"Hunk, you wanted to talk to me?"

Hunk looked up as Keith strolled into the one Atlas kitchen that had been designated as his. He also had a workshop room designated just for him, with an assistant. Plus, his suite of rooms had a bonus suite attached to it, ready and waiting whenever his family wanted to come visit.

There were definite perks that came from saving the universe.

He watched as Keith's eyes trailed over the dozens of mini pies Hunk had cooling on the island between them and waited until Keith's eyes made it halfway across the counter top. Then he bit back a smile as Keith's mouth dropped open and hopeful eyes lifted to meet Hunk's.

"Blueberry?"

Hunk nodded, still fighting his smile. Keith's eyebrows lifted in question.

Finally, Hunk's smile broke free. "Those are yours, man."

Keith's smile grew larger than Hunk had seen in a while as he almost daintily picked up a mini blueberry pie and took an immediate bite. His eyes fell closed, as they always did when he was eating a favorite food. Not that Hunk had memorized what each of the paladins' food-loving quirks were so he could narrow down what they preferred or anything.

"This is even better than the last one you made," Keith sighed after he swallowed the first bite, eyes reopening to meet Hunk's again. "I don't know how you managed to improve on what I already thought was the best thing ever."

He'd always noticed that post-space-whale-older-Keith had a way of easily handing out praise to his friends (and Lance had gone on and on about some of the sincere pep talks Keith had given him). Although, he also knew positive recognition from Keith only happened when Keith deemed it well deserved. So, even though tastier was what Hunk had been going for, he still blushed at Keith's words, knowing how much he meant them.

Now that the pie was a success, it was time for the next reason he'd summoned Keith.

"Listen, Keith, I've been thinking and I think you should just confess to Lance."

He lifted a water pouch and offered it to Keith as soon as Keith began choking on his next bite of pie, as Hunk had been expecting.

"What?" Keith asked after a big gulp of water.

"I think you should just confess to Lance," Hunk repeated.

"What?"

Hunk sighed. "You've just been…" he tilted his head back and forth in thought as he reached across the island and wiped away the pie crumbs littered there from Keith's choking. "… mopey lately and I think if you just confess to Lance – even if he says no thanks – you can move on from there. Greener pastures and all that. Stop moping. Ya know?"

Keith's mouth open and shut a few times as his gaze bore into Hunk. Hunk couldn't wait to see which part of that statement Keith decided to focus on first.

"Greener… You think there's someone better than Lance?"

Ah, so that's what was sticking. Hunk could work with this.

Hunk busied himself with straightening his lines of mini pies. "I mean, Shay is better than Lance," he mumbled.

"You only say that because Shay kisses you."

Hunk smirked as his eyes darted up to Keith before returning to the pies. "Kissing. Sure, we'll leave it at that."

"Ugh," was Keith's response.

Hunk reeled in his smirk and got back to business. "Besides, I've kissed Lance. It's not that impressive."

"Not that impressive!" Keith's voice was reaching a Lance-like pitch and Hunk bit back a snort. "How can you say that? He's always got chapstick in his pocket. I've never once asked Lance for chapstick and wasn't immediately handed a tube. Never once, Hunk! You think his lips wouldn't be nice enough to… Wait, why have you kissed Lance?"

"It was truth or dare one night back at the Garrison," Hunk waved a hand in the air flippantly. "I got barely a peck."

"You can't judge his kissing ability from a peck brought on by a dare years and years ago!"

"I do remember the chapstick, though, now that you mention it," Hunk murmured as his gaze wandered off to a nearby cabinet in thought. He shrugged and looked back to Keith, almost feeling bad for how much he was enjoying the indignant look on his face.

That look fell a few tics later, though, as Keith sighed. The hand still holding the last bite of a mini pie lowered to the countertop.

"You think Lance would say no thanks?" Keith asked in a small voice.

"Buddy, I have no idea what he'd say. I'm just trying to help you get to the other side of this mope-fest. It's scaring the new recruits."

"You're his best friend!" Keith exclaimed, throwing his free arm up in the air in a familiar, Lance-like manner. "You think he's going to reject me."

