Author's Note: The references in this chapter can be found in 'All the Right Moves' chapters 15, 16, 17 & 18. Chapters 15 & 16 have Pidge's and Larmina's conversations about getting engaged. Chapter 17 is where Pidge and Hunk have their conversation, while the other references are in Chapter 18. That chapter also includes some of Lance's private thoughts about Allura. I include these notes because I know some readers want to know the back story.
KathDMD: Very perceptive of you! Our buddies from Pollux will be showing up in the next chapter! This one mentions Eimear, but she will appear 'in full' in the chapter with the royal ball.
Lance4Ever: Thank you for your high praise of the last chapter! I really wanted to do right by Keith and Allura.
Castle Conversations
Keith was sitting in his office, reviewing some memos from Galaxy Alliance. It was two weeks since he'd been back, and a week before the wedding. The two weeks had been hard at times, having to watch Allura and Lance together. He had understood that there were certain events he had to be at, to help the couple celebrate. People watched him, wondering how he was dealing with it all.
He was glad that he'd had the week at the Chapter House, as it helped him handle the people who wanted to help him. Keith saw now that they were concerned about him, and he was glad he was able to acknowledge that. He was working out a great deal, and had almost given up alcohol, except when there was a toast. Then he only had a sip, even when Pidge and Larmina returned from New Balto and announced their engagement.
There was a knock on the door just now, and Hunk came in. They said hello, and chatted about the final details for Lance's bachelor party. Keith had been glad when Hunk had offered to help with the party, and the big guy had come up with a really good plan. He knew that there was a lot more inside Hunk than people realized.
"Keith, listen it's just us now. How are you doing? It's not quite the same, but I can relate to what you are going through, because of Larmina and Pidge." Keith looked at Hunk's gentle expression, and was touched that Hunk was asking, and opening up about his hurt.
"Hunk, I won't lie; some days are better than others. It is what it is though, and we all have to go forward." Keith said, being honest with his teammate. He had a thought and asked "Things seem really good with you, Pidge, and Larmina though now. What was it like at first?"
"When Pidge told me I was in the kitchen, getting ready to eat an egg salad sandwich I had just made. I was all excited to try it, because I had used stone ground mustard instead of the regular stuff. It's funny, but since that night, I still can't eat egg salad. It used to be my favorite." Hunk mused, and Keith saw his eyes get a faraway look. Somehow Keith was not surprised that his recollection involved food.
"I was hurt, and angry. I actually told Pidge that Larmina only liked him because he was DJ Prong. Then he told me that they had been involved way before her birthday party. I felt petty and mean, in addition to hurt and angry." Hunk finished his story, looking down the desk.
"What made it better? I mean what did you do?" Keith asked, trying to remember if he was even aware of what was going on. He realized that he wasn't, being too wrapped up in his own situation at the time.
"Honestly, what made it better was imagining Allura and her crossbow, coming after Pidge. I came up with some pretty lurid scenarios in my mind, while I avoided my Little Buddy and Larmina the entire time. I felt bad anyway, and that made me feel worse! Then one day, Yellow Lion and I were talking, and he pointed out that I had not lost Larmina's friendship. He also told me that Pidge had cared enough about me to tell me the truth. That was the turning point." Hunk smiled, remembering how happy Pidge had been when they had made up.
Keith smiled as he thought about the crossbow. He told Hunk about the conversation he and Lance had had, when Lance had told him about the couple. That made him think of Vince, and he decided to talk to Hunk. He had been all set to have his conversation with Vince, but then the young man had requested leave. He was due back tomorrow.
"Hunk, I don't think we are the only ones on the wrong side of the wheel of love. Have you seen how Vince looks at Larmina? And how he behaves around Pidge?" Keith brought the subject up, knowing that Hunk was close to the cadets. The big man rolled his eyes and sighed.
