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Lance winced as he walked toward the Green Lion’s hangar, the bass notes of a song reverberating through his bones. Was Pidge trying to blow out everyone’s eardrums? He guessed that she was trying out some kind of musical warfare so she could blast the Galra later. But yeah, this was a bit excessive, seeing how he could hear the Beatles wailing about Jude all the way from the rec room…
He just wanted to nap after that last battle. Catch at least an hour’s sleep before they got attacked again. The Galra sure weren’t letting them get any rest lately, and Lance was starting to wonder if setting up a cot in Blue’s cockpit might not be a bad idea.
The hangar doors slid open, and he was nearly knocked over by a wave of sound. He clapped his hands over his ears and frowned as he stepped inside, looking for the castle’s resident tech geek.
“Pidge!” he yelled over the noise, or at least tried to. Instead his voice was lost in the melody. He could hardly hear himself, so he doubted Pidge even knew he was there. He glanced up at Green and tilted his head to the side, wondering where his girlfriend was.
Lance stomped over to Pidge’s work station, ready to start up a royal fuss about how his ears were going to explode if she didn’t turn the music down. He stopped short when he saw her socked feet barely peeking out from under her work bench. Pidge tended to hide in tiny places when she was feeling down, like small spots made her feel safer.
Kneeling down, he got a better look at her. She was pressed against the back of her hiding spot, her arms looped tightly around her legs, holding them to her chest. Her face was hidden against her knees, her hair hanging loose and messy around her shoulders.
Lance automatically reached for her, his hand brushing against her hair to let her know he was there. He didn’t want to scare her. She jerked her head up, and he got a quick look at the tears sliding down her cheeks before she buried her face in her arms again.
He crawled into the small space beside her, somehow fitting his lanky self beneath the work bench. Gently he slid her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He pressed his forehead to her coarse hair and nuzzled her.
“I’ve got you, Katie,” he said, wondering if she could hear him.
Time passed and the shudder of her sobs died down. Eventually Pidge shifted and the music dropped away. She leaned back against him, her head bumping against his chest. “I needed the noise. I couldn’t stop thinking about stuff…it was loud, wasn’t it? Sorry…”
“Don’t be sorry.” They all had their ways of coping. Hunk’s were cooking and playing board games with Coran, Keith sparred and read alien sci-fi novels, Shiro would stargaze and talk with Allura. Lately Lance’s coping method had been napping. Sometimes Pidge was so tough, he forgot that she was also a worrier and could get stuck in doomsday loops, where she just thought about everything that could go wrong. She was good at breaking those loops or reasoning her way out of them, but sometimes… “I should’ve checked on you earlier.”
Pidge bumped the top of her head against his chin. “Nah. That’d interfere with your beauty sleep.”
Ah, an attempt at humor. “I’m so handsome, my looks can handle a little less rest.”
That got a half-hearted laugh out of her. “Oh so humble.”
Lance squished her to him. “Seriously, next time come get me. Okay?”
Pidge sighed and rubbed his arm, leaning over to rest her cheek against his shoulder. “Yeah. Yeah, all right.”