(~)
The merpeople had been restored to their original forms, and now all of their lost treasures, weapons and resources have returned as well. The queen was rightfully back on the throne and reunited with her daughters. Just like with the Arisuans, the merpeople offered their saviors lavish gifts. A pearl necklace for Pidge, which she had to admit, was rather lovely. The upper half had much smaller pearls, with only one slightly larger one at the center. Allura was given a similar necklace, and the boys were given golden medallions shaped like seashells.
"I only wish there was more we could do for you." said Queen Luxia.
"Thank you for the generous gifts your majesty, but I think we'll be alright." Coran said.
"Besides, you need them more than we do." Allura said.
The group turned their heads when they heard Lance making baby talk at his new lion, who swam in place like a happy little kitten. "Who's a good Blue Lion? Who's a pretty Blue Lion? You are, yes you are! Come here, give daddy a hug!" Lance spread open his arms and the lion pressed its large mechanical nose against his body. Lance rubbed its surface, hearing the happy purring of his new partner. "That's a good boy, that's a good boy!"
Allura couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh my gosh, did I really look like that around Red?" she asked Keith, unable to sustain her laughter.
"Yeah, but when you do it it's cute." Keith replied…only to realize what had slipped out of his mouth and his face became as red as the red lion itself. "Well, I guess we should be going now!" he said, trying to change the subject. Allura blushed.
"Yeah." Lance said, still rubbing his lion's nose. "We've got another family reunion to get to."
"Be safe. And good luck on your journey." the queen said, waving farewell alongside her daughters as the group boarded the blue lion, which swam back up to the surface. Lance smiled as the waters zoomed past them, and the surface was only an arm's reach. Once the lion surfaced and climbed onto the snow covered shoreline, Balto and the space mice rushed outside the ship.
The blue lion lowered its head and opened its mouth, allowing its passengers to exit one by one. Balto ran up to Keith, happily greeting him by leaping into his arms, licking his face. Allura's mice friends scurried over, each jumping into her palms. Hunk breathed a sigh of relief once he removed his helmet.
"Oh, I have never been happy to get out of the water in my entire life."
"Do you have to complain about everything?" Allura asked.
"He wouldn't be Hunk if he wasn't complaining about something." Pidge said with a shrug.
"I think we've all learned a very valuable lesson today." Lance said, while folding his arms. "Next time I go swimming after a mermaid, I hope you won't be complaining the whole time."
"Lesson learned."
Allura approached the ship, pressing her two fingers into her mouth and whistled. The red lion emerged from the cargo hold. The blue lion rose its head in alarm, and the red lion hesitated to continue forward. For a moment, it looked as if the two would either try to intimidate the other or begin an all out battle. Thankfully, the two lions approached one another, the blue lion tapping the red lion's head with its paw, making a clanging sound, and the red lion did the same to him comrade. The two lions then rubbed their heads before placing one of their paws over the other's back, hugging one another.
Everyone, including Keith, just melted at the sight of the two lions reuniting. It was strange how these large mechanical lions acted so much like actual lions, even rubbing each other's heads while interacting, which was how lions in the wild did to form a strong bond. These two lions acted as if they were long lost brothers, reuniting after being apart for so long.
"Awwwww!"
"That's so adorable!" Hunk said, pressing his hands close to his heart.
The red and blue lions nuzzled their respected paladins, purring in gratitude for having reunited them again. Keith smiled as Allura and Lance both affectionately petted their lions.
"Two down. Three to go."
(~)
The two lions willingly climbed back onto the cargo hold of the ship and Coran took off. The group looked out the window, seeing the lovely planet grow smaller and smaller as they zoomed through space.
"So, what's the next stop?" Coran asked, keeping his eyes on the path ahead.
Keith removed the lid from over the heart. Allura tapped it and once again the ship was surrounded by the floating coordinates. An image of a brown looking planet with floating rocks around it.
"The planet Olkarian." said the princess before turning to the youngest member of their group. "There, we will find your lion, Pidge."
Pidge's eyes beamed with excitement. Finally, she would be receiving her very own lion!
"Ah, Olkarian. Home to the Olkari!" Coran said with a smile, "A proud class of engineers. Builders of vast cities that could change shape at the whim of their creators!"
"They have a seemingly magical ability to manipulate solid metal." Allura explained once she removed her finger from the heart, making the coordinates disappear. "With just a wave of their hands they can build a computer inside a block of steal."
"An Olkari once gave me this during my military days!" Coran pulled from his pocket a strange, square shaped floating device, entirely made of metal with a single neon aquamarine outline in between. Lance stared at in bewilderment.
"What is it?"