"The one I feel sorry for is Daniel! In spite of all the trouble he caused, I don't think it is fair that he has to see everything in Vince's mind. At one point I thought Daniel liked Larmina too, but he seems to have moved on." Hunk told Keith, being aware of Vince's attraction for Larmina. He did add "I don't know why he is so weird around Pidge, but I have noticed it too."
"I had planned on talking to him, but then he left for his trip. I will follow up with him when he returns. If we are going to cure the haggerium problem, they need to be working together." Keith said, and Hunk nodded his head.
"You know, you might not need to talk to him, if his trip was successful." Hunk stated, and Keith looked at him quizzily. Hunk explained that Daniel had told Vince that he needed to get laid, and given him a link to a sex resort. He finished up by telling Keith that was where Vince was.
"Honestly, I don't think I want to know how Daniel, who is what seventeen? Anyway, I don't think I want to know how he knows about sex resorts! At least Vince is eighteen." Keith looked shocked, but Hunk explained about Daniel's Aunt and her various boyfriends. Keith privately wondered if maybe Allura needed to have another talk with her Father, about why he chose Daniel.
"Keith, listen I want to ask you something, but please don't get offended." Hunk stated, getting off the subject of Daniel.
"One of my new goals is to be more open to people around me Hunk, so I will try not to get offended." Keith stated with a smile, thinking how far he had come already, having this type of conversation with Hunk.
"You know the big ball, a couple of days before the wedding? To announce Pidge and Larmina's engagement, and celebrate Allura and Lance's wedding?" Hunk said, and Keith nodded. Hunk continued on "Do you need a date? The woman I'm going with has some friends and I'm sure I can set you up with someone." He left it hanging there, hoping he had not upset Keith.
"Who is the woman that you are going with Hunk?" Keith asked with interest. Hunk explained that it was someone he had met at a garden party several months earlier, before he got sidetracked by Larmina. He'd run into her a couple of weeks ago, and they had gone out since then.
"I'm glad for you Hunk, and I will look forward to meeting her. I also appreciate your offer to set me up, but I already have a date for the occasion." Keith said with a smile, and added "Is there anything else? I was hoping to finish this report." Hunk looked startled, but smiled. He excused himself and left.
Keith had already asked Eimear several days ago, when they were having lunch. He'd been back almost a week when he had decided to see if she had just been kind up at the Chapter House, or if she had been serious about seeing him. Keith had hit a brick wall with where to take her though. He didn't want to go somewhere that he would run into a bunch of GA people, and he didn't want some society spot either.
He knew that Lance would know some places, but he had no interest in bringing Lance into this. Keith had finally decided to ask Firth if he knew somewhere. He and the footman were developing a close relationship, and Keith was finding it enjoyable to see someone else's outlook on life. The man knew about a good restaurant that featured excellent patio dining. It was out of the way, not well known, but the food was very good. Firth had not asked him why he was asking, which he appreciated.
Eimear had been glad to hear from him, Keith could tell from her voice, and she thought the restaurant sounded nice. They had ended up having a great meal, and talking for another hour after they finished eating. They talked about her son, and how school was going for him, as well as her getting the town house back into shape.
She had asked him about the situation with Allura, and he was able to be honest with her about it. It was when he was talking about some of the events he'd been at with the couple that he remembered the ball. Keith had asked her, and Eimear had been thrilled to say yes, telling him it was the biggest event, besides the wedding. They parted that afternoon both very happy with the outcome of the lunch.
While Keith was reminiscing about Eimear, Hunk was racing down to Pidge's workshop in the hanger bay. He could still hear Keith telling him that he had a date for the ball. When he arrived at the workshop, he saw Larmina, Daniel, and Lance there with Pidge.
They were looking at a holoscreen that Pidge had up, and Hunk recognized the diagram for radizilon. That was the element that had made the robeast that took Larmina down so unstoppable. He knew that Pidge was trying to figure out how it had been stabilized enough to be used as a fuel source.
"Keith has a date for the ball!" Hunk announced, after looking around to make sure it was just them.
