The Yellow Paladin
by jalpari
Noor is still reeling from the death of her fellow prisoners. Hunk is back and Noor's reaction to his presence is quite unexpected.
A/N:
This fanfic picks up from where the "Voltron: Legendary Defender" Netflix series ended.
I have drawn a lot from my own experiences with mental health, trauma, panic attacks and recovery. Hopefully, the emotions I try to instill the characters and scenes with come across as genuine and maybe even relatable for some of you!
Pidge and Shiro ran to her room. This was their second night on the ship and each night had unfolded in the same way. They heard her scream again and rushed inside to find her crouched on the ground against a wall.
"Noor!" Pidge ran forward and knelt beside her, "what happened?"
Noor was shivering. She looked up at them and jumped back, her eyes wide open.
"I…", she looked around, "I saw...they...why am I on the floor?"
"You were screaming. Did you have a dream again?" Shiro helped her back on the bed.
Out of nowhere, Kosmo appeared by their side. All three were startled but Noor seemed to calm down as the dog put his head on her lap.
"I think so…", she gently massaged Kosmo.
"You must have fallen down in your sleep", Pidge handed her a glass of water.
"Thank you", she held the glass but her hands trembled too much for her to take a sip.
"What did you dream about?"
"I don't remember clearly. I saw flashes. There was the blue again. Then I saw that man..."
Her voice faltered.
"It's alright", Shiro sat beside her. "You're safe."
"...he came towards me with an injection. I couldn't move."
"You should sleep", Pidge took the glass from her hand. "Do you...do you want me to stay?"
"No", Noor shook her head and got under the blanket. Kosmo lay by her feet and they heard her breathing calm down.
Shiro and Pidge walked out, glancing over their shoulder before leaving. As they closed the door, Pidge nearly jumped when she saw Keith in front of her.
"Keith! What in the name of...you scared me!"
"Is she okay?" Keith asked Shiro, leaning against the wall opposite the door.
"She had a nightmare. It's only been three days since...the explosions. It'll take some time."
"Have you been standing here the whole time?" Pidge said in an irritated tone, "Why didn't you just come in?"
"You two were already in there", he shrugged.
"Are you just bugged that Kosmo sleeps with her instead of you now?" Pidge smirked.
"No", Keith replied softly and began walking back to his room.
"I need to get some sleep too", Pidge yawned.
"Yeah", Shiro slowly walked away as well.
"Why are we here on Vrepisal?" Bani looked at Shiro confused.
"It's the planet with the best food in all the galaxies…" Pidge snickered.
"And with our last team member", Keith grinned.
"I think I've heard of Vrepisal", Luten perked up. "Isn't this where…"
"HUNK!" Pidge shrieked and ran ahead and straight into the arms of a beaming giant wearing a chef's uniform and yellow apron.
"Pidge! Oh it's so nice to see you. Look at you", he placed her back down, "you've become taller!"
"That is accurate", Pidge gave him a smug smile.
"Keith! Shiro!" Hunk pulled both men into a tight embrace, nearly picking them off the ground too.
"Uhh...Hunnkk...nice to…"
"Ughh...you're kinda...crushin…"
"Oh, sorry!" Hunk let go. "I'm just SO happy to see you all."
"Same here, buddy", Shiro patted the young man's arm.
"Man, you've gotten stronger", Keith groaned as he rotated and flexed his arm.
Hunk looked at the group and counted.
"Shiro, I think one of you is...missing."
"No, she's...resting. She still hasn't recovered fully."
"Oh okay…", Hunk replied sympathetically.
"Well come inside!" He tried lightening the mood. "I was just preparing dinner. In my experience...a happy stomach is necessary for important discussions."
Keith rolled his eyes and entered the diner that Hunk helped build when he began his journey as an intergalactic chef., Bani and Luten followed, eyes wide open in wonder. This was the first time they were meeting the universe renowned chef who had catered several crucial diplomatic missions and brought bickering leaders together in peace.
After dinner, everyone sighed in contentment.
"Man, I've missed your cooking", Pidge groaned and leaned back in her seat.