"Uh, hello! it's a floating cube! Ha, this guy! And watch. 'My name is Coran, and I'm a gorgeous man.'"
The cube's side lit up and replayed what Coran has just said, "My name is Coran, and I'm a gorgeous man."
Lance blinked. It was really just a floating recorder. Nothing really special, considering they had that back on Altea. "Um…cool?"
A loud grumbling sound was heard. Hunk blushed from embarrassment. "Uh, is it too late to have lunch? I haven't eaten since breakfast and I'm starving."
"You ate half the food down there." Keith pointed out, remembering the way Hunk devoured the meal the mermaid princesses had offered them.
"Yeah, but swimming for my life and climbing up tall shelves inside a cave really works up an appetite."
"Actually, would it be okay if we landed somewhere?" Lance asked, "I kind of want to get to know my lion a little better. Plus, I could sense the poor guy hasn't had a chance to really stretch out his sea legs in a while. Get it? Sea legs! Ha, ha, ha!…." he laughed at his own joke but soon stopped when nobody else laughed along with him. "Okay, it's not that funny."
"I'm not sure if we should rest now." Allura said, partly narrowing her eyes. "Any minute we waste is another moment closer for Zarkon to reach us. I may have been able to block the heart from his power but I don't know how long it will last."
"Aw, come on! You got to bond with your lion!" Lance whined little a little child.
"Actually, I'm getting kind of hungry too." Pidge said before rubbing her shoulders, "And my arms are tired from all that swimming."
Keith did agree with Allura in which they couldn't risk loosing anymore time in case Zarkon came after them again. Still, judging by the looks on his friend's faces, they did appear to be rather exhausted, and hungry. Even he himself was noticing his stomach running on empty. The merpeople's food was tasty, but it was light in comparison to land food. If anything, it felt more like a pre-meal desert than anything.
"Well, there are actually some swamp moons nearby." Coran suggested.
Allura cringed. "Coran, you can't be serious. Those things are disgusting!"
"Only on the outside. In fact, these moons are surrounded by a special kind of gravitational field that makes it appear as if they are dead. We used to hide out in them from the Galra back in my military days. Trust me, the smell is only on the outside. Inside, it's quite different."
"So, it's like when an animal covers itself in filth to disguise its scent?" Pidge said, adjusting her glasses.
"Exactly! Plus, I am feeling a bit peckish myself."
Keith pondered for a moment, noticing the eyes of his friends all on him, yet again. It would appear the votes were in, and the decision was unanimous. "I think one small break wouldn't hurt anyone."
While Allura still didn't want to just delay their mission, given there was no guarantee they would be safe from Zarkon being able to detect them via the heart, but they would be secured within one of the swamp moons. She prayed it would be as clean inside as Coran had described. Plus, she was also in the need for something to eat as well.
"Alright." Allura said with a sigh, "I hope you're right, Coran."
"Trust me, Princess. We'll be perfectly safe there." Coran tapped on the dashboard, locating a swamp moon not too far ahead. The ship soon arrived at a nearby swamp moon, which looked much like any ordinary moon a military pilot would find in space, aside from the large disgustingly colored clouds that surrounded it. It appeared as if the air was made out of nothing but pollution. Allura and the others had heard all about the history of Earth before it was destroyed, and how pollution was a very slow death for its inhabitants. If the Galra had not blown up the planet during its reign of intergalactic conquest, then the dirty air and oil spills most certainly would have done the job at some point.
They could smell the stench even from inside the ship. Or at least they thought they could smell it. The clouds were so thick and swarming in random patches of brown, sickly yellow green, black and gray it felt as if they were staring at a river where animals would both use to clean themselves and use as nature's toilet.
Hunk was already beginning to lose his appetite. "Uh, Coran, you sure that's the right swamp moon?"
"Oh, I'm sure." Coran accelerated the ship's speed and went right into the clouds. Hunk felt nauseous and vomited right then and there. Though, quite frankly, everyone was already used to it at this point. Looking at one of their own puke what little food he had was surprisingly less repulsive than the moon itself.
However, once the ship passed the clouds, the younger members stared in wide eyed wonder. The moon resembled an actual planet more than anything else. A small one in comparison, but still. There ground was mostly made out of rocks and minerals, but there was a lake of clean water, and some trees with fresh green leafs. Coran smiled proudly at seeing everyone's reaction. The older man was right, the swamp moon was VERY different inside than outside. The clouds were cleaner inside than they were outside, and they could still see every star in space. Coran landed the ship near the lake and everyone exited one by one. Lance inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh, clean, air.
"It smells like a forest!" he said, leaping out, happy to touch solid ground. As much as he enjoyed water and snow, nobody could go wrong with good old fashioned earth.
