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sp4c3-0ddity · 6 years

Note

10 for the prompt thing you shared? :)

you didn’t specify pairing so, me being me, i went with plance. also this got out of hand at just over 5000 words (so much for keeping this batch of prompt fills short). ALSO i tried to do something Creepy (at least at the beginning) but i’m not sure i succeeded…but in any case, i hope you like it!!

also special thanks to @rueitae for listening to my usual mid-fic crisis and beta-reading

warning for major character injury and near-death??

(10) “I think I twisted my ankle…”

Lance stared up the nearest tree trunk,contemplating the distance to the lowest branch. Even if he extended his armover his head, he’d need to be at leastfour times his height for his fingertips to even brush its bark.

Everythingabout this forest was so mindbogglingly huge.

Hetried to fire up his shattered jet pack again, but when all he got were sparksand a thin stream of smoke barely discernible in the gloom, he thought betterof risking another explosion. Instead he sagged and resumed climbing over thearching tree root lying in his path.

Theback of Lance’sneck prickled uncomfortably, but when he turned around he couldn’t spotanything but wide, twisting roots and green undergrowth. Even if he scanned hissurroundings with the light from his wrist cuff, no creature - no living thingthat wasn’t a plant - met his eyes.

Lanceshook his head, but couldn’t shake the feeling that something stalkedhim from the dense shadows.

Something in this air is getting to me, he thought.

Thespeakers in his helmet buzzed with static, startling him, and Pidge’svoice grumbled, “You’d better not have taken off your helmet.”

Lancefrowned, rapping his knuckles on his sealing visor though she probably wouldn’thear it. “I know, I know,” he retorted, rolling his eyes. “Just because theatmosphere is oxygen-rich doesn’t mean it’s safe for us to breathe.Besides…I didn’t even say anything about taking off my helmet.”

“Y-you didn’t?” Pidge asked, soundingconfused. “Are you sure? Maybe you just thought out loud or—”

“Nope,” Lance said, shrugging though shewasn’t there to see it. “But, since I have you here, I feel like something’sfollowing me.”

“Really?” Her tone spiked in alarm. “Thencome back to the crash site.”

“And lead whatever it is to you?” Lancesnorted. “Not a chance.”

“Green may not be functional right now,Lance,” Pidge said impatiently, “but she’s better shelter than anything elseout here.”

Lancetapped his foot, once more taking in his surroundings while he considered Pidge’swords. Great trees rose high above him, the canopy so distant and densethat he couldn’tmake out any details or resolve individual leaves. Only the slightest suggestion of sunlight penetrated to the forestfloor, but the protruding roots were so thick, the tree trunks so wide andtall, that shadows crowded out what little light reached so far down.

“I don’t know, Pidge,” he said with a sigh.“Shelter or no, I feel like a sitting dooflaz over there.”

“Is that why you’re trying to climb a treetaller than the Burj Khalifa with a broken jet pack?”

Lancecrossed his arms and scowled, but was at least grateful that Pidge couldn’tsee his hot face. “How did you know I did that?”

Pidgedidn’treply immediately; he could imagine her staring at him with wide eyes if theystood face to face, puzzling through this issue…

…an issue that set Lance’s heart topounding a rapid beat against his ribs. “Pidge?” he prompted when her silencegrew worrying.

“I-I don’t know how I know that,” shemuttered, so softly he almost missed it. “You didn’t say it out loud, did you?”

“No,” Lance said. He rested his hands onhis hips, then added, “All right, I’m coming back. Don’t want us both to be on edge.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t—”

Lanceturned to head in the way he’d come, light now directed at the groundso he could retrace his footsteps and the small scrapes he’d made in the rootswith his bayard. “Look, Pidge, you’ll obviously feel safer if I’m there—”

“I did notsay that!”

“—and the more I see of this planet, themore it gives me the heebie jeebies. I keep expecting to walk straight intoAragog’s colony without noticing till I can hear the clicking of giant spi—”

“Shut up, Lance!” Pidge said, voicestrained enough that shame filled Lance. “And hurry back!” And before he couldapologize for not keeping his creepy thoughts to himself, the connectionclicked off.

