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(Lance being surly that both Shiro and Keith - both of whom, he realises, he had a crush ever since the school - are most probably into each other).
'Why can't I be as good as Shiro or Keith.' Lance only realised he said that out loud when Pidge's head turned to him with a loud 'WHAT?'
'Noooothing. I didn't say nothing.'
Pidge surveyed him through her glasses, her expression unusually stern.
'Do you know where Shiro is right now?'
'Resting?' Lance shrugged 'It's our free time.' He never had to do chores at home so free time was something natural for Lance.
'Shiro is on the training deck, practicing the use of his arm.'
'Of course he is.' Lance sighed.
'Do you know what Keith is doing?'
'Playing RPGs on the couch right over there?'
'He's using a lion piloting simulator with different malfunction possibilities programmed in. You know where Hunk is?'
This time Lance gave it some thought.
'Making food?'
Pidge's eyebrows came closer.
'Hunk is your lion's hangar doing maintenance after we almost flew into a star. Do you know what Allura…'
'Waaaait a minute' Lance raised his hand. 'How do you know where everyone is?'
'I connected to the castle surveillance systems after the castle was taken over.'
Lance jumped back, covering himself like a maiden fresh out of bath.
'Wait, so you're spying on our rooms? On our bathrooms ?'
'What?' Pidge's face got red. If Lance thought Pidge was angry before it was nothing compared to her eyes now. 'I'm periodically checking the corridors and main decks to check if everyone is safe . Unless you forgot how you almost got ejected into space. '
Lance haven't forgotten although he wished he had. He didn't want to talk about it.
'Pidge, you seem on edge… do you have a period or something?' This time Pidge's expression made him physically back away.
'What I have' Pidge's voice was pretty close to hiss, 'Is my family kidnapped by Galra. What I have is waging a war on a force that has taken over most of the Universe with just a handful of people including a useless idiot who just idles next to me complaining how he's' not as good as the others and doing nothing about it . How about you take whatever potential has gotten you into the most elite training facility on Earth and work on it like everyone else does so we maybe have a chance of surviving one day longer.'
Lance stared at Pidge. During training he never really listened to Pidge, a kid, a couple of years younger than he was. Then he got used to thinking Pidge was a girl. A small girl looking for her family. A tiny hacker, a wise-ass maybe but with cheerful disposition that made it seem like Pidge didn't really think about the dangers of what they were doing. Lance didn't like to think about the dangers, he made lots of effort not to think about them. Worrying was for other people, he just did what he had to do. He didn't like a kid telling him he wasn't doing enough He didn't like the kid reminding him just how hopeless their situation was. He didn't like that in Pidge's eyes he saw that Pidge always knew, always remembered and that she still had been ready to fly out alone to search for her family. Pidge not only understood the danger; she acknowledged it and moved on .
Lance didn't want to acknowledge it. He looked away from her and he saw Keith looking at him with that unnerving unfathomable expression of his. Looking at Keith was even worse; ever since they went to space, no, ever since they found Shiro, Keith seemed much more grounded than when they were at the garrison; but Keith always seemed at home with danger. For the first time Lance realised that Keith didn't carry the knife at his belt to show off. Keith saw the danger and was ready to confront it when it approached.
Lance didn't want to think about the danger. He didn't want think back to the time he got seriously hurt. He didn't want to think how Keith saved him from that airlock at the very last moment. He wanted to pretend they are still in school and everything is just a game, a simulation.
'Might as well, so you can see how awesome I am,' Lance did his best to sound indignant even though he felt cold sweat prickling on his own forehead. He got up with all the confidence he could muster and headed for the door, not looking back.
'Do you need me to tell you how to turn the simulation mode in the lions on?'
'I know perfectly well how to turn in on, Keith!' Lance snapped, not really meaning to. He quickly left the room and sped through the corridors, long way to the lion, repeating in his mind: don't think about it, don't think about it. We are OK, we have Shiro! Then he remembered Shiro's haunted expression after he ejected Sendak into space and Lance stopped as his blood run cold.
'Hey, you OK?' Hunk was just leaving the hangar and looked at Lance with worry. 'You're terribly pale.'
'Just… indigestion.'
Hunk nodded knowingly.
'I checked your lion and it's ready to go. Luckily there was no damage this time.'
'Thanks, man.' Lance looked after Hunk for a moment. 'Hey, aren't you afraid? When you think there's only seven of us?''
Hunk turned around and looked at Lance.
'What? Dude, I am afraid like, the whole damn time. There is nothing I wish more than to leave this to someone else and go home.'
Lance nodded. For the first time he was really feeling the same.
'But, you know,' Hunk looked thoughtful. 'There really isn't anyone else. So I guess we have no choice but to do this until we gather more people. Also, there's not only seven of us.' Hunk pointed towards the lion's hangar, smiling. 'There's twelve. And we're all doing our best.'
'Yeah, I guess you're right.' Lance waved Hunk goodbye and opened the door to the hangar. 'Now we all gonna be.'