Look At You, With Your Blood Stained Clothes (Wash Them) **OLD**

Another One, Lost to the Knife

It took a while, but Lance finally came out of his shell. He let himself laugh more, let himself relax. He let his guard down. Things were fine. Well- were.

Eventually Lance began flirting again. It was small things at first- Winks, finger guns, etc. He was sure nothing bad would happen.

It happened on a Thursday.

It was only a pickup-line. Only a pickup-line. It was Pidge who had found her in the girl's bathroom. Poor Pidge. She didn't deserve to see that. To see her body. Or- what was left of it.

It looked as if someone had beat her head with a metal bat. Her arms and legs crushed. Head bleeding out, pieces of her skull and brain scattered across the floor. Pidge had screamed. A student nearby had run over. And then another. And another and another and another. One fainted, one threw up, several screamed, and one of them ran off to find a teacher, to find anybody, oh god oh god please don't let that be me please I don't want to die-

Lance was horrified. Even though he was probably overreacting, he couldn't help but think that he did it, that she was killed because of him, it's all your fault, you killed her, you did this, look what you've done-

Images of a stained red jacket and a flash of black repeated in his mind, over and over and over and over until Lance was hugging himself, sick to his stomach. He needed to do something. He had to tell somebody, anybody. He stood up on wobbly legs to reach for his phone to contact Hunk or Pidge or-

No. Lance forced himself to plop back down on his bed. He'd get them killed. He couldn't do that.

Shaken and terrified, Lance laid down and closed his eyes.

Instead of greeting her fondly with a 'Hey, Pigeon,' Lance pulled the girl into a tight hug. He didn't expect it, but she hugged back. She had seen some awful shit, she deserved a good hug, even though Hunk would give her a big ol' bear hug when he saw her.

When Lance pulled back, Pidge's eyes had become watery, tears threatening to drip. She quickly wiped her eyes, but he still saw them. Tears. Pidge literally never cried.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"You needed a hug," Lance responded, staring at her, concerned. "Are you alright now?"

Pidge nodded slowly, not daring to meet Lance's caring gaze. He knew she hated feeling weak and vulnerable, and most of all, scared.

"One more hug?" Lance asked, knowing she needed another one. She probably knew she needed another one too, but he had gone far past her limits, and she stared blankly at him, expression slightly annoyed but fond all the same.

"No."

:)