Ever since...I can't place when, something about Pidge has been different to me. I want her safe more than ever, but I find myself standing back to admire her whenever she stands up to fight the Galra, whenever she whips out her bayard, whenever she's hacking, whenever she's...herself. Ive been dealing with this for weeks now. What the hell is wrong with me? I never get this way. I mean, I'm a ladies man. And a man's man, I've been known to be that. But something about Pidge is weird. I can't place it. It's something about her eyes. Or maybe it's her hair. Or maybe her fierce smile? Or the way she smiles when she hacks into a Galra base, or the way she adjusts her glasses when she's focusing. This is weird. Really, really weird. I'm sure it's nothing though. Must just be something between us right now.
These thoughts race through my head faster than Pidge and I run through the halls of a Galra ship, running from sentries.
"Run, Lance!" She shouts. "They've almost caught up!"
"You think I don't know?" I cry, my heart jumping into my throat at the strength in her voice. She pulls up a small holomap and points forward.
"The pod should be up ahead," she says. I frown.
"Not our usual exit."
"We didn't really have a choice. This was supposed to be a stealth mission," she says with a glare, directed at me. I shiver. God, she could pin down a hundred Galra with that glare. "But someone had to take the shot at the commander."
"He was right there!" I plead. "When was I going to have a better chance? And besides, the whole point of this mission was to take him down."
"The point was to take his plans for attacking the planet," she says. "Then take him down."
"So I skipped a step, whatever." I mutter, then yelp as Pidge yanks at my collar to take a right turn, a gesture that has my heart slamming in my chest. Seriously, what is actually wrong with me? This is so weird. I'm never like this, girls or guys. I just flirt and hope they go along. Granted, I've never flirted with Pidge.
My mind slams the breaks. Flirt? With Pidge? The incredible nature of the thought pauses my brain for a second. Pidge and I have always been friends. For the longest time she was the quiet loner guy, then suddenly she wasn't a guy anymore, she was a paladin of Voltron along with the others and me. This is so beyond weird. How do I even feel about Pidge? What has been up with me the past few weeks? I seriously don't know. I really need to see a space doctor or something.
"Lance!" Pidge calls my name for the fiftieth time. "Will you pay attention and turn your brain on? The pod!" She points at the entrance to a Galra pod, open and ready to go. "Come on!" I jump, and speed toward the pod with Pidge. The sound of footsteps echo behind us, but we can't fight them. We have to get away. Within seconds, Pidge is already inside the pod, hooking up the controls or something, whatever she does. But I hang back. The sentries are almost on us. If I don't shoot, they'll get me. They'll get her. And I can't let that happen.
I turn and begin firing at the Galra, bayard in hand in the form of a rifle, or the Altean equivalent. My shots bang in my ears, but not in an unpleasant way the way Earth guns do. It's more of a blam, a loud sound of power. I like it. Just like I like Pidge's freckles. Wait, what?
"Lance!" Pidge shouts behind me. I blink in surprise at the desperation in her voice. I keep firing, taking down sentry after sentry as they fire back at me. I grit my teeth. We have to get out of here, but I have to keep the guards distracted. I have to help out Pidge in any way that I can, no matter what the risk. No matter what the risk.
Suddenly I'm tugged backward by a long, green rope and slammed onto the floor of the pod, the doors closing behind me. I stare at the ceiling for a long moment, listening to the sounds of the pod's takeoff. A brown-haired head looks down at me, and I flush at the concern on Pidge's face. "Lance! What was that?" She holds out a hand, and I let her pull me to my feet dumbly, my face slack. I've never noticed it before...but she looks so strong. Fierce. Amazing.
"What?" I ask. It's all I can say.
"You shooting. I had us out of there, you didn't have to worry."
"I wanted to help you, cause I-" The words die on my lips. I like you. I was about to say it. I like her? Is that was this is about? But I've never flirted with her! Never so much as looked at her that way.
Or have I? These last few weeks, is that's what's been happening? As I stare at Pidge, my face heats up. Oh god. I like Pidge.
Oh, shit.