Thenagain, if some of his internalthoughts filtered through to her…

Lancegrasped his helmet between his hands, the closest he could get to running hisfingers through his hair. He’d almost rather be stranded on a strangeplanet with Keith,at least as of late.

Thenagain, with Keith they’d probably spend far longer trying to coax a nonfunctional Lioninto reaching the Castle, so he was grateful for Pidge’s expertise.

Thesunlight that just barely illuminated the Green Lion’simpact crater greeted his eyes before the Lion herself. It penetrated throughthe tear in the canopy made when the Lion crashed through, but it lay so farabove that, from the ground, it looked no wider than Lance’s thumbnail.

Hekept his wrist cuff’s light on - though he could already imagine Pidge scolding himabout preserving his armor’s systems - as he descended into the crater, joggingdown the steeply sloping side until he finally reached the Green Lion.

Shelay on her side at the base of the crater, covered in dust and severed treeroots and torn leaves that were once longer than Pidge was tall. The scrapswere still thicker than his hand, and idly he wondered how heavy one intactwould be.

“Pidge?” he said, activating the comm linkbetween their helmets as he paused in front of the Green Lion’s collapsed head.“I’m outside the Lion.”

Ratherthan replying, Pidge herself emerged from the Lion, crawling through theopening between her barely parted jaws with a grunt. She seemed to sag when hereyes landed on him.

“How’s Green?” Lance asked.

“Same as when you left,” Pidge said,sighing. “Did you find anything?”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t find any giantspiders,” Lance reassured her with a grin.

Pidgestared at him, face flat and unimpressed. “What a relief. And I meant did you findanything useful?”

“I did not,” Lance admitted, rubbing theback of his neck. “But…can I borrow your jet pack?”

“So you can climb a tree?” Pidge frowned. “I’mnot sure that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” He shrugged and gestured towardsthe nearest tree, expanding up from the lip of the crater. “Maybe I can findsomething from up there, like a river, or at least we can check if someone’schasing us since your Lion’s still down.”

Pidgecrossed her arms, gaze fixed on the ground. “To be honest, I don’t think anyone’schasing us.”

Lanceraised an eyebrow at her. “Why not?”

“Because as soon as we broke this planet’satmosphere, the Galra ships after us left us to our doom.”

Lancechuckled without humor. “Uh, Pidge, I don’t know if you noticed,but I was too busy screaming in terror to pay much attention to our enemies.”

Pidgeshrugged. “Iwas too busy trying to right Green to pay much attention to you screaming interror.”

Herolled his eyes at her, then smiled. “Glad to see the crash hasn’t destroyedyour sense of humor.”

Shesnorted, but then she surprised him.

Shethrew herself at him, so hard he stumbled back a step, her arms slipping aroundhis neck as she leaned into him, holding on tightly.

Lancedidn’tlet himself be startled for long, quickly returning her hug and…glad theirarmor prevented her from feeling the pounding of his heart. Whatdid I do to deserve this?

“Everything,” Pidge told him, “especiallycoming back.”

Lancestiffened, but she didn’t seem to notice. “I…Pidge, I think you’rereading my mind.”

Pidgesighed. “Idid it again, didn’t I?” She pulled away - Lance couldn’t quite stop himselffrom thinking that he wished she wouldn’t - and met his eyes. “Can you hearanything I’mthinking?”

Lancestared at her as she fell silent, but all he could hear - or not hear - was the eerie quiet of theirsurroundings and the sound of his own breathing. “No,” he said, shaking his head.

Pidgeburied her helmeted face in her hands. “This doesn’t make much sense, and I barelyhave any resources to figure it out.” She laughed at a private joke and added, “WhatI’d give to be stranded in a trash nebula again…”

“So you can collect more of thosecaterpillars?” Lance wondered, quirking an amused eyebrow at her.

Pidgesnorted. “That,and have what I need to repair Green quickly and contact the Castle.”

“The Green Paladin, friend to allcreatures, great and small, flesh and metal.”

Pidgesmiled, the sight filling Lance with a welcome warmth. “Nothinghere to befriend, but I wonder…with trees this big, you think this planet hassome kind of megafauna?”

