Work Harder //Langst//

7

Shiro walked into the dining hall, the events of last night still haunting him. Lance's face when he said that comment...Shiro shivered. It was so dead inside, it was like all hope of life had bled out of him. And when did all this start? Shiro tried to think back to a time when Lance would smile and joke around but stopped when he realized how long ago that was.

"Hey Shiro," Keith greeted him. He was sitting at the table with Allura, Pidge, Hunk, Coran and Lance. Lance was never late anymore. Shiro never thought he'd see the day when he wished Lance was late. Anything to prove that the old Lance was still there.

"Good morning team," Shiro said. "How did you all sleep?"

Everyone answered but Shiro wasn't really paying attention. The one he wanted to answer, said nothing. He merely sat at the table, his dull blue eyes staring into space. Everyone else was almost done with breakfast but he hasn't touched his food. Strangely enough, after everyone had finished eating, Lance stood up and took his plate filled with food and went to clear it off.

"Lance?" Shiro said with concern,

"Yes sir?" he said. Shiro's concern grew.

"What about your food?" At this point everyone had stopped talking and was looking at Lance curiously. He was holding his plate, but it was evident that he hadn't taken a single bite.

"Right, sorry," Lance said. He turned and faced Hunk. "Thank you Hunk. It was delicious." Before he turns swiftly and places his plate full of food on the counter and walks out. Everyone had matching expressions of worry.

"That was...weird." Keith said finally. "He hadn't eaten any of it.."

"Team," Shiro said. "I'm worried about Lance. Something is really wrong. Has anyone else noticed how he doesn't talk anymore? Joke? Flirt? What's the last thing he said to any of you directly?"

"....Sorry." Pidge said, a sudden realization on her face. "The last thing Lance said to me was 'Sorry'. And that was a week ago."

"The last thing he said to me was 'Yes Ma'am'," Allura sighed. Even though she would never say it..she enjoyed the blue paladin's jokes every now and then. But now...the only thing she wanted was the old Lance back. "And he said that to me three days ago."

"He apologized to me too," Keith said. "But he said 'I'm really sorry. So very sorry'. And he said that to me yesterday after he fell in front of me...Why did he fall though?"

"Because he's been training every night for the past month." Shiro says. Everyone gasps. "Something is seriously wrong with him. Do you want to know the last thing he said to me? Last night, after I found him training at four am, he said 'I shouldn't be a paladin of Voltron'."

Everyone's reactions differed. But they all had the same expressions of horror on their faces. Allura gasped loudly and clenched her hands together. Pidge fell out of her chair. Keith looked at Shiro like he was crazy. But Hunks reaction was the scariest.

He sat there, didn't make a noise. Didn't make a sound. Just sat there and sighed sadly. "He told me he got better." he mumbled.

"But that's not all he said," Shiro said, reclaiming the team's attention. "He also said that he was holding everyone back. That he was only a placeholder for the true blue paladin. You guys, something happened to Lance. He's....he's just a shell of his former self." Shiro sighed.

Everyone was just sitting there, dumbfounded. What had happened to their blue paladin that caused him to be like this? Eventually Hunk stood up. "I need to go find Lance," he said glumly. Shiro grabbed his arm to stop him. Hunk shook him off. "I know how to help him. Please."

Shiro let him go. "Please help him," Shiro sad resigned.

Hunk ran off leaving the rest of the paladins confused and worried.