Allura blinked and smiled in awe at the stunning sight. "Wow…I was very, very wrong about these things."
"See? I told you!" Coran said while playfully nudging her elbow.
The cargo hatch opened up, allowing for the two lions to exit. Balto and the mice happily chased one another while the lions roared happily. The two animals immediately started running around the area, racing side by side like playful little children. They halted for a moment to nuzzle their respected paladins. Allura could sense how happy Red was, and Lance's smile was a perfect representation of how his lion was feeling.
Hunk took some bags filled with the food the Arisuans had given them out of the ship. He clapped his hands before rubbing them. "Okay, who's in the mood for some of Hunk's homemade cuisine?"
Lance rose his hand excitedly, "I am!"
"Alright!" Pidge exclaimed, her stomach roaring for his food.
"Count me in!" Keith said with an excited smile.
Allura tilted her head curiously, "I'm sorry, what?" she asked. Keith couldn't help but notice how cute she looked when she was curious.
"Hunk is a food enthusiast." Keith replied.
"I prefer the term, Enthusiastic Gourmand with and incredible pallet." Hunk said, placing his hand over his chest, beaming with pride. "First, we'll need a fire."
"Oh, I can help with that." Allura turned to her lion, who hovered over Hunk. "Red, sweetie. Would you mind?"
The red lion aims its mouth while Hunk recoiled in terror, covering himself, bracing for the impact. All that came out of the lion was a less lethal beam of fire that formed a small crater on the ground, complete with fire. Hunk blinked, while still in his recoiled position before realizing.
"Oh…okay then. I'm never gonna get used to that." Hunk rummaged through the Aursian food and his creativity started to flow. For Hunk, food was his art. The talented young mechanic could make anything taste good with the right ingredient. "Keith, mind lending me your knife, please?" he asked, extending his hand towards his friend, his eyes still on the food.
Keith complied, but not before removing the heart from the side of the dagger. Allura watched in bewilderment as Hunk began preparing their meal. He sliced and diced various vegetables, fruits, while also using a think rock as a frying pan over the fire to cook the meat and flipping it over with a spatula.
"Where do you get that?" Allura asked.
"I never leave home without my lucky spatula! Ya never know!"
Coran had rolled over some rocks for everyone to sit around the fire. Allura sat on hers first, with Keith to her right. Balto leaped onto Keith's lap barking happily while the mice sat on Allura's shoulder. one gray female mouse scurried down towards Pidge. She happily invited the little one and sat to Allura's left, watching as Lance played around with his lion. He laughed and ran alongside the robotic creature, alongside Red. Pidge studied the lion's movements.
"Incredible. The design on the lions is so mathematically elegant. Their fit is a 100 times more frictionless than any exoskeleton we have on earth. And yet, they move and behave almost like any living, breathing animal. It's so…amazing!"
"Calm down, Pidge, you're drooling." Keith said with a chuckle.
Pidge blushed in embarrassment, wiping off a small bit of saliva from her lower lip which managed to escape. "Oh, and you didn't when you saw the inside of a ship for the first time?"
Keith flinched, his face now as red as his jacket. "I didn't drool!" he shouted through gritted teeth.
"Shiro said you did!"
Keith's face became even redder when Allura giggled. She wasn't laughing at him, she just found their bantering kind of adorable. Having grown up as an only child, Allura never had any brothers or sisters to keep her company. Seeing these two playfully tease one another indicated they had a pretty close bond.
"It's okay, Keith. I had a similar reaction during my first time."
Keith blinked in surprise. "Really?"
"Yes. When I was around six-years-old, my parents took me to see the military ships during the performance test. Mother managed to persuade father to let me ride on his lap during flight." Allura paused, her eyes fixated on the dancing flames before her. She giggled. "When it was over, I was crying all afternoon. I didn't want it to end."
She noticed both Pidge and Keith were silent, intrigued by her story. "That was when I first became interested in becoming a pilot. To see the galaxy and what was out there."
"Wow." was all Keith managed to say. It wasn't just because of the passionate way Allura spoke about how she came to love piloting…but the way her eyes lit up when she did. The flames made her blue orbs iridescent and her face was practically glowing. Keith could feel his cheek heating up again, and his heart skipping. A small smile slowly formed across his lips. Allura noticed him staring at her. She self cautiously looked away, but smiled soggily none the less, shyly placing strands of her silver hair behind her ear. The warm gaze of Keith's beautiful eyes made her heart all a flutter. Pidge only watched the two with a beaming smile that neither of them noticed. They were a bit too busy looking at each other.
"What about you?" Allura asked, finally managing to find the words. "What first got you interested in flying?"
