Disclaimer: Voltron: Defender of the Universe and its many incarnations are the property of World Event Productions and Toei Animation. All affiliated characters, events, and worlds belong to them, and are used here without permission. This is solely a not-for-profit fan endeavor.
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Additional Disclaimer: The following songs belong to the public domain and are, therefore, allowed. Lyrics used in this story are, to the best of my knowledge, accurate to the original publications.
"Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis"
Music: Kerry Mills, Lyrics: Andrew B. Sterling, Originally Published: 1904
"The Sidewalks of New York"
Music: Charles B. Lawler, Lyrics: James W. Blake, Originally Published: 1894
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Warnings: None. Rated Fiction K+
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Introduction: Finished. Troubleshooting a mechanical failure in Red Lion, Hunk gets a surprise visit from the princess and ends up fixing more than just Red. Setting: Early DotU. One-shot.
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Author's Note: 4-28-15 Sometimes when I'm working on a story I write a scene or partial scene that is part of the world of my story, but not meant to be included in the story. The point is just to get a feel for writing a character or pair of characters. Kind of like a trial run. When I did this flash-back scene for Hunk, I ended up with a cute little friendship piece between Hunk and Allura, good enough that I thought I'd share it. If you choose to read it, tell me what you think, especially if anything seems off about either Hunk or Allura's character. ~Sapphire
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Voltron: Defender of the Universe
Repairs
By: Sapphire
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…...
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"Hi Hunk." Hunk nearly jumped out of his skin, the tune he'd been whistling stopping mid verse, the wrench he'd been holding dropping from his hand, and he swore. He looked down from Red Lion's paw to see the princess staring up at him with wide, startled eyes.
"Hey, Princess," he said, his heart rate beginning to slow. No emergency. No bad guys. Just the princess.
"I didn't mean to startle you," she apologized.
"It's okay," Hunk returned. "I zone out sometimes when I'm working on one of the lions." The princess just nodded. "Did ya need me for something?"
"No, I was just wondering if you could use some company, or maybe some help," she said, looking up at him with troubled blue eyes.
"Ah, sure, you can help," Hunk said, wondering what was bothering her, and more than a little surprised at her offer. "Here, let me help you up." Hunk, got on his knees, leaned over the edge of Red's paw and reached a hand down to her. She took his hand and pushed with her feet as Hunk pulled her up. "There ya go."
"Thanks, Hunk," the princess said, straightening her pink jumpsuit. Then she looked over at the tools and parts scattered over the surface of Red's paw and the open panel in Red's Right shoulder. "What are you doing?"
"Lance said Red's electro laser wasn't responding in the last robeast fight," Hunk said, picking his way back to where he'd been working. "I thought it'd take a while to figure it out, but I think I know." The princess carefully made her way through the scattered tools to join him.
"Can I see?" she asked. Hunk nodded and stepped a little to the side so she could look inside the open panel.
"I can't pull it out. It's stuck. That's probably why Lance couldn't fire it," Hunk said.
He watched the princess study the weapon, rising up on her tip toes so she could look down into the opening in Red Lion. "Um, Princess, have you ever worked on anything mechanical before?" She turned to look up at him.
"No," she said, "but I'm a fast learner." Hunk stared at her, then burst into laughter. "I'm not completely ignorant," she said defensively, bending down to pick up a tool resting near her feet. "This is a wrench." Hunk laughed harder. "What?" Allura looked confused. "Am I wrong?"
"No," Hunk said, getting himself under control. "You're right. It's a wrench." He took it from her and held it up, turning the manual crank that adjusted the wrench's grip. "Do you know what type this is?"
"A big wrench?" she asked. Hunk laughed again. He couldn't help himself. He laughed harder when the corners of her mouth started to twitch and she had to cover her mouth to hide her own smile.
"Adjustable wrench," Hunk finally managed to get out. "It's an adjustable wrench."
"What about this one?" the princess asked, reaching for another tool sitting in the top tray of an open tool box. "I'm pretty sure this is a wrench, too."
"Yep," Hunk confirmed. "That one is a box-end wrench," he explained, reaching for yet another wrench. "This one is an open-end wrench. See the difference?" The princess nodded. Hunk picked up an L shaped metal bar. "This is a wrench, too," he said.
"It is?" the princess asked, surprised.
"It's called an Allen wrench," Hunk said. "I hate 'em 'cause my big hands can't get a good, comfortable grip on those little bars, but they're handy when you have a hexagon bolt to tighten or loosen." Hunk proceeded to show her all the different wrenches he had in his tool kit, and explain what they were used for.
"Adjustable wrench, box-end wrench, open-end wrench, Allen wrench, socket wrench, combination wrench, monkey wrench, ratchet, line wrench, spanner, pipe wrench, torque wrench, lug wrench," the princess listed off, pointing to each type in turn.
"Great job, Princess. You remembered them all," Hunk said, impressed.
"I told you I was a fast learner," Allura reminded with a pleased smile.