"Good, he is letting you set him up?" Lance looked relived as he said it. He and Allie had been concerned about how lonely Keith looked at some of the events they had done together. They had talked with Hunk about maybe setting him up with someone.
"No, he already has a date!" Hunk announced again, and this time everyone looked at him open mouthed.
"He told you that he had already asked someone?" Lance asked for clarification, not believing what Hunk was saying.
"Why shouldn't he already have a date? He is good looking, and there are lots of women who would love to go out with him. Now that he can't moon over my Aunt anymore, he is probably more aware of them." Larmina announced in knowing tones.
She had not said anything to her Aunt, but she and Pidge had talked about it. She had thought for quite a while that either her Aunt or Keith should fish or cut bait. It was why she had always been sure that Lance was the better choice, thinking that her Aunt and Keith would never manage more than a staring contest.
Pidge had been thrilled when Allura had told him that she was getting engaged. When he had asked Larmina to marry him, she had told him that she couldn't get married before her Aunt. So he really didn't care who Allura married, as long as she did. Pidge had been surprised that it was Lance, until he remembered the conversation they'd had, when Lance had found out about him and Larmina.
Pidge agreed with her now, and added "I wonder who it is?" That caused a great deal of speculation among them. Lance was trying to think if any of the GA officers who it might be, but couldn't come up with a possible choice. He then tried to think if any of the older officers had daughters that were the right age. He was sure that it wasn't someone at court, because it would have been all over the Castle by now.
Daniel agreed with Lance, and added that he didn't think it was a GA person either. He and Vince were escorting the twin daughters of the GA's commanding officer to the ball. Daniel was sure he would have heard if it was someone in that social group.
"I guess we will just have to wait until the ball." Hunk said, and added "Is anyone else hungry?"
It was two days later, and Daniel was looking for Hunk, hoping to have a private chat with him. Vince had come back from his time off, and had not resolved his problem. Since they were reading each other's minds, it was also Daniel's problem. He had tried to talk to Vince, to explain how things worked with men and women.
Daniel had decided that maybe he was too close to Vince's age for the guy to listen to him. Never mind the fact that Daniel had way more experience with women, and Vince was still a virgin for heaven's sake! He reasoned that Vince might listen to someone older, so he tried to think of which pilot would be best for the job. Lance had the most experience, but Vince would not relate to someone whose love life was going well.
Daniel knew Pidge was totally out of the question, since he was a big part of the problem, so that left Hunk or Keith. Keith could offer wisdom on having your heart broken, but Daniel wasn't comfortable explaining Vince's situation to their commanding officer. This was why he was now looking for Hunk.
He found him about to go to the Hunkyard, so he asked if he could go along. Daniel was not supposed to leave the Castle without permission, but since Hunk was along it would be fine. Hunk also wondered if Daniel wanted to get away from Vince and his mind. They took Yellow Lion out to the yard, and Daniel gathered his thoughts as Hunk worked.
He wasn't going to tell Hunk what Vince had seen, both because it was way too private, and because Hunk had been smitten with Larmina. He didn't need to know the sex life of his ex-crush and his best friend. However, Vince really needed to get beyond his hang up about Larmina and sex.
Hunk had Daft Techno Kat blasting in Yellow, while they searched the Hunkyard. He had explained he was looking for a specific type of metal, for one of Pidge's experiments. After a while they took a break, and he brought out a snack for him and Daniel to eat. They were sitting in the shade from the hull of an old Drule ship, talking about music.
"I wish Stereolatic would put something new out, but understand why it hasn't happened. Honestly, the music scene is almost dead right now!" Hunk declared, and then went on to talk about the music festival him, Pidge, and Larmina were going to, after Allura and Lance got back from their honeymoon.
Daniel was glad that Hunk had brought the subject of Pidge up, because that would make it easier to get the conversation going. "Can I talk to you, man to man, Hunk?" He asked now, and Hunk gave him a weird look. He braced himself for what Daniel might want to ask.
