Chapter Text
Pidge
She was almost positive that this was not Keith’s best idea.
As much as she liked him as a person and respected him as a leader, going on a road trip, with all five paladins (save for Allura), to obtain some obscure type of scaultrite, in only one of their lions in the smack middle (both speaking from a perspective of time and physical space) of an intergalactic war was very likely not backed by his calmest, most rational thinking.
They were some of the five people with the ability to stop a 10,000 year old evil empire from completely conquering the universe, and they could be needed at any time.
This is just like the time he tried to kill Zarkon by himself. Or the time we flew straight into an explosive gas planet because of him. Or like the time-
Screw it. She would expect something like this from Keith. What she wasn’t expecting was for Shiro to agree with him. If they wanted to “team bond” while “getting something we need” as the red/black paladin put it (which was totally suspicious since that was not normally something he cared a lot for) they could just do some simple exercises in the Castle which would be just as effective, then take all of the lions, with the Castle, to go get the quiznaking scaultrite . Shiro and Keith both knew that. So why would-
As if on cue, both of them passed by the Green Lion’s chamber, where she was contemplating all of this while working on a new cloaking device for rebel ships. They were probably talking, going on a long walk like they often did when not busy going around trying to fight the Galra. Pidge scrambles up, abandons her work, and calls out to them.
***
Keith
“You know, that went pretty well,” Shiro told him with a chuckle. Keith dodged one of his attacks and backed away a tiny bit. The Black paladins were sparring each other while talking, like they used to do at the Garrison. He goes on. “I didn’t expect all of them to agree.”
“Pidge is probably onto me.”
“They may have agreed to it, but I can’t say I’m sure that they aren’t wondering what was going through your mind. That’s the thing about being a leader. They won’t always agree with you, but they do trust you.” Keith swings a punch, hard, but misses on purpose. Shiro had known him for all of these years, and met Keith when he was a different person with a different name and a different life.
“You don’t get it.” He sighs, out of breath. “They act like I’m secretly trying to help the Galra or whatever. It’s either that, or I’m being insane and delirious and impulsive. Or I’m putting everyone in danger. I’m always doing something wrong. I told them we’re doing this because it’s the kind of idea you would have.” He put his sword and helmet down as he looked up at Shiro.
“Keith, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. We do need the scaultrite. Besides, the whole team’s going crazy just waiting around the Castle, and this team could use some bonding. But you’re your own person, so you shouldn’t just do what you think I would do in a given situation. You’re a better leader than me in many aspects.” He said as he placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder.
“You don’t get it. I don’t know why the Black lion chose me. I can’t lead them like you did.”
Later, as they were walking down the halls, Pidge stops them to ask them something.
“Keith, is the road trip a cover for something else? Like is there anything you’re trying to do but hiding? Any secret mission? Are we really just-what if someone needs us?”
He cuts her off. “Yeah, I knew you would ask. No, we just need scaultrite. Like I said, the Castle has been breaking down in random places, this could help. And it’s only for a couple of days.”
“Great!” The Green paladin exclaims, as sarcastic as ever. “I can’t wait to be trapped in a confined space with you guys for days on end!”
This was not a good idea.
***
Lance
Keith was being so weird.
He shakes his head. That guy is the weirdest person he’s ever met in his life. Like, just plain weird. “I mean, what is going on with that dude? He’s insane?”
Hunk was coding something on his computer. “Look, Lance, I have no idea what is going on between the two of you guys, but can we just chill for a second? It’s just a normal mission. That’s what he said, and he’s probably not lying.”
“Are you two really just going to go along with whatever that idiot says? He probably just wants to get us all in the same lion and make us fight to the death. That’s his idea of team bonding or whatever he was on about.” The blue/red paladin exclaimed, indignant, as he slumped in his chair.
“Lance, chill. I asked him. He told me.” Pidge said, not looking up from her own computer.
Lance sighed. They would get it later when they saw that he was right.
***
Pidge
Later, they were all debating over which lion to take. Or, more accurately, Keith and Lance were arguing. “Red can go faster. Why do you always get to decide everything?”
“Lance, the Black lion will have more room for all of us. And I don’t get to decide everything!” He whirs around to face the rest of the team. “Guys, let’s take a vote. Who wants to take the Black lion?”
