#oceanpilct

   “We are not making a move. We are not calling it Get Help.”

   Shiro doesn’t waver under Lance’s pleading, jutting lip.

   “It’d be a better use of my time if you let me actually teach you how to fight—” He holds up a finger, directly under Lance’s nose. “Throwing you across the battlefield is not fighting.”

   For someone who hasn’t slept more than a varga in the past how many days, Pidge sure is hellbent on staying awake. Every time she closes her eyes, it’s like a damn horror show replaying over and over in her head. Their fight with Lotor. sacrificing the castle, the look in Shiro’s eyes when he turned against them. Not necessarily always in that order, but nevertheless still horrifying.

   And if that’s not enough to never want to sleep again, then surely the perpetual worry for everyone she loves and the fate of the universe is enough to do her in. Earth could be destroyed by the Galra Empire any second, Pidge can’t figure out what’s wrong with Shiro, and she’s never seen her team as much as a mess as they are now and she can’t fix it.

   So, instead of sleeping in a bed since the first time they’ve landed since they left for Earth, she’s here. Outside. Curled next to her lion with her laptop in front of her, searching for any distress signals that might be coming from home.

TWO WORD STARTERS

    “i’m top of the class – i’m allowed to be mean.” it’s flawed logic, that of a too proud child, one that’s had to fight for every scrap of attention he receives, to be better than the best, to be admired, known, celebrated.

    “do you really think you’ll get far in this program if you’re not?” he’s seen lance’s scores, and they’re decent, but decent doesn’t get you a spot in the fighter pilot track. james is sure the only way lance is gonna get himself out of cargo pilot territory is if he gets ten times better overnight – that, or one of the other cadets drops dead.

   Waking up feels more violent than it actually is.

   He hasn’t moved, at least not in any way that’s significant, but there’s a weight across his side that he vaguely registers as Lance and a tightness in his chest that he clearly registers as panic.

   It shouldn’t be considered entirely odd that Shiro is... off. Has been off since he came back, but that should be expected when you go missing for months and wake up to find yourself across the universe, captured by the Galra.

   Again.

   Or that you have to escape.

   Again.

   It probably doesn’t help that the team has had to twist itself inside out to accommodate the missing place Shiro used to take up, and if it bothers him, he doesn’t voice his concerns out loud. He does spend an awful lot of time on the training deck now in between missions, working himself into sweat and distraction, so he barely notices Lance when he drop kicks the Gladiator in his direction.

   He’s uhhh, he’s definitely laughing now, and it’s weird, it really is — it being the fact that this is somehow the most normal he’s felt since coming back to the team, since half-losing Keith to a journey of self-discovery, since getting roped into those ridiculous Voltron shows that he honestly knows do some good, but if he has to repeat that single-handed joke one more time —

   What’s that saying? One person’s misfortune is someone else’s joy?

   “Um.”

   Shiro doesn’t know what to do between his own bubbling laughter and Lance’s petulant stare, so he reaches out to touch his hair. It’s dry. It’s bright pink. Like his face. And his shoulders. 

[txt]: toy en cmno a tu dorm are you there? 

she’s got an entire bag of snacks wedged under her left arm, which makes texting lance into a balancing act. allura’s not about to show up unannounced, though, because half the time she’s done that, lance hasn’t even been there and while she likes hanging out with hunk plenty--- it’s not him she’s looking to interrogate today. she’s got questions for lance, though --- all kinds of them. 

IS SHE STILL ALIVE