The Difference Between You And Me [Voltron WA 2017]

Fruitless Efforts

Lance watched as the small girl in the bed tossed and turned, moaning out of the blue every few minutes. He watched with a worried expression, holding her clammy hand as tightly as he was sure wouldn't hurt the weakened paladin. He knew that she had chosen this - this pain. In return for her memories, the next few days, at least, would be painful. Unbelievably painful, Allura had said. Not to mention that "the next few days" could very well stretch into "the next few months".

There was no way to tell when the youngest paladin of Voltron would be awake, laughing at Lance's attempts at flirting, humoring Hunk's cooking ideas, training with Keith and talking about her family with Shiro. There was no way to know when she would recover. Lance knew this better than anyone, having spent the most time with Pidge over the last three days. He wasn't sure the last time he'd slept. Every time Hunk came in and told him to get to bed, he just ended up pacing the halls, kicking out Keith when he needed to see his recovering friend again.

And so, it went like this for what seemed like an eternity to the paladins. Lance would watch over Pidge, only to be replaced by Hunk, who left when Shiro came in, who left when Keith convinced him to get some sleep.

And so this continued. And continued. And continued.

--

She was in a dark room, water dripping from the ceiling. She felt the droplets landing on her head, the sticky, warm liquids running down her back. She didn't dare move, remembering the painful results of her last attempt.

"How can you form Voltron all on your own, little paladin? How pathetic." Zarkon laughed, a deep chuckle that grew into an all-consuming maniacal outburst. She looked up to see the mangled bodies of her fellow paladins, only recognizable by their armor. She realized with a shudder that it wasn't water dripping down her back.

--

"Where is Shiro...?" She moaned as soon as she felt the soft hand caressing her cheek.

"I'm here." A voice said, and Pidge smiled. She turned over and fell into darkness, forgetting what it was that troubled her.

--

"I am all alone, you know. It is your fault."

Pidge looked up, shocked to hear her mother's voice.

"You left me. They died, and you left me."

"They aren't dead!" Pidge wanted to scream, but no sounds came out of her mouth.

"You took away the last thing I had left. My son, my husband... And now, my daughter." Her mother didn't turn to look at he, but instead faced the other way. "I have no reason left to stay, now. Nobody left to wait for." She took a step forward. Then another. She walked a few feet, stopping only for a moment.

"You'd think I'd have raised you better." Her voice was no higher than a whisper, and Pidge felt tears streaming down her cheeks as her mother stepped forward, falling from sight.

--

Keith stared at the young paladin, watching they way she cried as she slept. He didn't know what to do - she was obviously hurting. Understandable, knowing that she'd been to hell and back. But Allura had said to leave her alone mostly. Keith so badly wanted to talk to her, to tell her it was okay. But he didn't want to lie.

--

The field was made up of tall, white grass, fluffy and with light blue seeds that swayed and floated away in the warm breeze. The girl sat somewhere in the field, wrapped in a thick blanket. Her face was dirty, contrasting greatly with the purity of the grass. She snuggled up closer to the people around her. Their faces were blurry, smears of color and features, but she knew each on of them. With every breath she took, their faces became clearer in her mind. She smiled, and though it was hard to tell, she could have sworn they all smiled back.

--

"Help..." Pidge moaned, reaching her hand out as she struggled to open her eyes.

"You're awake!" Keith exclaimed, clamping his hand over his mouth suddenly.

"Keith? Is that you?" She said slowly, opening her eyes.

"Yes, it is." He answered. "I'm going to go get the rest of the team. Do you feel like you can stay awake?" Pidge nodded weakly, sitting up in her bed.

"Okay." She said, watching Keith rush out the door. She shivered suddenly, wishing she has asked for an extra blanket. She was pulling the blankets over her shoulders when Shiro and Allura ran in, soon followed by Lance, Hunk, Keith and Coran.

"Pidge!" Allura said excitedly.

"Welcome back." Shiro said warmly, putting his left hand on her shoulder.

"I remember it all now... I remember all of you!" She said, smiling. Her face fell after a few seconds. "I remember it all now."

"You've had a rough couple weeks, Pidge. Try and take it easy, okay?" Shiro said, pulling the girl into an embrace. She smiled, despite the the tears streaming down her face.

"Okay." She muttered, hugging Shiro back. Slowly, the rest of the paladins joined the hug, and then the two Alteans. Pidge smiled at their warmth, snuggling up closer to all of them. Although it was hard to tell with her eyes closed, she could have sworn they all smiled back. After a moment, they all pulled away, leaving her alone on the bed.

"Are you up to a little training?" Keith asked tentatively, and surprisingly, Pidge nodded determinedly.

"Yes."

Yeep! Hope you guys like it so far. It's far from done, though!