"All right, then," Hunk said, standing back up, "you can help. Hand me the one and a quarter inch box-end wrench." The princess looked over the array of box-end wrenches he had set out and selected one, holding it out to him. Hunk grinned. "That's the one," he confirmed. "Come here. You can loosen this bolt."
"I can?" she seemed pretty excited at the prospect. Hunk nodded.
"Sure," he said. "Just stick the jaws- that's the opening on the end of the wrench- over this bolt here." He pointed. The princess did just that. "Now turn the wrench," Hunk said, demonstrating which direction to turn it with his hand. "Lefty loosey, righty tighty," he said.
"Lefty what?" Allura nearly choked, then broke out into a fit of giggles. "That's the silliest thing I've ever heard!" Hunk grinned sheepishly and shrugged.
"That's how you remember," he said. "Turn left to loosen, turn right to tighten. Lefty loosey, righty tighty. My dad told me that when I was a kid. I thought it'd help."
"Well, I'm never going to forget it, that's for sure," she said, still laughing. Hunk noticed that troubled look in her eyes was quickly fading.
"Are ya gonna turn the bolt?" Hunk asked with a nod in the bolt's direction. The princess nodded. "Lefty loosey," he reminded, making her giggle again, but she pushed on the wrench. It didn't budge. She pushed harder. It still didn't budge. She tried with both hands.
"Here, let me get it started," Hunk said, shooing her hands away and gripping the handle. A little old-fashioned muscle, and the bolt turned. "There. Now you take off the bolt. Make sure you don't let it drop inside Red. It wouldn't be easy to fish out. I'm gonna go get the lubricant for the gun arm. I'm hoping that's all the thing needs is a little oil on the joint." He left the bolt removal to the princess and jumped down from Red's claw to get what he needed. When he returned, she had the bolt in hand.
"What next?" Allura asked.
"The other two bolts holding the electro laser to the arm," Hunk said. He took the loose bolt from her, pocketing it, and she looked inside the panel.
"Those?" she asked, pointing.
"Yup," Hunk said, taking the wrench from her, too. He loosened both bolts, then handed the wrench back to her. She went to work. When she got to the final bolt, Hunk reached out and held the laser so it wouldn't fall when the last bolt came out. He started whistling again to fill the quiet.
"What are you whistling?" Allura asked curiously. "I've never heard it before."
"Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis," Hunk answered, whistling a few more bars.
"Does it have words?" the princess asked, slowly making progress on the bolt.
"Sure," Hunk replied. "You wanna hear it?" The princess nodded. "I can carry a tune, but I'm no great singer," Hunk warned. "Just so you know."
"That's okay," the princess assured. "My singing voice is certainly nothing to brag about, either." Hunk returned her smile.
"Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, Meet me at the fair. Don't tell me the lights are shining, Anyplace but there. We will dance the Hoochie Koochie, I will be your tootsie wootsie. If you will meet me in St. Louis, Louis, Meet me at the fair," Hunk sang.
"What is the Hoochie Koochie?" Allura was ready with her next question the moment he paused for breath. "It sounds like it might be a little scandalous."
"Uh, a dance," Hunk said. "I don't know how to do it. It's got to be a couple of centuries old by now. And way out of date." Allura giggled again. "And you probably shouldn't say Hoochie Koochie in front of Nanny. She'll probably think it's a dirty word." That made the princess laugh out loud.
"There. That's the last bolt," she said. Hunk took the laser and lifted it out of the open panel in Red's shoulder and carefully set it down in a clear space on Red's paw. He returned to the princess and the open panel, taking the two bolts from her and pocketing them where he'd stashed the other. They'd have to go back on when he was ready to put Red back together. "You're whistling again," the princess pointed out. "How does it go, again? Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, Meet me at the fair…"
"No, no," Hunk interrupted. "You gotta give the Louis part some emphasis. Like this: Meet me in St. Loooouuuiiiee, Looouie! Like that." She laughed, and he reached down and grabbed a couple of ratchets and handed all but one to her before poking his head inside the opening in Red Lion, reaching down to another bolt. "You try, Princess. With emphasis."
"Okay," she said with a giggle. "Meet me in St. Loouuiiee, Louis, Meet me at the fair."
"Hey, that was good," Hunk said, his voice echoing inside Red Lion. "You gotta have fun with this stuff." The princess laughed again. They sang the chorus a couple of times as they worked, making it sound as ridiculous as possible, and it didn't escape Hunk that the princess seemed more and more relaxed the longer they worked.
"Meet me in St. Loooouie, Louis," the princess sang, smiling, before looking up at Hunk. "Hunk, if it's such an old song, how do you know it?"
"Oh, I learned it from my mom," Hunk said. "Some of those old popular songs kind a stuck, and people still know 'em. I don't even know how many folk songs and old time songs I know because of her. She likes to sing all the time. I guess I get it from her."
"You're mother sounds lovely," Allura said with a sigh.
"She's the best," Hunk agreed. "Hey! I think I got it! The laser's arm is moving now." To demonstrate, he pulled it through the panel in Red's shoulder to inspect it. "Something must be leaking in there. It's got some corrosion on the joint." He pointed so the princess could see. "We'll get that cleaned off and the laser cleaned, and put it back together. Then I can figure out what was leaking and get that fixed, too."