Keith blinked, feeling as if he had just woken from a dream. Thankfully, he heard her words clearly. "My brother. He got more into it before I did the first time, but it didn't take long for me to get sucked in as well."
As he spoke, Lance approached the group, sitting on his rock beside Pidge. The red and blue lions sat on their stomachs around the camp fire. Coran also sat patiently on his rock, not too far from Keith, where an empty rock kept the distance between them. The sweet aroma of the food filled the air as Keith continued his story.
"We would watch the launch on live television, play with model rockets, and our dad would sometimes take us on joy rides on his motor bike. Sometimes, our parents would stay up late with us, gazing at the stars, watching meteor showers." Keith laughed, "Shiro constantly tried discovering new constellations, but really he was just connecting random dots and gave then names!"
"Oh, I remember that one time he named one the old lady with a chihuahua on her head! Ha, ha!" Pidge laughed. Hunk laughed as well, even while sprinkling some spice and sauce over the meals.
Lance slapped his knee. "Ha, ha! Oh man, that guy was always a riot! This one time, Commander Iverson was yelling at me because I wrecked the simulator for, I think the third time that week. I told him to take a chill pill, and he looks down on me and says, "Don't get smart with me, maggot!" but I couldn't take him seriously because he had a piece of spinach stuck in between his teeth! Then he says "Why you looking at me like that? Do I look funny to you?" and I told him, "No, sir. You look very…" Lance snickered, "Healthy!" And then Shiro said, "Indeed, Commander. That new diet is doing wonders for your complexion. And your teeth." Ha, ha, ha!"
Keith, Pidge, Hunk, Allura and even Coran laughed to the point where they had to try and keep themselves from falling right off of their seats. Keith hunched over, covering his face while laughing. He felt his stomach would burst. "Yeah, that definitely sounds like him!"
"Food's ready!" Hunk called out, handing everyone a plate of a mouth watering meal. Five slices of Arusian meat were perfectly placed together, sprinkled with a delicious sauce and spices. Green colored mash potatoes with Arusian mushrooms and slices of an Arusian purple pear was placed to adorn the meal and add that extra bit of sweetness.
Everyone else thanked Hunk before diving in. Allura and Coran cringed a bit at how the others devoured the meal like raved animals. They admitted the food looked and smelled good, but was it really worth them gorging on it like that?
Never the less, Allura took a bite, and in an instant her taste buds felt as if they were on fire. The good kind that reminded you you were alive. The princess had completely forgotten all of her royal manners and adequate and started eating almost as fast as the others, while savoring the taste.
"Wow! This is incredible! It's better than anything I have ever tasted!" she said after swallowing her food and continued to eat.
Hunk smiled proudly at his work. "Your welcome. It's my mom's special recipe. It's a good thing Arusian spices aren't so different from the ones back at Altea." he kissed his fingers proudly, "Magnifique!"
As Keith ate, he noticed Balto whimpering while raising his front paws. The poor little fella was begging for something to eat as well. Keith happily offered him a bit of his food, until Hunk stopped him.
"No, no, no! That won't be necessary." Hunk pulled out from behind his rock an extra place with more meat, and sauce on it, made special for Balto. The little coyote wagged his tail and happily devoured his food. "Thought I forgot about ya, huh? Oh, and for the little ones." Hunk also got another plate, filled with tiny slices of Arusian berried and fruits for the mice to enjoy. The blue lion gave a soft growl at Hunk.
"Oh, sorry. I wasn't sure what to make you guys since, you know, you're robots and all. Well, technically you're magical robot lions. Do magical robot lions eat?"
Lance chuckled and patted the side of his lion's lower jaw. "He's just messing with ya, Hunk. Blue here's quite the jokester."
"No wonder you're such a good match." Keith said with a chuckle.
Lance heard his lion growl happily. "Don't worry, buddy. We'll find the rest of your family soon."
"Speaking of families, Pidge how did your brother take it when you said you were going on an intergalactic adventure to find an ancient robot?" Hunk asked.
"I called Matt while we were on Arus. I explained to him the entire thing. He was upset at first, but I told him I couldn't abandon my friends. We came to an understanding and now I'm just waiting for my mom to think of the right punishment for when I get back home."
Keith averted his gaze, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry, Pidge. You just got your family back together and it feels as if we just dragged you away."
"It's fine. I choose to join you guys. Well, technically I didn't have much of a choice seeing is I had no idea Allura would start the ship and blast off into deep space."
The princess blushed. "Yeah, sorry about that."
"It's okay. Besides, even if I did have a say in it I wouldn't leave you guys hanging. You'd be lost without me." Pidge said with an arrogant grin.