Pidge raises her hand, and so do Hunk and Shiro. “Red lion?” Lance raises his hand and so does Keith.
“Keith, why did you vote for the Red lion?”
“So Lance wouldn’t talk our ears off about how no one sides with him. You’ll thank me, we’re all living in the same lion for the next five days. Let’s go.” They all load into the lion as Lance rolls his eyes. Shiro tells them both to stop bickering. Allura and Coran aren’t going with them, they both saw this as the perfect opportunity to fix a few things in the Castle of Lions, so it’s just Shiro, Keith, Pidge, Lance, and Hunk. Which is fine.
Fine.
Until in no time, they’re drifting aimlessly through outer space, and Lance and Keith are fighting (again) again while Hunk, Shiro, and Pidge are trying to get them to chill. Allura could have gotten Lance to shut up, which would have made Keith shut up, but she understood how important maintaining your technology was, especially a piece of technology as old and important as the Castle. Earth’s supercomputers couldn’t even be compared to it, and it was built over ten thousand years ago. She sometimes wondered how advanced Altea could have gotten, wondered about the ships and designs they could have dreamed up if-
“Keith, man, why didn’t you turn the other way around that asteroid? It would have been faster.” Lance’s whining snaps her out of her thoughts.
“Why the hell does it matter to you?”
Pidge, along with Shiro and Hunk, eventually give up and go into the back of the lion to give their ears a break. Shiro sighs. “Those two.”
***
Keith
When Lance finally left the cockpit, Keith breathed a sigh of deep relief to finally not have to be bothered by that annoying guy any more than he already had been today. What is his problem? He thought as Shiro walked in. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He puts a hand on his shoulder. “How are you doing?”
“Good. You?” Shiro asks. Keith answers truthfully-he doesn't do that often, but with Shiro, he always could.
“I don’t know what to do. We’re stuck in here together, and you know I have a bunch of stuff I don’t want everyone else to find out about.” He says, not looking the older paladin in the eye.
“Keith, I’ve known you since you were fourteen. When you want to keep something private, you definitely do.” What was ironic was that at that very moment, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk burst through the doors, Lance looking pissed off while Pidge and Hunk were laughing hysterically. Great. They’re back.
“KEITH!” Pidge nearly shrieks as Lance attempts to wrestle something away from her. “YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS, OH MY-”
“Pidge, if you don’t shut up right now, I will never forgive you. If you show him, I will never forgive you.” Lance is practically tackling her, but Hunk holds him back.
“Pidge, show him.” He cackles.
“No!”
Keith looks from Shiro, who is equally baffled, to Pidge, then to Lance. “Wh…what?” He asks no one in particular.
“Just look at this.” She shoves the picture in his face before Lance can try to stop her. Keith tilts his head to the side, trying to see the picture better.
“Who…is that?” The person in the picture is a little girl, dressed in a ballerina tutu. “Why are you showing me this?” Pidge and Hunk are both doubled over laughing while Lance is fire-truck red.
“That’s-” Hunk wheezes through his laughing sobs. “That’s Lance.”
It’s only a couple moments before Keith nearly falls out of his seat. “No freaking way. Lance?” The blue/red paladin is leaning against the door, groaning. He clutches the photo, eyes wide. “Hey, you were so cute!”
“My mom made me dress up like all of the girls. The teacher was super mean though, she hit all of us with a stick.” Lance is completely flat on the floor now, staring at the ceiling. Keith is really losing it now.
“Wow, Lance. I never thought I would see you being a ballerina.” He stops laughing for a second to say this, but immediately starts again.
“I guess I agree.” Even Shiro is raising an eyebrow. “This is a first for me, Lance.”
“Why were you guys even going through my stuff, anyways? Leave me alone.” With that, he snatches the photo from Keith and stalks out.
“Damn. You’re supposed to be the moody one.” Pidge is grinning, but Keith just stares at the floor. Maybe they shouldn’t have made fun of Lance like that, as much as he did enjoy it. When he had watched the blue/red paladin walk out of the room like that, it felt..weird. Almost like Keith knew what he had felt like .
Because Lance wasn’t the only person hiding things about his past. They all were.