Lance was huddled in the corner of the training room. How did this even happen? Hadn't he worked so hard to keep it a secret from them? Now because of that dumb witch everything had been discovered. Lance was choosing to ignore the throbbing in his head demanding his attention. He had better things to to think about than his pain.
He had heard Hunk yelling at Keith. That was his fault. He had made Hunk get into a fight. Lace was so stupid. Why did he have to ruin everything. That's all he ever did. He didn't deserve such an amazing friend.
"Lance?" he heard a timid voice call. The voice wasn't looking for him, it was acknowledging he had been found. Speak of the angel and the angel shall come. "Lance, buddy? Can I talk to you?"
"Just you?" Lance said softly.
"Just me." Hunk confirmed. Lance nodded and scooted over to allow Hunk to squeeze next to him. Hunk wrapped his arms around Lance's slender frame. "Buddy. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't notice earlier. Why didn't you come to me?"
Lance sniffed. "It was stupid." Lance said. Hunk shushed him and whispered sweet nothings into Lance's ears for comfort. "I didn't want to be a burden. I thought I could handle it on my own. I never meant for it to get this bad."
"Of course you didn't" Hunk said, rubbing Lance's shoulder soothingly.
"I just want to get better," Lance wailed.
"Then let us help you," Hunk said. "We can sit down and talk about it. We can find out what's wrong and fix it. Please?"
Lance hesitantly nodded against Hunk's chest. Hunk smiled and gathered Lance up in his arms, ignoring said person's protests. Hunk carried Lance into the med bay and called the rest of the paladin's over their headsets. Soon the room was filled with people.
They all sat in a semicircle around Lance. Lance took a deep breath in. "Okay, let's get this over with."
Shiro frowned but nodded. "Lance, can you tell us the real reason of why you got so cut up that first time?"
"I...I agree with you." Lance said. The team looked at him confused."I am useless. I am just a flirt. All I do is mess up. I do annoy the hell out of you. I don't take things seriously. I ruin missions. I'm a fuck up. I am replaceable. I shouldn't be the blue paladin, I'm not good enough. I'm just....me." Shiro's heart broke when he realized that Lance truthfully thought that way. As if to prove his point, a fresh cut appeared over Lance's eyebrow.
"Lance that's not true," Shiro said.
"Yes it! Really, Shiro all I do is--"
"No, listen," Shiro ordered softly. "You are a great paladin. Your jokes, at times are annoying yes, but also lift the spirit's of this team. Without you would have all gone crazy. We would of all gone insane from lack of pick up lines and catchy phrases."
Lance smiled and looked at Shiro hopefully."Really?"
"Absolutely." Shiro said. The cut that had formed over Lance's eyebrow healed instantly. "Now what else is there?"
"I guess I'm....lonely?" Lance cringed at the sentence. "I mean I guess I'm kind of alone. You know? You and Keith are always training. Can't join that I'd just hold you back. Hunk and Pidge are perfect for each other because they're both tech savvy geniuses. I'm too stupid to understand that shit. Coran and Allura are too busy with politics and important things like that to deal with somebody like me. So I'm always alone...with my thoughts...Not a good combination." Lance let out a bitter laugh and looked away from the horrified expressions of his teammates.
And Lance was right. He was always alone. Keith had never noticed but when Lance pointed it out it became so obvious. He had become withdrawn from the rest of the team and no one had even bothered to care.
"Lance," Hunk wailed. "You're always welcome! You're so important! We don't want you to be alone! Promise me right here right now if you ever feel that way to come find someone. Please!"
"I...I promise," Lance said. The cuts on his face were gone. His face now only head a somber expression.
"What else?" Keith urged. "You have a gash on your stomach and leg. What happened to cause that?" Lance blushed, surprising Keith, and shook his head. "Lance you need to tell us."
"I can't," Lance said. Keith felt his heart break. Lance sounded so...defeated.
"Lance, please," Hunk begged.
Lance shook his head vigorously. "No! I can't take anymore heartbreak! I'm done being played for a fool. Please just drop it. The wounds will go away after the curse is over. It's fine."
"So this has to do with rejection?" Pidge asked. Lance snapped his head up at Pidge and glared. "It does? Okay...who is it? Maybe they didn't reject you."
"Please Pidge, this person....he hates me more than anything in this stupid universe. There's no point telling him because he'll reject me. And then this stupid curse will kill me. It's not worth it." Keith was saddened. No, that was an understatement. Keith was devastated. Keith liked Lance as more than a friend. But Lance like someone else, and that person is hurting him. Then something clicked.
"He?" Keith asked. Lance looked at him fearfully.
"Yeah...I'm bi...that doesn't disgust you does it?" Lance's voice wavered and a large cut opened up, going from the bottom of his chin to the top of his eyebrow. Keith shook his head desperately.
"No, no, no, no," Keith said. "I'm gay so I really don't care. It's nice to know that I'm not the only non-straight person here." Keith said, laughing awkwardly The cut closed and Keith let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh, okay." Lance said.
"So who is it?" Pidge asked. Lance froze.
"No one." Lance said instantly.
"Lance..." Shiro warned.
"No really, Shiro." Lance said defensively. "I don't want to talk about it. I'll be alone forever. I've accepted it, I shouldn't have gotten careless and let my gaurd down. I just need to wait for it to go away and then I can look at Keith without feeling depressed--" Lance slapped a hand over his mouth and looked at Keith wide eyed and fearful. His face was red.
Keith's face was a tomato. Lance like him. Lance was talking about him! "Lance I--"
"Shit! Keith, I'm so sorry! You weren't supposed to find out. I'll go away and you won't have to ever look at me again." Lance said before forcing himself to stand. Until he fell with a painted thud. "Fuck." Lance's face was now covered in bruises and cuts. His right eye was swollen and he was breathing shallowly, wincing with every breath.
"LANCE!" Keith cried. "Lance, oh God, Lance I do like you! I like you too! I do, I swear! Oh please be okay! Shitshitshitshitshitshishitshit!!!!!" Painfully slow, the cuts and bruises faded away from view. Lance cracked open his eyes.
"You...you do?" Lance asked doubtfully. Keith let out a cry and kissed Lance forcefully. "Guess that answers my question." Lance mumbled into Keith's lips.
"Gross, PDA," Pidge complained.
"Let's give them some space," Shiro hinted and pulled a snickering Pidge and Hunk out of the room. Coran and Allura followed closely behind, not needing to be told twice.
"Lance?" Keith asked. Lance looked deeply into Keith's eyes. "I love you."
"I love you too."