"Sure Daniel. Are you having girl trouble?" Hunk said, with an inkling of what was coming. He didn't see Daniel as the type to have girl trouble, so he figured it was about Vince.
"Actually it concerns Vince's girl trouble." Daniel said, and went on to explain that the trip did not solve the problem. Vince had gotten drunk the first day, on fruity drinks with umbrellas, and then gotten vilely ill. By the time he recovered he was the laughing stock of the resort.
"Did anyone tell him he is supposed to drink scotch, or whiskey? Fruity drinks, really? Yuck!" Hunk stated, with a nasty look on his face. He believed in good scotch, and a rare steak, for solving most problems. Sake was not bad, but you didn't want to get drunk on that stuff!
"I guess not. Vince is the only son of older parents, and he has been rather sheltered. I think that is some of his issue with Larmina and Pidge." Daniel explained, and then tried to figure out what to say next. It had been much easier in his mind.
"Here's the thing, Vince thinks about doing things with Larmina that guys think about. Fine and normal, but Vince is embarrassed that he is thinking of her in that way, and then there is the fact that his idol is doing the things to her that Vince thinks about, well, do you get the picture?" Daniel hoped that would cover what was going on.
Hunk nodded his head, understanding what Daniel was saying. Hunk had older brothers, so he'd grown up hearing them talk about girls. He could see that Vince, being an only child of doting parents, would not have been given the same facts of life that Hunk had received. Vince would have benefited from being at the Academy, with other boys.
"Well that explains why he is acting so weird around Pidge. But doesn't he realize that those thoughts are normal? I don't know how the mind reading thing works between you two, but I presume you've tried to reason him?" Hunk asked Daniel, wondering what he was getting himself into.
"Please! Yes, I have, and he was right there when we all talked about how Keith should have just gone and gotten laid. He just can't get over his hang up about Larmina having sex with Pidge." Daniel put it out there for what it was.
"Vince doesn't seem to understand that women like to have sex too!" Daniel declared, finishing off his lament.
"You're kidding, right? Does he think they just lay back and put up with it? Maybe he needs to watch porn?" Hunk was trying to fathom what Daniel had just told him. Daniel almost burst out laughing at that thought. Vince was shocked enough after watching Pidge and Larmina in the hot springs, he would hate to see what would be in his mind after watching some of the internet stuff.
"God, please don't do that to me! It is bad enough as it is, what I have to put up with." Daniel sighed, and Hunk gave him a pitying look. He wondered if this was a really bad form of karma, getting back at the boy for all the trouble he had caused. In spite of it all, Hunk didn't think Daniel deserved a front row seat on Vince's sex trauma.
"Daniel, you want me to try to talk to him, don't you?" Hunk asked with a sigh. He had come to terms with his feelings for Larmina, and really didn't want to open that can of worms again. He then remembered talking to Keith about this issue, and Keith had said that he had been all set to talk to Vince.
"I just thought that maybe hearing it from someone older, a guy that he looks up to, might help him understand the situation." Daniel said, wishing he wasn't having this conversation with Hunk. The big guy looked at Daniel, and saw how sheepish he looked.
"Ok, I agree that someone needs to talk to Vince, but it won't be me. Keith and I were actually talking about Vince the other day, so I will have him do it." Hunk didn't want to explain to Daniel why he didn't want to do it. He wanted the matter, about his feelings for Larmina, to stay between him and Pidge. He did not know that it was Daniel who had cornered Pidge into telling Hunk about him and Larmina.
Daniel was surprised that Hunk was going to pass the buck, and to Keith of all people. He then remembered that Hunk had been after Larmina at the same time Pidge was already taking her out. He saw that Hunk probably did not want to listen to Vince go on about Larmina. He decided that it was worth a shot with Keith, and told Hunk that. They got back into Yellow, and went back to looking for the metal Pidge wanted, the Zarokian Freaks blasting on the sound system.