It was no longer a question from Keith - now more of a statement. Hunk leaned over the island towards Keith, as if he had a secret. He even lowered his voice before speaking again. "Keith, listen closely. Yes, I am his best friend. But I also do not know what's going on that man's head, like, ninety-five percent of the time." Keith's eyes widened as he listened. "He just sweeps into a room all loud and grand and Lancey and you get carried away in it."

A dopey smile spread across Keith's face. Hunk's not even sure Keith realizes it. "Yeah," Keith breathed happily in agreement.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Hunk said somewhat flippantly. "And, let's say he does like you back, you know he's too chicken to confess to you first. I say go for it. But" – he raised a finger in warning, - "if you two do start dating, do not report back to me on his current kissing skills."

Something seemed to spark in Keith's eyes and Hunk watched his shoulders push back and his posture straighten into a more confident pose. This was the Leader Keith everyone expected to see walking around the Atlas. Not the hunched sad guy they'd all been exposed to lately.

Hunk also appreciated the determined tone of voice as Keith spoke next. "Do you know where he is?"

Hunk's eyes narrowed in thought. "Seeing as today is an off day for most of us, I'd actually try the shooting range or the pool before his bedroom."

Half of Keith's mouth quirked in a grin of gratitude as he spun on his heel and headed to the door.

"Keith, wait!" Hunk called as he turned and grabbed a container full of mini pies from the counter behind him. He handed it over when Keith returned. "Blueberry for you, pecan for Lance."

Keith's grateful grin grew as he happily accepted the treats reverently with both hands. "Thanks, Hunk."

Hunk waited until his kitchen doors slid shut before his eyes snapped down towards the floor by his feet. He'd shoved Lance down there without explanation right before Keith had arrived and he'd been super impressed that Lance had not only stayed there the entire time, but also had not made a peep. (Although, they didn't make it through the entire ordeal unscathed considering he'd probably develop bruises on his calf from where Lance had pinched him when he'd said Lance was a bad kisser and then called him too cowardly to confess.)

He offered Lance a hand and pulled him back to his feet.

"Will you please go put that boy out of his misery?"

Lance leaned a hip against the island, crossed his arms across his chest, and furrowed his brows in a very Keith-like manner.

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Lance," Hunk stated patiently, because despite what he'd just said to Keith, he was usually a pretty good judge of what was going on in Lance's head, "why has Keith been moping around the Atlas since he arrived a few days ago?"

"He hasn't appeared any different to me," Lance said, nose in the air with a forced indifference. "That's just the way he looks."

"Lance," Hunk said with a great deal less patience.

Lanced sighed as he dropped his elbows to the countertop and dropped his face into his hands. "It might mayyyybe have something to do with me avoiding him," he mumbled into his hands before righting his stance again, finger in the air to proclaim, "But no one can prove that! He could be pouting for any number of reasons! Maybe his space wolf ate his favorite knife or something. The world may never know, Hunk!"

Hunk breathed in deeply through his nose before exhaling loudly. Then he waited. It usually only took a few tics of silence before Lance would feel the need to start talking again.

Lance sighed quietly, hands dropping back to his sides. "I thought he was coming to tell us in person that we wouldn't see him for a few years."

Hunk's brows furrowed in honest confusion. "Why?"

"Shiro and Allura pulled me into a diplomatic meeting with the Blades last week and Kolivan told us he was forming a new chapter dedicated to deep space relief missions. Like, farther than we've ever gone. So far out that some of those places probably don't realize the war is over," Lance said with a wave of his hands. "Or that there was even a war to begin with!"

"And you think Keith was put in charge of that?"

"I think Keith would volunteer to go, yes," Lance nodded with complete confidence. "He's really dedicated to the current relief missions and he really enjoys helping people. He'd be the best choice for this," he added quietly.

"And now that you've accidentally and totally not on purpose overhead the conversation I just had with him?" He leaned in towards his best friend, eyes wide, willing him to see what every other paladin could see.