Keith, Hunk and Lance laughed in agreement. "No argument there!" Hunk said.
"And look on the bright side, at least we're on this crazy adventure together." Lance said, playfully elbowing her shoulder. "You've got your wacky second familia right here!"
Coran chuckled happily at the tender scene. "You know, you kids remind me of me and my old crew back when I was still a pilot. Ah, those were the days."
"What made you give it up?" Keith asked curiously. Allura's expression fell, for she knew the answer.
"Well, aside from being a pilot, I was also the king's right hand advisor. So, when the queen passed away I just didn't have the heart to leave King Alfor and Allura to go back into action." his face fell as he began reminiscing on years gone by. "I've seen many strange and wondrous places, as well as things many wish they haven't seen. I've seen the good, and the bad."
"How did you manage?" Lance asked. "I know a lot of pilots don't come back the same way again."
"I know my father didn't." Allura said sadly. One of the mice nuzzled against her cheek to comfort her and Pidge placed a supportive hand on her arm. It was enough to earn a soft smile from the princess.
Keith could empathize with Allura. After all, not too long ago he lost his older brother in the hands of the Galra Empire. Shiro knew the risks of taking a position such as this, but he also knew why he did it.
"Yes, it's true." Coran continued, "Not everyone is cut out to be a pilot, and sometimes the jobs takes away more than they wish for. I guess, what always kept me going was that I didn't always focus on the bad, but also the good. When Queen Luxia was reunited with her daughters, it took me back to the days where we would rescue Galra prisoners and enslaved planets. Sure, not every one of my stories had a happy ending, but the hope of saving at least one or two more lives. The joyful tears of families uniting, finding that small glimmer of hope amongst all the pain and suffering…it made it all worth it. A pilot's job is to lay down his or her own life for others."
"That's why you left." Keith concluded, a soft smile across his lips. "You gave up your career as a pilot to protect the royal family."
"Exactly. You brother knew that as well as anyone. He was not only a very talented pilot, but also a great man, a great leader, and a great friend."
Keith sucked in his lips, feeling as if he would shed a tear or two. Before one even so much as welled up with tears, he immediately wiped his eyes. Ironically, the gesture was enough to make one roll down his cheek. One of the mice leaped onto his shoulder with a tiny hankie and wiped it off. Keith allowed the furry creature to jump into his palm and rubbed his head with his index finger as a sign of gratitude for his kindness.
Hunk had waterfalls coming out of his eyes, wiping them away with his sleeve, but to no avail. "That's so sad, and deep, and beautiful all at the same time!"
Coran tapped the young man's shoulder, "There, there, it's okay." he kindly handed him a hankie, which Hunk immediately took and blew his nose into it, so hard it sounded like a trumpet. Once he was finished, he handed the now dripping hankie to Coran. He cringed and tossed it aside, shuddering in disgust.
"Seriously Hunk, I haven't seen you cry this much since the first time we watched The Incredible Journey."
"Oh, please don't bring it up, it still gets me every time!" Hunk whimpered, still wiping away his tears.
Keith leaned in closer to Allura, "He cries pretty much during every movie night."
"Wow, you guys must really like your sad movies." Allura said in surprise.
"Oh no, he cries during the sad parts, the happy parts, and the scary parts."
"What about the funny parts?"
"Don't you dare say it!" Hunk pointed a threatening finger at Keith, his tears now almost completely gone. "I swear Keith, so help me I'll-"
"Okay, okay!" Keith rose his arms in surrender, but he couldn't suppress his laughter. "I'll stop right there!" despite being sincere in his words, Keith couldn't stop himself from laughing. His laughter was contagious in which nearly everybody was laughing as well. Hunk quickly calmed down, just joining in the fun.
"So, how long have you four known each other?" Allura asked.
"About two years." Lance said, "Hunk, Pidge and I met during our first year at the Garrison. Pidge was a child prodigy so she enrolled earlier than most freshmen."
"Shiro and my brother had known each other for years, so that's how I knew him." Pidge explained. "We actually met Keith through Shiro."
"There was this Military Picnic Party and Shiro brought Keith along with him."
Keith covered his face in humiliation. "Oh, guys, no, please!"
"What? I'm just answering her question."
"She asked who long we've known each other, not how we met!"
"Actually I would like to hear that story." Allura said.
"Me too!" Coran said, raising his hand.
Keith groaned, covering his face in humiliation. "There's nothing to tell! I didn't want to go but Shiro dragged me into it!"
Lance continued, "Anyway. When we first saw those two, we thought they could not be more opposites. I mean, Shiro was the friendly superstar pilot, while Keith was off moping in a corner."
