Work Text:
'Hey, Keith' Pidge was typing something on his laptop; with Keith they were the only ones in the common area while the rest went about their own business.
'Hmm?' Keith was playing a video game on his handheld console. If it were Lance or Hunk asking he wouldn't have reacted at all but he felt a kind of bond with the only person in the gang who preferred to keep their electronic devices on themselves - and thus had it with them even after their sudden departure from Earth - and tended to disappear into one for long periods of time. Even if Pidge took too much of Shiro's attention. In any case, if Pidge deemed appropriate initiating contact with him while they were both occupied it was probably something important.
'You know how I hacked into the computers at school to find more information about the mission? I was looking through the files and I think I know why you were expelled.'
'Everyone knows why I was expelled.' Keith slashed another monster. He just needed three more to level up and this was a tricky level with no respawn points. 'I can't see how that is important.'
'No, I mean I know why you were really expelled. It was all about Shiro, wasn't it?'
Keith messed up his timing and the monster he was fighting got a big attack in. Keith lost almost half his HP.
'It wasn't about Shiro.'
'So you didn't keep fighting with people who badmouthed him?'
'I just thought anyone dumb enough to believe Shiro would make a mistake bad enough to kill the whole mission should keep their mouth shut.'
'To be honest I was thinking the same thing. I didn't go as far as you, though. What was it? "Commander, if you think Shiro was as bad pilot as that then you better let all of us go, because they say I'm the best pilot in school and I'm not half as good as him."'
Keith almost dropped his console and completely missed the buttons; his character stumbled awkwardly next to the monster just to be killed a moment later. That's a whole level to redo.
'Uhm. Didn't know it was that detailed. Yeah. I wasn't this that got me expelled, though.'
'No?'
'It was probably how I punched the commander a moment later.' Keith was looking at his thumbs.
'After he told you Shiro was a crap pilot? I loved it, he flew half across the room.'
'Wait, what?' Keith finally looked at Pidge, who had an expression of a cat which has just swallowed a bird.
'Didn't you know the commander's office had security cameras?' Installed after a certain girl kept breaking in. 'There is a video, look.'
Keith looked critically at the screen.
'Damn, that was a pretty good punch. I was so angry I barely remember it. Can you screencap this for me? I want in on on my wallpaper.'
'Sure, just let me connect to your console.'
'And Pidge, uhm.' Keith bit his lip. 'Could you please keep it a secret from Shiro?'
Pidge looked at Keith; his cheeks were red and although he was looking at the console Pidge could see the game was still on the menu.
'Sure,' Pidge smiled. 'Ah, if you got the green amulet in the previous level throw it at the boss and then shoot it; it should explode and take half of his HP.'
'Thanks,' Keith restarted the level.