Lanceeyed her suspiciously. “You doknow I was joking about the giant spiders, right?”

“I know, I know.” Pidge waved a dismissivehand. “But there has to be a reason the Galra haven’t touched this planet.Judging by the fertility of this forest, it seems rich in resources.”

“You said they avoided chasing us once webroke the atmosphere,” Lance reminded her. “And you think it has to do withmegafauna?”

“Not really,” Pidge conceded. She leanedagainst the Green Lion’s snout. “They’d have ways to counter whatever theirversion of dinosaurs is. It must be something else…”

“Either way, I have a reallybad feeling about this.”

Tohis surprise, Pidge laughed so hard she snorted. He hadn’tmeant it as a joke - hadn’t even realized what he said until the words werealready spoken - but a flash of triumph filled him at the sound.

“I’m serious, Pidge,” he said, despite thesmile pushing at his lips. I want to hear it again.

Pidgeflushed red and cleared her throat. “M-maybe one of us should climb and see if we can spot anything.”

Lanceheld out his hands. “Great, let me just—”

“I’ll go,” Pidge interrupted. “You’reright. I’m starting to get anxious waiting and failingto convince Green to respond.”

Lancestared at her as she stepped around him, a protest on his lips. She climbed outof the crater faster than he would’ve expected, and he didn’t follow untilshe stood at the top.

“W-wait, Pidge!” he called, panting as hestruggled up the incline. “I-I can do it!”

“I’m sure,” Pidge agreed when he caught upto her.

Shestood on a root at the base of a gargantuan tree that would’vedwarfed Earth’s tallest redwoods, her feet at the same level as Lance’s eyes.

“Then let mego instead,”Lance said, tapping his chest. “I wanted to at first anyway.”

“And now Iwant to,”Pidge insisted. “Stop being a hypocrite.” Then, ignoring the arguments fightingtheir way through Lance’s mind to get to his tongue, she crouched in place andjumped.

Pidgefired up her jet pack at the highest point of her leap, twin trails of blueshooting her through the air. When her arms wrapped around a high - butrelatively low - branch as wide as she was, Lance released a breath he didn’trealize he held.

“You’re thinking too loud, Lance,” Pidgecomplained from her next perch.

Bynow, even with the light streaming in through the canopy, all Lance could seeof her was the blue light of her boosters, ascending higher still. “I’lltry to keep it down then,” he retorted sarcastically.

Pidgechuckled, pausing on yet another branch. She approached the top of the tree,where the branches thinned. “You probably couldcarry one of these leaves, by the way. Do you want me to cut one and throw itdown to you?”

Lancescowled. “It’llcrush me when it lands.”

“I’ll miss you then,” Pidge said.

Withinticks, a giant leaf fluttered down from the top, drifting like a leaf on Earthwould but more heavily and swifter. It landed softly near Lance, sending up acloud of dust, but he still stared up at Pidge.

Tensionfilled his body when the blue of her boosters disappeared from his view, hishands curled into fists at his sides. Justbecause I can’tsee her doesn’t mean she isn’t fine, hetold himself.

“Lance!” Pidge said excitedly directly intohis ear. “It’s nearly sunset! And I see a river! I can’t tell how far it isfrom here, but it cuts through the forest. Maybe…whatever passes for east fromhere.”

“Great,” Lance gritted out. “A-are yougoing to come down now?”

“Give me a tick,” Pidge said, probablyrolling her eyes. “I’m going to scan for life signs. I hope being this highhelps with the range…”

Lancetapped his foot while he waited. Hurryup.

“Oh, there’s…”

“What?” Lance said, her subdued toneputting him on edge. He stared up the tree’s rough trunk, half-hoping to makeher out. “What’s wrong?”

“This planet has no sign of life on it.”

“So…no giant spiders or dinosaurs?”

“Lance,” Pidge said, “my scan’s not pickingup anything.”

Hisheart dropped into his stomach at her words, and though he still wasn’tsure what she meant, a sense of foreboding fell over him.

“I scanned again,” said Pidge, “and there’sstill nothing.”

“Pidge,” Lance said, “what does that mean?”

“This forest is dead.”