"That was because everybody else was avoiding me." Keith said, remembering the event like it was yesterday. It was a bright and sunny summer afternoon, and Keith was leaning against a tree while everybody else was having a great time. Shiro tried to get him to join in the fun, but whenever Keith even so much as tried to start a conversation, someone would make up an excuse to leave.
"So, what did you do?" Allura asked.
"I got bored and just took my bike for a ride."
"What he didn't know, was that I had just gotten my new Garrison motor bike and was trying to show off for the ladies." Lance said with a cocky grin. "Then in comes Keith, zooming on his bike at the same time as me, and I think "Hey, this dude's trying to one-up me!" So, I challenged him to a race..."
Lance remembered the moment almost as clearly as if it happened only a week ago. The wind flapped in his short, brown hair, hearing the girls swooning from afar. Multiple surprised gasps were heard and a red motor bike came zooming past him, with a young man on board. Some of the girls giggled flirtatiously, no doubt impressed by the boy's speed. This immediately ignited Lance's envious side and accelerated his speed. The mysterious stranger had no idea why this boy was racing him all of a sudden.
"What are you doing?" Keith asked.
"Oh, like you don't know!"
"No. I don't. Who are you?"
"The name's Lance, and if you think you're going to one up me, you're dead wrong!"
Keith only shrugged, "Whatever." he said before zooming away. Lance proceeded with the race. Keith really didn't want any part of it, but it would appear this boy, Lance, just wasn't going to quit. So, he decided to go with it and race him. The race carried on across the field, where multiple party goers watched the two speed by. The race came to a halt near the entrance to the picnic. Lance wanted to slam his fist into the side of his bike. He couldn't believe he was bested by some random guy who didn't even study at the Garrison.
Keith removed his helmet and laughed, much to Lance's confusion. "Hey, you're pretty good."
"Huh?"
"Yeah. That was actually kind of fun."
Lance cocked his head in confusion. "Are you for real?"
It was then when the girls Lance was flirting with came rushing to the two boys, though their attention was aimed more at Keith…until they got a good look at him and one recoiled in disgust. "That's the Galra boy!"
The others girls mirrored her reaction and stepped away from Keith. The thrill of the race was now gone, and Keith was right back from where he started. He had gone on his bike to get away from everything, and for a moment he was having fun racing with some random Garrison student, but he didn't mind. It was as much fun as the races he and Shiro would have. But, now it was back to reality.
Lance shared the girl's same reaction. He had heard about Shiro's half-brother, but he never imagined he would actually see him. Let alone in public. Keith didn't pay any attention to the girls and simply parked his bike somewhere and returned to the refreshment table, looking dejected.
For a moment, Lance actually felt sympathy for the guy. As someone who grew up with a multitude of brothers and sisters, it was often hard for him to stand out. So, seeing this kid, who stood out in a way that nobody wanted to be around him, made him feel a pang on guilt. When the girls surrounded Lance, asking if the Galra kid had done anything to him, Lance instead only shrugged them off and found Keith at the table where Hunk was offering drinks and snacks. Pidge stood next to him, the two engaged in conversation when Keith showed up.
Hunk immediately felt a shiver go up his spine when the half-Galra appeared before him. Pidge only widened her eyes but did a better job collecting herself. Keith didn't appear to be dangerous, but still, the reality of being near a Galra, let alone a half one, still made a lot of people feel uncomfortable.
"Um…can I help you?" Hunk asked, his voice trembling slightly.
"Relax, I just came for a drink." Keith said in a monotone voice.
"Make that two drinks!" Keith heard another voice appear beside him. It was that Lance fellow who wanted to race him earlier. "I see you've met Hunk and Pidge."
The two blinked in surprise. "Yeah. You two know each other?" Pidge asked in surprise.
"Not really." Keith said, rising a brow at the blue-eyed boy, who hesitated to speak.
"Listen, sorry about the misunderstanding back there. I thought you were trying to steal my thunder."
"He can't steal what's not there." Pidge muttered, and Lance narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Surprisingly, it was enough to utter a small chuckle from Keith. This actually got Pidge to smile, who knew somebody would find her sassy comebacks funny.
Keith took a whiff of something beside Hunk. "What's that smell?"
Hunk pulled out a plate of freshly baked cookies. "Oh yeah, I just made a fresh new batch."
Keith took one bite of one and smiled. "Wow. These are really good. You made these yourself?"
"Oh yeah. My own personal recipe. I added a bit of cinnamon into the mix with a pinch of mint to give it that extra zing!"
Keith took another bike, savoring it, and indeed there was a tasty little "zing" as Hunk would place it. He didn't know something with that description would taste so good. "Wow. That's incredible!"
