A/N: IT'S BEEN LIKE 10 BILLION YEARS BUT I'M BACK. And with this crazy fandom, no less.
I call these "snippets" in the summary because not all of them are strictly one-line sentences. Because I just can't cut down on words. I chose these "prompts" based on a generator that actually spits out eight words at a time and worked from those.
A note about ages: in this story and in other shidge fic I write, Shiro is aged down. In this fic, he is 19; Pidge is 15/16.
Reviews relieve some of my crushing self-doubt as a young writer.
the inner workings of stardust
i. patronize
She's used to being condescended for her height—even Lance has called her shorty and munchkin a few times too many—but when Shiro looks at her with pride in his eyes, she feels taller than ever.
ii. blame
"I used to blame you, y'know," she said quietly. "They said it was pilot error, not Galra."
iii. computer
She wishes her emotions were more logical: a line of code that executed an action rather than rooting her in place.
iv. torment
The nightmares are bad, but it's worse when he hears a panicked takashi, wake up and almost says matt? before he opens his eyes.
v. glasses
"I don't really need them," she says shyly. "Good," he says, and gently removes the frames so he can kiss her.
vi. defy
"Pidge," he says forcefully, desperation just under the surface, "don't do this—"
vii. eradicate
"Did we get them all?" she demands, and exhausted as she looks under the helmet, monster guts smeared on her armor, Shiro can't help but think that she looks beautiful all the same.
viii. assist
"Let me help you," he says gently, when he finds her poring over Galra prisoner logs at 3 AM.
ix. gifted
"Pidge, you're a genius!" she hears over the comms, and flushes with pride.
x. tiny
She looks so small when they pull her from the rubble; Shiro feels an iron band tighten around his heart.
xi. insult
"There's a difference between courage and stupidity," she seethes, and he suddenly sees how scared she was.
xii. glistening
Stumbling into the training room at 1 AM was not a good idea; Pidge frantically recites the periodic table in her head to take her mind off Shiro's very bare chest.
xiii. rigid
"Relax," he says quietly, putting a hand on her tense shoulders. "We'll find them. I promise."
xiv. delirious
She cries out for her brother, her father in her sleep, and Shiro wishes the pods could block out dreams just as well as pain.
xv. coffee
They've all learned to keep their distance from the Green Paladin before she's had her coffee in the morning, so even Keith is flabbergasted that Shiro's holding a semi-pleasant conversation with her right now.
xvi. raw
Shiro is the Champion, the Black Paladin, the Leader of Voltron—but right now, shaking and gasping for air, Pidge can only see his ragged edges, raw underneath the stripped-away titles.
xvii. exotic
"The artistry—the elegance—the engineering is so pretty," Pidge gushes, and Shiro smiles and thinks yes you are.
xviii. alluring
"You mean—you're not into the princess?" she blurts out.
xix. wind
Pidge thinks that the Black Lion couldn't have chosen better—Shiro is a breath of fresh air against the smell of smoke and blood; a commanding wind in the face of chaos; a cool breeze that shores them up against exhaustion and despair.
xx. deceive
"When did you know?" she asks. "From the first," he replies.
xxi. consider
He hasn't given much thought to what he'll do after the war, but he has an idea.
xxii. forest
He wouldn't have pegged the Green Paladin to be Pidge, at first glance, but he's seen her grow into it: she is full of surprises, small but resilient, using every part of her arsenal to reach a solution.
xxiii. delight
Tadaima, he hears her call from the door one day, and in his startled happiness an okaeri slips from his lips in response.
xxiv. deafening
The only thing she can hear in her pounding heartbeat in her ears as she waits nervously for his response.
xxv. entangle
"Five more minutes," she mumbles, rolling over; he laughs quietly into her sleep-mussed hair.
xxvi. suppress
She sees the concern with which he looks at the princess, and tries to shut off the hurt that rises.
xxvii. distress
She trusts the other Paladins, of course she does—but when it's one against three or five or ten and she's this close to panic, hearing Shiro's steady "I've got you" brings a security like nothing else.
xxviii. frustrate
He's exhausted, mind blank, trying not to scream at the impenetrable puzzle of the situation. "Go to bed," Pidge says firmly, raising her eyebrows when he starts to protest. "Trust me, I'll figure it out." And he does.
xxix. shivering
It's only after the particularly tough battles that the adrenalin wears off and she can't stop shaking—but Shiro presses a hand to her shoulder and stays until the tremors stop.
xxx. mouse
"Oh, I see," Allura murmured knowingly over the squeaks, and slid her gaze from the Black to the Green Paladin and then back again. "Very interesting indeed."
xxxi. brave
Shiro doesn't understand how she can be so brave sometimes—Pidge just smiles and says, "I get it from you."
xxxii. approach
"Hey, Shiro!" Pidge laughs, very casually grinding her toe into Lance's foot. "How's—how are you today?"
xxxiii. addle
He glances at Pidge's wide eyes and brilliant smile, and promptly loses his train of thought.
xxxiv. screeching
Lance stares at them both, slack-jawed, before he goes screaming down the hall (my eyes, MY EYES); Shiro and Pidge exchange a long, startled glance before the helpless laughter takes them both.
xxxv. surprise
"Oh," Shiro says dazedly, the press of her lips on his cheek still imprinted in his mind; and then, as the hangar doors slide shut behind her, "wait, Pidge—Katie—"
xxxvi. train
Both of them are surprised when she knocks him flat on his back in the training room. Shiro huffs a laugh and says, "Well-fought," and Pidge feels her face heat as she grips his hand and pulls him up.
xxxvii. evade
"Y'know," he says quietly, "evasive maneuvers are for the battlefield only."
xxxviii. bribe
"If you keep your mouth shut," Pidge hisses to a slightly terrified Lance, "I'll put whatever gadget you want on Blue."
xxxix. lead
Shiro is a natural leader—he just needs to stop stepping on her toes as they waltz or she is actually going to pull her bayard on him, no I'm not kidding, Takashi.
xl. name
The Galra sneer paladin scum; the Olkari proudly label her as one of their own. Lance and Hunk call her the smart one, while Keith rolls his eyes and claims she's just Pidge. But only Shiro calls her Katie, and looks at her like none of the others when he does.
Question: Which one of these snippets would you like to see me craft into a larger story? Let me know in a review!