“What does that mean,Pidge?”he repeated testily.

“I-I don’t—”

“Never mind,” he dismissed, shaking hishead. “Just explain it when you get back down.”

“I don’t understand,” Pidge complained,ignoring him. “Everything is huge, but it still looks alive, so why is it dead?”

Lanceshrugged. “Idon’t know. Maybe they’re zombie trees?”

Hehalf-expected Pidge to tell him to be serious, that now was not the time forhalf-assed hypotheses, but insteadshe inhaled sharply and said, “Maybe. I-I’m coming down now.”

Lanceexhaled in relief, then forced himself to relax when he spotted Pidge’sbooster jets, now standing out more starkly against the darkness as it deepenedwith the approaching sunset.

“Does it even matter if they’re zombiesthough?” Lance wondered as his eyes tracked Pidge’s slow and steady progressdown the tree.

“Of course it does,” Pidge retorted. “Weneed to know how they got like that so we don’t go the same way.”

Ashiver traveled up his spine, grateful for the security of his helmet and thelife support in his armor.

Butthat wouldn’tlast forever…

“Do you think whatever killed everythinghere can affect the Green Lion?” Lance asked.

Hecould hear Pidge’sbreath stuttering as she hesitated to answer, could hear the thoughtful but frightened intake of breath that they were soon to besubjected to whatever scared even the Galra. And then she sighed and admitted, “Idon’t know, Lance.”

Hisheart sunk, but he refused to consider an alternative to escape or rescue. “We’llbe fine,” he reassured Pidge. I promise we’llgo back to the Castle safely.

Lancehoped that thought filtered through to Pidge’s mind, hoped that it gave her heart,despite how useless he was starting to feel here on the ground.

Almost there…

“Th-there’s this strange toxin in the airmy armor sensed,” Pidge explained without acknowledging his thoughts. “I’m notsure what it is - I don’t have the equipment to test it - but it could beresponsible for the death of every single living thing on this planet.”

“Where did it come from?”

“I don’t know that either,” Pidge said, notbothering to conceal her growing frustration. “For all we know it could be froma plant, or a microorganism, or a chemical spill, or a quiznaking volcano!” Shedescended feet-first from the second-lowest branch. “It’s now just importantthat we keep our helmets—” She cut herself off with a gasp.

Lance’sheart jumped into his throat when Pidge stumbled on the branch, one of her feetslipping out from underneath her. He lurched forward as her arms windmilled,seeking purchase, and he yelled, “Pidge!”

Shefell.

Theway down was longer than Pidge expected, and quieter. Maybe it was theinsulation her armor provided, and maybe it was the eerie silence of theforest, but she almost felt like she floated on the air.

Andthen she hit the ground.

Soundreturned, her blood rushing past her ears and a gasp tearing from her at thecollision. Her armor spared her damage, except for the spinning of her head andthe blurring of her vision, but a sudden, loud crack startled her.

“—idge!” Oh God, oh God, oh God.

Pidgeraised a hand and rested it against her head. “L-lance?” she stuttered.

Heentered her view, his face a dark blue and brown blur before her eyes couldresolve it. His lips were turned down into a frown as he knelt beside her.

She’sawake she’s awake she’s aw—

“Say it a little louder, why don’t you,”she said…or tried to, since it came out sounding more garbled than she meant.

“Pidge, are you okay?” Lance demanded. “Where’sthe damage?”

“I-I think I twisted my ankle…”

Lancegaped at her. “That’sit, is it?”

“H-head hurts,” she said. “H-help me s-situp.”

“Are you sure?”

Pidgenodded, or tried to until a wave of dizziness swept over her. “Y-yeah.”

Lancegrasped her hand in his, an arm wrapping around her back as he helped her situpright. “Whythe quiznak didn’t you activate your boosters, Pidge?”

“I-I didn’t have the time t-to think aboutit,” she admitted with a shaky laugh.

“God, Pidge,” Lance said. He didn’t let goof her, even when he propped her back against the giant tree she’d just fallenfrom. “If your ankle is the onlyproblem—”

Hiseyes widened when her armor emitted a soft alarm, a red light flashing on theinside of her visor followed by an alert. Pidge struggled to read it withunfocused eyes, but once she understood she bit her lip.

