Where's the family in this Feud!

Set immediately following Season 7 Episode #4 "The Feud!" – Spoilers!

Summary: Lance isn't okay after the Feud! and a routine stop ends up being more than just a break - Lance needs a chance to prove to himself he is valuable to the team and the team needs to remind themselves how much Lance means to them.

Rated: K+

Chapter 1

"I don't suppose we could set down on the next suitable planet for a pit stop?" Lance asked quietly, though already knowing the response.

"Lance, unless it is an emergency, no, you know we have to stick to the schedule that Pidge laid out." Keith sighed in exasperation. It wasn't like this was the first time he had asked.

"Okay, I know, guess I was just too DUMB to remember!"

"Lance, I didn't mean…" Keith started apologetically.

"Whatever. How far out is it?" Lance snarled.

"We'll be there in about three hours." Keith growled back.

Lance slapped off the communicator with a frown and a damn it that hurt. The burns on his back and sides were getting particularly painful sitting in the pilot's chair. Red growled her displeasure in his mind.

"I know, Red, but it's not that bad and it doesn't qualify as an emergency." The burns were all along the seams of his paladin armor where that whatever it was stuff had started to soak through while Pidge was lining up her shot. He had already checked the ones on his arm and while they were red and starting to blister, they certainly weren't life threatening.

"Maybe I can find some Altean burn cream around here or something." He started digging around the cabin.

Three hours later and no cream, he thinks the blisters have joined together to create one giant blister twisting and wrapping around his body. Except of course the places where the has popped and sticky fluid is running down his back and his suit is sticking to that and it just all feels really gross. Maybe this planet would have a lake or stream or something he could wash off in. He shivers and sweat runs down his face. It reminds him of that time he fell asleep on the beach for the entire day and actually managed to sunburn his back. It felt like his whole body was still burning, but at the same time he was cold and kept shivering.

It was stupid; just like he was stupid. He growled in frustration, stop thinking that way Lance, it doesn't help. You're not stupid, just not a super genius like Hunk or Pidge, or a crazy good pilot and fighter like Keith, or just plain awesome like Allura...you're just an average guy and that's okay, right? So that pep talk was less peppy than he hoped for, he sighed as Red gently touched down. He could feel her moving carefully in effort to minimize jarring him.

"Thanks girl," he patted the dash as he got up to make his way down to the surface. His hopes of a bath were dashed when he stepped out onto the surface; the rocky terrain was dry and gray and stretched as far as he could see. Huffing in frustration, he started unloading the camp supplies he carried in Red, some kind of re-burnable wood or something. Hunk and Pidge had drooled over it the first time they got it out to build a camp fire. It was his job at each stop to get the fire set up for cooking and just sitting around. It made their stops seem more like mini campouts instead of necessary stops to allow the lions time to recharge. Hunk was in charge of cooking. Pidge would take readings and do scans to confirm her original choice of stopping on whatever planet. Keith and Shiro scouted the perimeter. Allura and the others would set up boxes to sit on and care for the animals. It had become a kind of routine and usually Lane enjoyed it. A break from the monotony of the ongoing journey, a chance for everyone to just talk and relax, be next to each other; sort of recharge their own batteries.

But today he was not looking forward to any of it. Carrying the wood hurt, making the fire ring hurt, lighting the fire made his skin feel even worse, and yeah he had zero desire to talk to anyone on his team right now. The way they looked at him during that show – he could see and hear their frustrated words and gestures. He could see the disappointment and he knew how he had failed over and over and over…he kicked a nearby stone.

"Watch it!" Pidge yelled, ducking as the rock sailed over her head.

"Sorry, sorry." Lance bit out in frustration.

Pidge huffed and continued tapping away on the tablet she was carrying.

He also might have been just a little hurt how no one seemed to care that he was almost cooked alive or fed to a snic or how no one objected to him being called the dumb one over and over. It wasn't like everyone else on the team had some glowing and wonderful things to say about who they picked to escape and even he said nice things about Keith, but no, for him it was who I don't want to be stuck with. He thought they were friends, that Keith and him had kinda worked things out, but then he was dumb so guess he was just wrong.

"Lance, you okay?" Hunk looked up from his cooking and noticed Lance was just starring off into the distance. Lance had been particularly cranky on the radios earlier and now just looked sad.

"Yeah, man. No worries." Lance answered with a smile that didn't really seem very genuine. It also looked like he was shivering.

"Are you cold? Want a blanket? I brought some out; Pidge said it might get colder tonight." Hunk pointed to the pile of soft gray blankets resting behind him.

"Thanks, guess I am." Lance grabbed a blanket and took it over to sit on a rock near Red.

Hunk shrugged and went back to cooking, seemed like Lance wasn't in a mood to chat.

Later as Hunk was dishing out the food, he noticed Lance hanging back away from the fire again. He carried a plate over to him. "Hey, buddy. Brought you the Hunk plate special," he said with a hopeful grin.

"Thanks Hunk, you are a wilderness cooking, campfire master." Lance reached up to get the plate, but his usual banter lacked energy.

"You sure you're okay man, cause you seem down" Hunk sat down next to him.

"I don't know just not feeling great I guess." Lance ducked his head down and wouldn't make eye contact.

"You still cold?" Hunk reached out and touched his friend's forehead. "You're sweating," Hunk muttered with alarm, "are you sick?"

Lance swatted his arm away, "I'm fine, I'm not sick. Just a little…" Hunk couldn't make out that last part as Lance mumbled with his face still turned away.

"What?"

"Hey Hunk, is the pot supposed to do that?" Pidge asked in alarm pointed to the stew bubbling over and pouring into the fire.

"Noooo!" Hunk jumped up and ran to rescue the meal. By the time he had it under control Lance had moved from his spot near Red and was talking with Coran, so Hunk figured everything must be okay.