Taking A Chance

Pidge Goes Too Far

Pidge slipped into her lab and hurried to her computer. She had overheard Shiro and Adam say something about Galra heat. She plugged it into the computer and read what came up. She started to laugh. Oh she was going to have fun with this, she thought.
The next morning, Lance convinced Keith to join them at breakfast.
They walked in and Pidge smirked. ‘Wow, who turned up the heat in here,' she chuckled. Keith froze and stared at her. ‘I'm surprised you two can walk.’
Pidge started laughing as Keith turned on his heel and hurried out of the room.
‘What the hell, Pidge?’ yelled Lance.
She small girl stopped laughing. ‘I was just joking.’
'A joke,’ he yelled. He suddenly pulled of his hoodie and t-shirt and held out his arms. ‘Does this look like a fucking joke?’ His upper body and arms we're bruise, cut and bitten all over. There were gasps around the table. ‘Do you have any idea how he feels seeing this? Do you?’
He pulled on his clothes and hurried out the door after Keith. Shiro and Adam followed.
Lance ran down the corridor to Keith's room, and was relived to find him in there.
‘Keith, it's okay,’ Lance said.
‘No it's not,’ snapped Keith. ‘I hate what I did to you.’
‘It's fine,’ Lance said. Keith pulled away when Lance reached towards him. ‘You did nothing wrong.’
‘Then why do I feel like I raped you?’ Keith cried.
Lance's eyes widened. ‘No, no, no,’ he said. Lance pulled Keith to him. 'No, you didn't do that.'
Keith struggled against his embrace, but Lance held him tight. Sitting on the bed, Lance pulled Keith onto his lap. Keith bent his knees and placed them on either side of Lance's hips and buried his face in Lance's neck and sobbed, saying sorry over and over again.
‘I went to you willingly,’ said Lance, quietly in his ear, ‘and I wouldn’t change any of it.’
Lance held him and looked up at the pale faces of Shiro and Adam. They had heard everything.
It took some time, but Keith sobbed himself to sleep in Lance’s arms.
‘Let's get him into bed,’ Adam said.
Lance's arms tightened around Keith and he shook his head. He didn't want to let him go, he wanted to stay here in case Keith woke up.
‘Your wounds need to be looked at,’ said Shiro. ‘We don't want them to get infected.‘
After some persuasion, Lance reluctantly let them take Keith while he stood and moved out for the way, and Keith never woke.
‘I'll stay with him,’ Adam said as Shiro lead Lance from the room.
They entered they medical bay and Lance sat on the table and took his hoodie and t-shirt off and put them on the table next to him.
Shiro found the antiseptic gel and returned to the table. He wanted to tell Lance off for not saying something about his injures, but also understood why he didn't.
‘Are you okay?' Shiro asked.
‘You keep asking me that,’ Lance muttered.
‘Because I'm worried,' said Shiro. ‘You are the partner of the man I call son, by default that makes you my son as well.’
Hot fears fell down Lance's cheeks. He missed his family and wanted nothing more than to talk to his parents about what was going on, wanting their wisdom, support and love.
‘I...don't know,’ admitted Lance. ‘I don't blame Keith for what happened, and I'm not angry with him, but it breaks my heart to hear him say he feels like he raped me. I feel like I've let him down, or did something wrong, that he could think like that.’
Lance winced as Shiro applied the gel to his wounds.
‘I can't even begin to imagine what the two of you have just gone through,’ said Shiro. ‘But I do know, neither of you did anything wrong, and the best way forward is to be honest and open with each other. Saying nothing and trying to protect his feelings may come across as faIse and a lie.’
Wiping his tears away Lance nodded. ‘I've seen him at his best and his worst, and love him even more.’
Shiro moved to the bit on Lance's shoulder. ‘This is deep,’ Shiro said.
Lance bit back a curse when Shiro touched it.
Ten minutes later Shiro was finish and help Lance get his t-shirt back on. Shiro looked at Lance's black wrists where Keith had gripped him. Shiro frowned.
‘Um...Lance, are you okay...in other areas?' asked Shiro.
‘Other areas?' Lance frowned at Shiro as he slipped from the table.
Shiro look embarrased. ‘Ah, yes, you know.’ Shiro gestured vaguely at Lance's lower half.
‘Oh,’ said Lance catching on. ‘Yes, I'm fine, but thank christ his heat only lasts two days.’
Shiro couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up as he put everything away.
They walked back to the room and found Adam sitting on the chair at the desk. He had some how managed to get Keith undressed down to his shorts and t-shirt. Keith lay on his side facing the wall, with the blanket up around his shoulders.
‘Get some sleep,’ said Shiro. ‘We're going to be here a few more days, so make the most of the peace and quiet.’
Lance nodded. He was exhausted still and wanted nothing more than to fall into oblivion.
Throwing his jacket on the end of the bed and stripped down to his own shorts and t-shirt, and slipped under the blanket. Still asleep, Keith turned over and snuggled into Lance.
Adam couldn't help but smile as they left the young men alone.
‘I think we just let them sleep it out,' Shiro said.
‘Shiro?'
He turned to find Pidge. Her eyes were red and puffy, and cheeks tear stained.
‘I'm sorry,’ she said. ‘I didn't mean to hurt anyone.’
‘I know you didn't,’ said Shiro, ‘and I'm sure they know that too. It's just a difficult time for them. No-one really knew what to expect.'
‘Are they okay?' she asked.
‘Tired. Just let them be until they are ready to rejoin us,’ Shiro said.
The small girl nodded and left.