“What does that mean, Pidge?” Lance asked.

“I…” She couldn’t bright herself to look athim, not when his imagination running wild bombarded her senses.

“Pidge, please tell me what that means.”

Sheinhaled shakily - which, in retrospect, was probably a bad idea - andconfessed, “There’sa fissure in my armor.”

Lance’shand rested on the back of her head, and she finally looked at him.

“Okay…but what does that mean, Pidge?” he insisted.

“L-life support system i-is starting tofail,” she explained softly. “I-I’m breathing this planet’s atmosphere now.”

“No,” Lance said, shaking his head.

“L-Lance, th-this planet’s atmosphere is sooxygen-rich that—” She cut herself off as her lip twitched, her stomach roilingwith nausea at the same time. Then she laughed and said, “I wonder if that orthe toxin will kill me first.”

“You’ll be fine,” Lance said. “Let’s goback to the Green Lion and you can tell me how to wake her up and we’ll getback to the Castle before either of those things become a problem.”

“B-but—”

Lancedidn’tgive her a chance to protest. He stood up, then slipped an arm under her kneesand the other behind her back.

“I c-can walk,” Pidge grumbled as hesettled her against his chest. “P-probably.”

“You said you twisted your ankle,” Lancepointed out, “andyou’reprobably nauseous and dizzy.”

Pidgesnorted but wrapped her arms around his neck - far less reluctantly than she’dever admit - as he started their descent back into the impact crater. “Can youhear my thoughts now?”

Lanceshook his head. “Ijust know those are symptoms of oxygen-toxicity.”

Pidgegaped at him. “How—”

“I took scuba lessons for my fifteenthbirthday,” he said, flashing her a weak smirk. And I’mnot an idiot.

“I never said you were,” Pidge muttered,knocking her helmet against his.

Herheart lurched during the unsteady descent, Lance muttering apologies forjostling her as he climbed. Faster, sheheard him think.

“Slow down,” she said instead when henearly tripped over a tree root. “D-don’t twist your ankle too.”

“We’re almost there,” Lance told her,ignoring her advice.

Pidgerolled her eyes, then immediately regretted it when the simple motion set theworld spinning around her. Her stomach still turned, but she didn’tparticularly want to discover what the last thing she ate was.

Bythe time they finally reached the collapsed Green Lion, the only light camefrom Lance’sarmor, Pidge’s already drained of battery trying - and failing - to repairitself. But Lance seemed reluctant to put her down, even if she could hear hiscomplaints that she was heavier than he expected.

“Just set me down,” Pidge said. “I’ll getinside myself.”

Herbest bet would be to work at reviving the Green Lion again, perhaps to seek theremnants of her consciousness inside her own head. If she closed her eyes, shecould only just make it out, to sensesomething so weak but that should be so strong…

Why are her eyes closed?

Pidgeopened her eyes and glared up at Lance. “I’m not dead yet, so no full ownership ofthe Mercury Gameflux for you.”

Thank God.Externally, he scowled at her. “That’s not funny.”

Pidgesighed and patted Lance’s helmet. “I’m only channeling my innerLance,” she said.

“Right, well, fine,” Lance grumbled. Heleaned down and sat her on the ground right in front of the Green Lion’s jaw. “Let’ssee how far inside you get before you fall.”

Despitehis words, he hovered nearby, arms outstretched to catch her. But Pidge ignoredhim, the dull throb in her ankle, and the roiling of her belly as she turnedaround and balanced on all fours.

Herarms and legs failed her within ticks, her whole body weighing her down. Shecollapsed onto her stomach, Lance’s alarmed voice distant though he stood soclose.

Buthis thoughts rang loud and clear through her brain.

I shouldn’thave let her do that.

Blackspots started to crowd Pidge’s vision, but she managed to roll over andlie on her back, squinting at the dark canopy far overhead. A few stars peereddown through the gap, and for a long few ticks she forgot where she was, whyshe lay in front of the Green Lion.

Didthey crash land? Or was it a diplomatic mission gone wrong?