"Me too", Keith sighed in satisfaction.
"Alright", Hunk turned to Shiro. "When are we leaving?"
"Don't you want to know more…"
"Whatever it is, it must be huge if you guys are on the mission. And I am not saying no to my team."
"Thank you, Hunk", Shiro smiled gratefully. "We should leave tonight itself then."
"Not a problem", Hunk jumped up. "I always have a bag ready to leave at a moment's notice. You never know when the next peace summit turns into a food fight!"
The paladins laughed as they remembered their first bonding moment. After everything they had tried, all it took was a food fight to help them form Voltron.
"And I'll pack a meal for the other team member...what was her name?" Hunk paused.
"Noor…", Keith answered before anyone else could reply.
He looked around and saw everyone staring at him.
"What? I know her name!"
"Noor...It's a beautiful name", Hunk whispered as he left.
"I wish Lance were here too", Pidge grinned, "then it would be just like old times."
"Me too", Shiro chuckled. "But he seems to be content with where he is for now."
"You know what Lance would say if he was here?" Pidge smirked. "Hey there...little lady...Noor, my girl...how about I take you for a ride in my lion?"
Shiro laughed at Pidge's impression and Keith rolled his eyes prompting Pidge to carry on.
"Hey you...mister mullet...back off...she's mine…"
"Very funny, Pidge."
"I AM funny...funnier than YOU...which is why I'll get the cute girl!"
"Ooo...is she cute?" Hunk reappeared with three overstuffed bags and a large take away box.
"Sort of…", Keith muttered under his breath before realizing what he said.
He coughed, hoping no one had heard that, and continued, "What is all that, Hunk?"
"Oh, just the essentials...a cooker, some spices, clothes, pans, herbs, shoes, aprons, snacks, pasta maker, dried fruits…"
"Do you really need all that?" Keith snapped.
"Do you guys want good food...or not?" Hunk raised an eyebrow.
"Yep, we do! Let's go", Pidge glared at Keith.
She whispered in Keith's ear, "Zip it or I'll tell everyone you think she is 'sort of' cute."
Keith groaned.
"Hold this", Hunk dropped the box into an annoyed Keith's hand. "It's for Noor."
"Do we have everything?"
"Yes, we are ready to leave."
"Good. Bani?" Shiro called out to the Olkari pilot.
"All systems check, Shiro. Where do you want me to head us to?"
"Pidge?"
"I modified my old 'Galra finder". We have only two data points so far but I added another variable...likely planets that could be used as hidden bases. The algorithm should, within a statistically acceptable margin of error, provide a list of target-rich environments...color-coded, of course, because what are we, animals?"
"Pidge!"
"I was able to program our journey so we can cover the plausible sites in the most efficient way", Pidge ignored Keith. "Also, based on the bio-signatures and chemical markers I scanned at both bases, once we get within a certain distance of the planets, I will be able to tell if any terrorists were or are present there, assuming of course that there are no new races in the group that weren't already there when we attacked."
"Get to the point, Pidge", Shiro shook his head.
"Senfama", Pidge stated as she pulled up a map on the screen. "That's where we are going first."
"What's Senfama?" Luten asked.
"It's another moon world, similar to Olkarion…the old Olkarion", Bani replied.
"It was one of the planets where the Galrans made a Zaiforge cannon", Shiro added.
"Oh, yes! It's a reclaimed territory now", Luten nodded.
"Yep…", Keith smiled, "it's all jungle and no people."
"We'll see about that", Shiro turned to face the screen. "How long to Senfama?"
"Just under two days", Bani replied.
"Any other news from the Coalition or the Blade?"
"Nothing yet."
"Alright", Shiro relaxed and turned to the rest of the group. "Looks like we have time to kill."
"You mean...to relax?" Pidge asked.
"He means", Keith stood up and stretched, "to train."
"I definitely did not miss this part of the missions."
"C'mon, Pidge", Keith sneered, "or have you gone all soft hiding between those robots of yours?"
"Uh...guys?" Hunk interrupted. "Can someone take me to Noor. She hasn't eaten anything all day, right?"