Hunk got a pair of metal files, one for himself and one for the princess. He showed her how to carefully scrape away the corroded gunk. When he heard her humming he smiled to himself. Even her hums were giving the Louis, Louis bit an exaggerated emphasis. She was in such a good mood he figured it was time to address whatever it was that brought her down to the sick bay.
"You ready to talk about it, yet?" he asked casually.
"Um, what?" the princess looked up at him, startled.
"I could tell somethin' was bothering you when you showed up," Hunk told her. "I'll listen if you want someone to talk to." The princess considered that for a moment.
"It's Nanny," she finally said.
"Well, it was either her or Coran," Hunk said with a shrug. "Or Keith," he thought to himself, but he'd never say that aloud to her.
"She made me so mad!" Allura vented, "I love Nanny, but I hate her, too." Hunk saw the flare of anger in her expression. "She was going on about the usual things, manners, clothes, hair, my position, my duties, my studies, the need for an appropriate marriage…" the princess trailed off when Hunk nodded. "I don't know how it started, but she began to say terrible things about you boys. She said Lance- Well, I won't repeat it, but it was very rude of her. I lost my temper. I gave her a dressing down like I've never given anyone before. Nanny was so surprised, so offended, so furious she couldn't speak and she stormed off. I feel awful."
Hunk didn't say anything. Instead, he took the file from her and put it, along with his own, back on the toolbox. Then he motioned for her to follow him with a nod of his head, and led her to the edge of Red's paw where he sat with his feet dangling off the side. The princess followed and lowered herself beside him, pulling one leg up and looping her arms around it so she could rest her chin on her knee.
"I'm going to be straight with you, Princess," Hunk began. "You did the right thing. I think it's about time you started sticking up for us to Nanny." The princess's eyes grew big and round in surprise. "The team, us and you, are friends. We'd never let anyone talk to you the way you let Nanny talk to us."
"Oh, no," the princess whispered, horrified as she realized the truth of what he said. "You must hate me." She turned her face away, ashamed. Hunk put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Nah," he said. "I figured you'd eventually come around, and you did." Hunk gave the princess a few moments to process that. "Rebelling against your parents is hard, isn't it?" Hunk said. The princess looked up at him startled.
"Parents?" she asked, sniffling a little thanks to her tears.
"Well, Coran and Nanny are the closest thing to parents you have," Hunk explained. "You've been doing a lot of things lately that they don't approve of, like flying Blue Lion."
"Yes, I have, haven't I?" Allura mused.
"It's normal," Hunk assured. "You're old enough to make your own choices. It's a big change for them and for you. Change isn't easy, and you've got the added pressure of being a princess." Hunk shrugged. "They don't call 'em growing pains for nothing."
"How can I fix this, Hunk?" the princess asked. "What should I do? I don't want Nanny to leave. I said such terrible things to her."
"Well, if you want her to treat you like an adult, you gotta act like one," Hunk said. "You can apologize to her for yelling and being rude, but don't back down about sticking up for the team. You're one of the nicest people I know, Princess, but even nice people have limits. Nanny needs to know what yours are."
"I think I can do that," Allura said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Just give her some time to cool off," Hunk advised. The princess nodded. "Feel better now?" Hunk asked. Allura nodded again, even giving him a watery smile. "Come on, Grease Monkey. We've got work to finish."
"Grease monkey?" the princess asked.
"Yeah, it's a nickname given to people who like to work on machines and vehicles," Hunk explained. "You've got a smudge of somethin' on your cheek," he pointed, "and some just here." He pointed at her nose.
"I do not!" the princess said, reaching up to wipe it away, but only making the mess bigger. Hunk laughed. "Well, you've got a smudge on your chin," she retaliated in fun.
"Doesn't bother me," Hunk said with a shrug before getting to his feet. "And we'll probably be messier before we're done. It's an occupational hazard." The princess laughed, following him back to the open panel in Red's shoulder to resume work on the electro laser.
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…...
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A few weeks later…
"What are you whistling today?" Hunk looked up from his work on the underside of Black Lion. He wasn't surprised to see the princess this time. He thought she might come back at some point, and here she was.
"Sidewalks of New York," Hunk answered, reaching for a power drill. "If you help me adjust Black's stabilizers, I'll teach it to you and let you use the drill." Her troubled eyes brightened a bit. "Here, put these on," Hunk said, reaching into his toolbox and tossing a pair of black work gloves at her. They were small, with a stripe of pink over the backs. She took them, grinning, and slid her hands in.
"So, how does it go?" the princess asked, crawling under Black Lion to join Hunk.
"East side, west side, all around the town…"
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…...
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The End
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One Last Thing: In an episode of Voltron Force, Hunk is singing "Sweet Betsy from Pike," a song I know and like to sing with my nanny kids. This story might be set in DotU, but since Hunk is established as being good with kids, I borrowed from Voltron Force a bit and gave my version of Hunk a sizeable repertoire of children's, folk, and old-time popular songs. Just in case you were wondering. ~Sapphire