"Yeah! Finally, somebody notices!"
"They're just cookies, Hunk." Lance said, rolling his eyes.
Hunk scoffed, "Just cookies? Just cookies? Next thing I suppose you're gonna say the Mona Lisa is just a doodle made with crayon!"
Shiro spotted the group and walked up. "Hey guys. I see you've met my little brother, Keith. Keith, I'd like you to meet Lance, Hunk and Pidge."
"Pidge?" Keith asked in surprise. Who in their right mind named their daughter "Pidge"? Even with the short hair, there was no denying she was a girl.
"Actually, Pigde is a nickname these two yahoos came up with." she said, pointing her thumbs at both Hunk and Lance. "My real name's Katie."
"As in, Katie Holt?"
"Yeah." feeling more comfortable, the young girl offered Keith her hand for her to shake, which he took. "Nice to meet you, Keith."
Shiro heard someone calling his name and patted his brother on the back. "I'll let you guys have fun. Catch ya latter!" he waved farewell, allowing Keith to remain with the three students.
"You guys don't have to talk to me if you don't want to." Keith said, preparing to make his leave, only to be stopped when Hunk offered him a plate of sweet smelling cookies.
"Sure you don't wanna stick around? They'll be handing out cake soon? It's vanilla chocolate!"
Keith's eyes partly widened. He did like chocolate…
"And we've been best buds ever since!" Lance concluded the story. "It was kind of a rocky start, but I'm glad we gave him a chance."
Allura placed her hand over her heart, genuinely touched by the story. "You all are so lucky to have each other."
"Well, you're lucky too." Pidge said, smiling kindly. Allura was a bit perplexed at first, until the true meaning of her words sunk in. Even after she had, in a way, kind of dragged them all into this mess by taking the ship in a desperate attempt to save Red, they welcomed her with open arms. Even Lance, who did nothing but complain and bicker with her, we smiling genuinely, nodding his head in agreement.
"And you too, Coran." Pidge added, making the older Altean smile.
"Aww, listen to you getting all emotional and sweet." Lance said, pressing his hand over his heart and clenching his shirt. "Really feeling the love right now." his eyes then beamed, "Hey, you know what this calls for, right?"
Keith shook his head, "Lance, please no!"
"Campfire Song Dare!"
Keith groaned in exasperation before face palming himself.
"Campfire Song Dare?" Allura asked curiously, "What's that?"
"It's some game Lance came up with." Keith said, folding his arms, "It was like an initiation that they did on me when we met."
"My brothers came up with it." Lance said.
"He did it to me too!" Hunk said with a pout. "I had to sing a stupid Spice Girls song."
"Speak for yourself, he got me to sing Frozen." Pidge said, folding her arms in anger.
"Which song?" Coran asked.
"All of em…in a row."
Lance tilted his head back in laughter, "Oh, that was good!"
"Jokes on you, I crushed it!"
"So, you just sit around a campfire and you dare someone to sing a song of your choice?" Allura asked, connecting the dots rather quickly. "Sounds like torture."
"And, since you're new here, you're going to have to take that dare! You and Coran!"
"I'll happily accept the challenge!" Coran said confidently. "I just so happen to be an excellent singer."
Keith shook his head, "Guys, please don't do this."
"No, it's fine." Allura said before looking at Lance with a smug grin on her face. "What song did you have in mind?"
Lance tapped his chin, until Hunk rose his hand to stop him. "Ap, ap, ap! We all have to pick the song, remember."
"Oh, right, right. Mmmm…." Lance then snapped his fingers, "How about True Colors?"
"That's the song you dared me to sing!" Keith exclaimed.
"I'm all for it." Hunk said, raising his hand.
"Same here!" Pidge also rose her hand.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I thought you couldn't pick the same song twice." Keith said.
"That's never been a rule." Lance pointed out. "Besides, it's any song of choice. And we pick True Colors! You up for it princess?"
Allura folded her arms, smiling smugly, "Oh, I'm up for it."
Lance rubbed his hands together, "Alright, guys you know what to do. One two. A one, two, three four!"
Pidge, Hunk and Lance harmonized while snapping their fingers to set the rhythm and mood. They often sang A Cappella style, while the newest member sang the words. Keith was the only one who hesitated. "Come on, Keith!"
"No."
"Come on, dude!"
Allura playfully bumped her shoulder with his, smiling in encouragement. She clearly wanted to do this, and in all honesty, Keith didn't know how to say no to a sweet smile like that. He eventually gave in and harmonized with the rest, snapping his fingers as he did so to get the rhythm going. Allura noticed how beautiful Keith's voice sounded, even without words. She suddenly became a bit nervous to sing in front of him, but she was eager to do the dare anyway. It made her feel like she really was part of the group.