Itwas so hard to remember…

Sherested her head on the ground, trying to get comfortable and only half-aware ofLance kneeling beside her. “C-can you help me take off my helmet?” shemumbled, so softly she doubted he’d hear her. “I-it’s pointless for me now.”

Lancesighed but nodded. He grasped her helmet between his hands and tugged it off,setting it aside. Then he ran his fingers through her hair.

I’vewanted to do that for a while.

“I-I wanted—” Pidge cut herself off,uncertain what she meant to say. She struggled to think, to chase the nexttrain of thought, but they all outraced her.

But not like this.

“Like what?” Pidge wondered.

Lancetook her hand in both of his. “Are you sure you can’t sense anything fromthe Green Lion?”

“N-n-nothing…” Pidge closed her eyes.

Maybedeath wouldn’tbe so bad.

Pidge’slist of regrets was blessedly short. She’d found Matt and their father, and she’dhad adventures she never imagined in her wildest dreams. But she neverapologized to her mother, never told her friends how much she appreciated andloved them, never flew Green to Earth and landed her right outside the GalaxyGarrison’s doorstep just to see the look on Commander Iverson’s face when sheemerged from the cockpit.

Shenever grew her hair back out, never had her first kiss, and never told Lancehow she felt.

Thechange started from her fingertips, before she’d truly lost consciousness. The numbness -the loss of nerves - crept over her body slowly. She couldn’t tell whathappened, only that her whole body felt heavier than stone, weighed down by theforce of the toxin.

Itinfected her mind, stole her memories and knowledge until her brain was a blankslate, one that no one and nothingcould write on.

Pidge…

Whatwas that voice? And what did it say?

Pidge.

Whydid it insist on waking her? Let her sink deeper away from thought…

Pidge, come on. I promised we’d get back to the Castle safely, remember?

Therewas nothing to remember, not when life fled and all that remained was her body.

Pidge? You look the same, almost like you’re sleeping, but I can tell something’swrong.

Everythingwas fine.

It’sthe toxin, not the oxygen, isn’t it? You still feel warm and alive…

Shewas alive, but she also wasn’t, not truly.

I really don’twant to be full owner of the Gameflux, Pidge.

Whydid that tease at her? She shouldn’t recognize humor.

I’mso tempted to take off my helmet too just to kiss you, but that would be givingup…

Somethingwarm tickled the edge of what was left of her mind. But as she focused on it,it resolved into two differentsensations.

Firstwas the low rumble of something alive but dormant, a predator in hibernationstruggling towards consciousness. Aches and pains broke through her numbness,aches and pains that weren’t her own. She reached for them, seekingfeeling - even one unpleasant - where an instant ago she would’ve shied away.

Thesecond were the speedy, frantic thoughts of someone half-remembered, thoughtsthat touched something inside her. Her heart skipped a beat - she rememberedshe had a heart - and she reached out with her own mind.

Green, shesaid to the first.

Lance,she whispered to the second.

Pidgeopened her eyes right as the ground shook beneath her and the Green Lionunleashed a roar. The sound filled her with excitement and set her heartpounding, and the Lion’s consciousness encircling her own loaned her body strength anddistracted her from the aches in her muscles and head.

“H-holy quiznak,” a voice breathed besideher.

Pidgeturned her head to see Lance, his eyes wide as they took in the Green Lionstanding upright over them. His hand still held tightly to hers, so shesqueezed. When he glanced at her, a wide smile split his face, and she raisedher free hand to brush his helmeted face.

“I’m glad you didn’t take off your helmetjust to kiss me,” she told him, her voice coming out raspy and soft. “Don’t diefor something stupid.”

Lance’sjaw dropped, his face reddening. “A k-kiss with you isn’t stupid!” hestuttered. Quiznak,she heardthat?

Pidgelaughed, but a sudden coughing fit cut it off.

“Not out of the woods yet,” Lance said. Hehelped her sit upright again and rubbed her back.

“We’re quite literally in them,” she saidonce she caught her breath, “but we should be good to leave.”

TheGreen Lion crouched behind her, lighting up the forest around them. Motes ofdust swam through the air, and a gentle breeze stirred the leaves overhead.