"Yeah", Pidge shrugged. "I tried…"
"I don't blame her. This ship's food is awful. No offense Bani", Hunk yelled over his shoulder.
"None taken", Bani yelled back.
"Wait till she smells my food...she's gonna gobble it all up."
"Are you sure? She may just gobble you up", Pidge grinned. "See those scars on Keith's arms. She did that."
"For the last time! I wasn't trying to fight back! She was weak and I didn't want to hurt her. Can we drop it now!?"
"Wow, someone's touchy", Pidge laughed before grabbing Hunk by the arm and leading him to Noor's room.
Pidge knocked on the door. "Noor, I have food...my friend cooked it...for you."
"Hey! Noor!" Hunk waved at the closed door, "It's me. Hunk. I cooked you a delicious meal. You should have it while it's hot."
The door opened abruptly and Noor's face popped out.
"The yellow paladin?"
"Yup, that's me!"
She looked at the box in his hand.
"You're Hunk? The chef-diplomat?"
"Is that what they're calling me?"
"I mean...that's the gist of it", Noor opened the door and let them in.
Pidge blinked in surprise at how at ease Noor seemed around Hunk. As they walked in, they noticed Kosmo wagging his tail at Hunk.
"Kosmo!" Hunk exclaimed, "You're here too?"
"Yeah", Pidge sat down, "he hasn't left her side."
"Aww...that's sweet", Hunk patted the dog, "Here", he handed Noor the box, "You should eat something."
Once again, to Pidge's surprise, Noor didn't hesitate. She reached for the box and peered in, taking in a light sniff. Her eyes widened and then closed as she went on to inhale the scent of the food. She sighed and a sad smile spread across her face.
"Is this…", she murmured.
"Khichdi...yep", Hunk beamed.
"What's...kichty?" Pidge leaned over to see.
"It's khi-ch-dee…", Hunk enunciated. "It's an Indian dish."
"How did you know…", Noor asked.
"Pidge told me you were from India", Hunk rubbed the back of his neck, "I thought having something from home would help."
Pidge saw as Noor's eyes welled up with tears. And for the first time, Noor didn't hold them back. She placed the box beside her and leapt into Hunk's arms. As she sobbed, Hunk patted her back and whispered soothing words.
"It's alright. I know it must be scary... being among complete strangers and not knowing what's happening. But my team is your family now. And we're going to do everything we can to find those nasty terrorists."
"Thank you", Noor managed to say between hiccups.
Pidge was heartened at the sight. For the first time since the explosion, she had seen Noor show an emotion other than panic, anger or fear. At least now, she was sad.
"She's asleep", Pidge announced as she and Hunk joined Shiro and Keith in his room.
"Fast asleep", Hunk grinned.
"Yep", Pidge nodded, "she really did gobble up all the food and dozed off as soon as her head hit the pillow."
"That's a good sign. She's making progress", Shiro smiled.
"You have no idea", Pidge raised her eyebrows, "one minute with Hunk and she cried like a little baby."
"What?" Keith looked up, dropping aside the book he was reading.
"Yeah...she was...she finally let herself be sad", Hunk replied, his face becoming heavy with sympathy.
"Wow, Hunk", Shiro leaned back, "that's amazing. Now I understand how you manage to smooth over those peace meetings."
"Good food and happy stomachs make people more open to change and new ideas."
"Of course", Keith rolled his eyes.
"I'm sure having Kosmo around is helping her too", Hunk added.
Keith didn't say anything. He picked his book and began reading once more. But his mind was wandering off and he kept reading the same line over and over again. Seeing Noor lost and afraid, somehow made him think back to his childhood.
If it hadn't been for Shiro, he wouldn't have been able to get his life together. Shiro had never given up on him. After Shiro told them that Noor had no home or family to go back to, he had hoped they would be able to do the same for her.
A/N:
The yellow paladin was my favorite tbh. I totally see Hunk playing the role of the sympathetic agony aunt. He understands fear and the effort it takes to move past it to face scary situations head on. I love him!
