I mean, you aren't wrong," I gave her a silly look. "Hunk is great,"

"I'm really glad I met him," Pidge said softly, pulling at a loose thread on the bed sheet. "And you," she added. "I'm pretty sure I would've been found out - or just kicked out - at the Garrison if it weren't for you. I never thanked you for telling me to keep my mouth shut,"

"It's no problem," I grinned, watching her face light up as I allowed some of my traditional fake arrogance that she claimed to hate slip in. "I wouldn't want you to get in trouble,"

"I'm pretty sure you were the one getting us into trouble," Pidge hit my arm playfully, but the jolt was enough to cause some pain, and, naturally, I winced. "Oh! Sorry. I forgot- What painkillers are you on?"

"It's morphine," A medic, freckled, green-eyed and with shoulder length hair seemed to appear behind Pidge, who'd jumped so violently I was afraid she'd fall onto the floor.

"Holy sh..." Pidge cursed under her breath. "Izzy, how the..? You came out of nowhere,"

"Yeah, I'm like some all-knowing being. All medics are," She said it with such sincerity I embarrassingly wondered if it was true. "Like, if I wanted to, I could totally tell you what's going to happen tomorrow,"