I'm not the best at writing love confessions, but I hope ya'll like this.
And if you're wondering why I ended it where I did, it'll make sense after I post the next and final chapter.
Lance ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He had swung by Pidge's family's apartment, and learned from Matt and Nyma that Pidge was up on the roof. So, after swinging by his family's apartment to grab some homemade peanut butter cookies, Pidge's favorite, he headed up there.
Hopefully she could help him sort out his feelings. They had become great friends while they were in space, and if anyone could help him, it was her.
He slowed his pace.
If he had to be honest to himself, he and Pidge might have crossed the friend zone... and best friend zone... they might have reached that mutual crush/in between best friends and dating zone (if there was one). But he was pretty sure that that was only his mind playing tricks on him, and she only thought of him as a best friend. Maybe.
He didn't know whether to hope that she still thought of him as a friend, or if she liked him. Scratch that, he hoped it was the first for her sake.
"Pidge?" He called, stepping out onto the roof.
There she was, but he was a little shocked when he saw her.
She wasn't in her baggy shorts and sweatshirt, although he honestly shouldn't have been surprised. They were back on Earth, so they all had more clothes.
And she didn't need to pretend to be a boy.
"Yeah?" She called back. He noticed that she raised a hand to her face, and had cleared her throat before talking. But that didn't stop the quiver in it.
She had been crying.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked gently, walking towards her.
"Yeah. I-I'm fine. I'm just... looking at the stars."
Lance placed a hand on her shoulder, but pulled back when he felt her bristle slightly.
"You're not okay." He held out the bag he had been holding. "If you need to talk, I'm a good listener. And I have peanut butter cookies."
Pidge gave a short, small, weak laugh and shook her head. "Where's Allura?"
That caught him off guard. Yes, they had been on a date, but that was abrupt of her to ask. And she was a little harsh in the question.
But, she also sounded hurt.
"She's down in the cafeteria, talking with Shiro about the Atlas."
Pidge still wouldn't look at him, and instead looked down, "How was you're guy's date?"
Lance sat down next to her. "It was... okay."
That surprised Pidge, making her look to him.
Shocking him.
Her eyes.
They weren't hidden behind her helmet, or her glasses. Making them seem clearer to him.
Sure, he had seen her without glasses before, but it wasn't normal. Usually the routine went, glasses off, helmet on, helmet off, glasses on. With not much time in between. (And of course, it's not like he ever was purposely staring into her eyes)
Her eye's were big, and a pretty amber.
They were beautiful.
They also, held tears.
Just looking at her made it obvious that she had been crying. Well, obvious to him. He had lived with her in the Castle of Lions, and he did have a big sister, and a sister-in-law.
"It was okay? Not great?" She asked after a moment of silence.
Lance softly smiled at her. "It was okay." He repeated.
"Why not great?" She asked again, swiftly taking a cookie from the bag. (Hey! Comfort food!)
Lance shrugged and looked up at the sky. "I don't know. After waiting so long to go on a date with her, you think I would have enjoyed it."
"You didn't." There was obvious shock in her voice.
"It was nice. But, it was awkward. Allura and I both realized that we're better off as friends."
"Yeah?"
Lance glanced at her. She had a soft smile, though she was obviously trying to hide it.
Just seeing the smile made his heart flutter.
"Yeah."
He knew the answer to the question that was bugging him since his and Allura's date.
The reason he didn't enjoy the date?
He liked Pidge.
No. That was wrong.
What he was feeling wasn't the normal, 'heart flutter, think about them a lot, let's go out, break up a while later' thing that he was use to.
It wasn't what he had felt with Allura either.
No, he couldn't imagine a world without Pidge.
Which of course made him realize, then and there, that he didn't like Pidge.
He loved her.
Pidge looked at Lance out of the corner of her eye. He had been silent for the past few minutes, and had this odd look on his face.
But she really didn't care too much.
She still couldn't believe that he and Allura decided NOT to date.
He had been chasing Allura ever since he met her, and now he didn't want to date her!?
The question was, why?
"Lance?" She nudged his arm. "Are you okay?"
Lance blinked, snapping out of whatever he had been thinking about. "What? Oh, I'm fine."
Pidge gave him a curious look, but let it slide. She didn't feel like playing a game of 'are you okay? Yeah, are you okay?' She had a bigger issue to attend too.
Before Lance came up, she had been regretting the fact that she never told him how she felt. Now, she had her chance. Did it terrify her? Yes. But she was going to do it.
"Hey Lance?"
"Yeah?"
Pidge stared down at her hands. "I-I have a confession to make."
"About?"
Pidge cleared her throat. "It's just..." She had no idea how to say this. "I-You we're right. I didn't come up here to stargaze. I came up here to think. I was depressed when I heard that you and Allura were going out on a date." Lance was about to speak, but Pidge put up a hand and turned to him with a pleading look. "Let me get this out." She whispered. "Lance. I like you. Really really like you. maybe even more than like. And I know that I'm rambling, but-"
"Pidge-"
"And it's totally okay if you don't like me back!" She quickly added. "I just had to get that out, and-"
"Katie!" Between saying her name, and gently grabbing her forearms, Lance had all of Pidge's attention. "You're right. I don't like you."
Pidge glanced down, fighting back some tears. But then she noticed how close Lance's face was too her's.
Dangerously close.
"I love you." He whispered, before gently placing his lips on her's.
Pidge was shocked, but soon melted into the kiss.
A few moment they pulled apart.
Pidge lunged forward, hugging Lance. "I love you too." She whispered.
She laughed and rested her head on his shoulder. "You know that I now will be living in my parents apartment."
"Yep."
"Matt is probably spying on us."
"Yep."
"There's a good chance the other's are listening at the door."
Lance chuckled. "Probably."
"And Allura and Shiro are more or likely making plans on how to keep an eye on us for when we move into the Atlas."
Lance, once again agreed.
A comfortable silence followed, with both of them wondering why it took so long for them to reveal their feelings about each other.
But at the same time, they didn't care.
Because no matter how things went, they would have ended up right where they were.
And that's all that mattered.