Lance sighed, arms hugging tight across his middle again. "You really think he likes me?"

"I think he loves you," Hunk stated, so close to his goal he could almost taste it. Speaking of, he lifted an apple mini pie and took a bite to give Lance a moment as his best friend began to predictably sputter next to him.

"Hunk!"

"Lance!" Hunk mimicked. "You just heard him argue with me about you being the best person he knows! He's out here defending your kissing ability without any personal Lance-kissing experience! He's been literally moping around the Atlas with sad puppy dog eyes, head whipping around every time he hears a door slide open, hoping its you, only to look like someone kicked him every time its not."

Lance's face fell as he stared back at Hunk with his own sad puppy dog eyes. "He has?"

"Yes! So, I repeat, are you going to go put that poor boy out of his misery or not?"

It was only a moment before Lance pushed his shoulders back. He nodded with a determined look on his face.

"The shooting range and pool are on opposite sides of the ship, so I bought you some time, but if I were you, I'd start hauling ass to your bedroom right now."

"Quiznack!" Lance practically yelped as he dashed around the island and sprinted towards the door. "Thanks, Hunk!" he called over his shoulder as he impatiently waited for the doors to slide open, squeezing his lean frame through as soon as there was just enough room to do so.

"Enjoy the pies!" Hunk yelled in reply before muttering, "That's not a metaphor for anything."

A nearby timer beeped and Hunk slipped on some oven mitts and smiled as he lifted another round of perfect mini pies from the oven and transferred them to a cooling rack. His smile only grew as the doors to his (beautiful and well-stocked) pantry slid open, releasing Pidge, Shiro, Adam, Allura, and Coran from their hiding spot.

He liked to think that they each wore an expression of awe over his genius in finally solving the Lance-and-Keith problem. Buuuut, it was probably more like twenty percent awe and eighty percent frustration as each dropped money onto the counter as they approached.

Look, they'd all had years to win the bet of who could get either Lance or Keith to confess and date already, so it wasn't like this wasn't overdue. Also, Hunk was likely to use his winnings to buy more baking supplies, so he liked to think that they were all winners.

He waved his hands over the spread of mini pie offerings as a consolation prize. Their pleased expressions as they ate told him they were at least one hundred percent in awe of his genius baking skills.

"Keith's not really here just to tell us he'll be gone for a few years, right?" Hunk asked. That had been new information to him, seeing as he didn't participate in a lot of the diplomacy meetings anymore. However, Keith was practically onboard the Atlas every other week. And always found at Lance's side, whether it was in the training room, the pool, the cafeteria, Lance's actual workstation. There was even that time he'd found the two of them slumped together on a common room couch with some movie playing in the background as they napped.

He just couldn't see Keith disappearing for a few years when the guy could barely go a few weeks without visiting them (visiting Lance).

But then Allura actually nodded. "Well, yes –"

"Allura!" Hunk gasped, suddenly frozen in terror at the realization that he'd just sent his best friend into what will surely be the most disappointing conversation of his life.

"- but," Allura stressed, "we called Lance into that meeting because we thought he might like to join Keith, as an Atlas ambassador."

Relief filled Hunk quickly. "Well thank quiznack."

"New bet," Shiro announced around a mouthful of mini pie. "The proposal."


The knock comes so quickly after Lance slid through the doors of his personal suite that he's surprised he didn't see Keith in the hallway.

As his doors reopen to reveal Keith, Lance has to pretend he's not practically wheezing after sprinting faster than he's ever sprinted (while also pretending to be completely surprised by Keith's totally unexpected visit).

Keith, of course, does appear to be surprised to be face to face with Lance. And as Lance thinks about how he'd been avoiding Keith for the past few days, he can't even be disappointed when the determined spark in Keith's eyes seems to falter.

"Strengths and weaknesses," his mama used to say when she talked to Lance and his siblings about relationships. "When your partner is feeling weak, you use your strength to pick them back up. They should do the same for you. The best partners recognize these moments," she added.

Lance's smirk was Keith's only warning before Lance grabbed the front of Keith's shirt and yanked him into a kiss