“D-do you get the impression that Greenjust revived this whole section of forest?” Lance wondered, shooting a warygaze around.

Pidgereached out to Green, who purred a confirmation. “She did,” she told him, “but I don’treally want to stick around to find living giant spiders in the vicinity. Whatdo you think?”

“And I don’t want to stick around to seehow long this lasts,” Lance agreed. He narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re stillbeing exposed to too much oxygen.”

Pidgerubbed her eyes. “Yeah, let’s go home.”

Thistime, when Lance picked her up and cradled her against his chest, she didn’tprotest.

“How’s your ankle?” Lance asked as theyclimbed into the cockpit.

Pidgeinhaled deeply of air with more nitrogen and less oxygen, but after turning herankle experimentally, she winced.

“So…not good,” Lance said.

“At least it’s my worst injury now,” Pidgepointed out with a smirk. She rested her forehead against his shoulder.

“Please don’t fall asleep until we’re inspace, Pidge,” Lance said.

Shesmiled and tightened her hold on him. “I’ll do you one better and promise not tofall asleep until we’re in space anduntil I get that kiss.”

Quiznak…

Pidgetook advantage of Lance’s shock to convince him to set her down,and she managed to hobble to her seat without losing her footing. When shesettled in, she sighed in relief to be off her ankle, her fingers wrappingaround the flight sticks and a grin splitting her face.

“I’m happy you’re okay, girl,” she told theGreen Lion.

Sherumbled beneath her, and a beat later, Pidge bid her to crouch.

TheGreen Lion launched into the air and through the hole in the canopy, spurred onby Pidge’stouch. The forest beneath them faded away, its branches outlined in the glow ofa full moon so much like Earth’s. She could just spy the river she’d spottedafter climbing that tree, winding its way towards a gorge.

I don’tknow what happened here to kill everything, but right now I don’t care enoughto hypothesize.

Shedidn’tnotice that Lance’s thoughts no longer touched hers until long after theyescaped the planet’s gravity. They’d just ended a transmission after finallycontacting the Castle, and her eyes drooped in exhaustion as she struggled tohold her head upright.

“I can’t hear you thinking anymore,” Pidgesaid.

“Yeah, what the quiznak was that?” Lance wondered. “That was…”

“Embarrassing?” Pidge suggested with ateasing smirk.

“Something like that,” Lance grumbledsheepishly without looking at her.

“Well, I don’t know,” said Pidge. “Maybe itwas some quirk of the planet, or a side effect of the toxin.”

“You heard me before you were exposedthough,” Lance reminded her.

“So a quirk of the planet.”

Lancenarrowed his eyes at her. “Doesn’t explain why you heard me but Ididn’t hear you.”

Pidgesnorted. “Tobe honest, this is one mystery I’m happy leaving unsolved if it means neversetting foot on a zombie planet ever again. Besides, what if it’s because ofsomething stupid like our genders?”

Lancelaughed. “Wow,that would be pretty silly, and not at all a theory I’dexpect from you, of all people.”

“It’s barely a hypothesis,” Pidge retortedwith a smile. “And embarrassing or not, your thoughts were fairly enlightening.”

Lancecovered his face with a hand. “Don’t remind me,” he mumbled.

Pidgesmirked, but a sudden yawn splitting her face disrupted any response she could’ve made. She realized there was little she wanted more than to rest her head onher arms and fall asleep on the Green Lion’s control panel.

Butshe did promise Lance…andperhaps his shoulder would make a decent pillow if she inquired nicely.

“So…” she said, turning to face him. Hercheeks then burned - only made less embarrassing by the wide-eyed look he shot her - as sheasked, “Howabout that kiss?”

#plance #pidgance #flirtyrobot #lidge #anyone who guesses what book series inspired the one-sided telepathy gets a cookie #also i had an idea in the shower this morning #and it got a bit out of hand #and i didn't know where i was going with it #because originally they were going to get Chased by something #but then the story changed as i was writing #so i dunno #maybe this is better than the original idea and maybe it's not #voltron #qna #reem writes fic #luxinal #believe it or not i have another prompt fill that's going to be much longer than this #thanks inspiration

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