Oooooohhh
Oooooohhh
Oooooohhh
Oooooohhh, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Coran gestured to Allura to go first. She nodded her head and opened her mouth. The moment she did, everyone, save for Coran stared wide eyed, almost forgetting to harmonize along.
You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged
Oh, I realize
It's hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
The darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small
The others paused for a brief moment, simply astonished at Allura's sweet, soft, soulful voice. They continued harmonizing, though Keith took a bit longer to continue. Her voice had him locked in a trance. Hearing the snapping allowed him to return to his senses and harmonize along as she sang. Coran quickly joined in, the two Alteans singing in perfect harmony.
Coran and Allura:
And I see your True Colors
Shinning through
I see your True Colors
That's why I love you
(That's why I love you!)
The others harmonized the last verse for effect. Keith remembered when they did the same to him. After he sang the first half of the song, and followed to the chorus, the others would sing along in various parts. It was their way of saying he was one of them. He was more than certain Allura was feeling just as happy as she continued to sing.
So don't be afraid
To let them show
(Let them show!)
Your True Colors
True Colors are beautiful
(True Colors are beautiful!)
Keith became bold enough to sing one solo part. Allura sang along with him, and the two sang along in perfect harmony.
Keith:
Like a rainbow…
Allura:
Oh, oh, like a rainbow…
Lance nodded to Pidge and Hunk, signaling them to let the two continue singing the second half in a duet. Coran decided to let this slide as well. There was no doubt that this Keith boy was alright to be around Allura. He and the others snapped their fingers, harmonizing while the two sang the song together.
Keith:
Show me a smile then
Allura:
Don't be unhappy
Together:
Can't remember when
I last saw you laughing
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can beat
You just call me up
Because I will always be there
Afterwards, everyone joined in, snapping their fingers as they sang all together.
And I see your True Colors
Shinning through
I see your True Colors
That's why I love you
So don't be afraid
(Don't be afraid)
To let them show
Your True Colors
True Colors are beautiful
Allura:
Like a rainbow
Keith:
Oh, oh, oh
Like a rainbow
All Together:
Oooooohhh
Oooooohhh
Oooooohhh
Oooooohhh, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Once the some came to an end, everyone clapped and cheered. Allura was blushing, tucking her hair behind her pointed ears. "Wow! You guys were great!" Lance said, "And Coran, you weren't kidding, you really can sing!"
"Ha! I told you!"
Just then, something small and round fell from the sky, and landed softly on Coran's palm. The group noticed various blue/purple illuminating specs which seemed to grow until they became the size of snowballs. One landed on Hunk's head, squashing once it did. He sniffed it and it didn't really smell like anything.
"What are those?" Pidge asked.
"Oh, it's raining spores." Coran said, "Nothing to worry about, happens all the time in these swamp moons. Fun fact, they actually-Ow! Hey!" the older Altean was hit in the head by one spore, but not because it fell on him, but because Lance had thrown it at him.
"Oops, sorry Coran, I was trying to hit Keith." he said…only to get hit in the face with a spore. The substance rolled down his face, while Keith chuckled victoriously at his lucky shot.
"Ha, like that?"
Allura had another spore hit her head, which was actually from Hunk. "Hey!"
"Sorry, I was aiming for Lance." Hunk apologized, and was then hit in the face with another spore thrown at him by Allura. He wiped the spore from his face, now wearing a look of pure determination. "Oh, it's on now." two more spores fell and he grabbed him with his hands. "Squishy snowball fight!"
Hunk hurled two spores at Keith and Allura. One managed to hit Keith right in the face, while another hit Pidge it was enough to knock her on her back. Wiping her face, she picked up a spore and started throwing. Even Coran himself joined in the mad fun. The brightly squishy substance covered their cloths and hair, but none of them seemed to care. Even some of the lions rounded up getting covered with the spores, but it didn't bother them all that much, since the substance just slid right off their metallic bodies.
While more and more spores were being throne at no one specifically, Keith and Allura too temporary shelter behind a tree, laughing like they haven't had in a long time.
"You know, taking a break turned out to be a pretty good idea after all." Allura said…only to have another spore thrown at her face, curtesy of Keith. He laughed as she chased after him, while getting hit by various other spores from everybody else.
(~)
This is, without a shadow of a doubt, my FAVORITE chapter by far! Just a simple, sweet character bonding chapter, a chance for everyone to become closer and share their friendship with newcomers.
Next chapter, we get back to the action.
God bless, *kiss kiss*