Broken

Waited On The Day

"I'd turn to bones if I waited on the day
I'm okay."

In which Keith finds that Voltron isn't as bad as he thought.

The next week, Keith found himself once more in front of Shiro's classroom door. Why he was there, he had no idea. Maybe he found being with the little group better than sitting alone in the library. Maybe he wanted to see Lance again. 

There were a lot of maybes.

Either way, he stepped through the door. 

He wasn't the last one there this time; Hunk and Pidge's seats were still empty. He glanced over at where Lance was, and followed the taller boy's line of sight across the room, to where Allura and Romelle were chatting happily. However, Lance himself didn't look too cheerful.

"Something wrong?" Keith asked cautiously, sitting down next to Lance, who sighed, finally tearing his eyes away from the two girls.

"No, not really," Lance muttered. "It's just... Ah, never mind, it's stupid." Keith gave him a look.

"If you're upset about it, it's not stupid," Keith said. "What is it?" Lance grumbled something under his breath.

"Allura's bi and crushing on Romelle," Lance finally revealed. "It's a stupid thing to be down about, but... I don't know, I guess I really thought I had a chance. I mean, did you know she was bi?" Keith glanced over at Allura.

"Well, she tucks her shirt almost every day and I've seen her cuff her jeans, so yeah," he admitted. Lance pouted.

"I'm bi, too, and I don't do either of those things." Keith glanced him over.

"You're wearing cuffed jeans over Converse high tops," he pointed out.

"Those jeans came cuffed!" Lance cried, elbowing Keith. "It's different! And plenty of people wear high tops."

"Yeah, but you've got them in like, every colour. You wore your blue ones yesterday and grey ones the day before that." Lance huffed, crossing his arms.

"Okay, fine, you have a point," he admitted. "But still. I can't believe I was so stupid." Keith gave him a tiny smile.

"Eh, I can." Lance put a hand to his chest.

"Again?" he said dramatically. "We're doing this whole "tear down Lance's entire life" thing again?" Keith laughed shortly.

"Yeah." Lance gave him a playful glare.

"Fine, two can play at that game," he smirked. "By the way, were you aware that you have an antique on you?" Keith raised an eyebrow.

"What?" 

"Yeah, that disgusting mullet of yours," Lance grinned, batting at the bottom of Keith's hair. "I, personally, think it should have stayed in the eighties where it belongs." Keith stared incredulously.

"My hair is not a mullet!" he snapped, pushing Lance's hand away. "I've had the same haircut since I was a kid, it's just something that fits me!"

"Mm-hm, yeah, say whatever you've gotta say to help you sleep at night," Lance said, nodding, a smile still on his face. "Don't feel too bad about it, I know that emo kids cut their own hair in the bathroom when they're having a breakdown, nothing to be ashamed about."

"I'm not emo either!" Lance gave him a knowing smile, pointing to Keith's Fall Out Boy shirt. Keith glared, pulling on his hoodie as fast as he could, which unfortunately had the MCR "Danger Days" spider on the front of it and the entire discography of the album on the back.

Lance unlocked his phone and opened his tuner, playing a high G, grinning when Keith cringed at the note.

"And you say you're not emo," he grinned. Keith rolled his eyes, suppressing the urge to elbow Lance in the solar plexus. Pidge finally came through the door, and Shiro took this as his signal to start.

He went around the circle, asking people if they had anything to share. Romelle gave another story about her little brother wreaking havoc with their cat, Hunk infodumped for a bit about a new recipe he was trying out, but when the flow came to Pidge, the paused.

"Skip me for now," they muttered. "It's long." Shiro gave a concerned glance.

"No, go ahead and tell us," he said. "You are just as important as any member of the group, Pidge." They gave a tiny smile as the kind words, but it soon faded.

"The, uh, reason I was late today," they began. "Some idiot in the hallway stopped me because of my skirt. They said that if I really am non-binary then I shouldn't be wearing it. Tried to start a fight and all, but I didn't take the bait." Corey placed a hand over Pidge's squeezing it gently.

"I'm glad you didn't let them bait you into anything," Shiro said. "That takes a lot. I've said it before and I'll say it again, your gender isn't defined my what you wear. If you wear a skirt, you're not any less non-binary, just like if Lance wears a skirt, he's not any less male."

"You mean when Lance wears a skirt," Hunk whispered, earning quiet snickers from the team. 

"Okay, that was one time!" Lance protested. He then turned to Pidge and in a very serious tone said, "But I will do it again to show that idiot what's up." Pidge gave a smile, this time a lingering and genuine one.

"Thanks, guys," they smiled. "I really appreciated that." From there, the group went off track, chattering about whatever crossed someone's mind.

Keith glanced around the room, trying to follow the conversation though his mind was elsewhere. That was it? No backlash? Everyone just supported and loved Pidge because they were a friend?

Huh. Maybe Voltron wasn't so bad after all.