**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender (duh)
Riding with Hunk was a lot more enjoyable than Mari had expected. He gave her all the space and privacy she needed to adjust to being back with Team Voltron. He was quiet and respectful when she wanted to meditate and needed a moment to breathe. He let her sleep in whenever Keith woke everyone else up at the asscrack of dawn to participate in rigid battle simulation drills. And she was always the first to try the meals he prepared for the team. It was fascinating watching him instantly transform the Yellow Lion into a makeshift kitchen as he worked, slicing and dicing and transforming simple ingredients into restaurant worthy meals with nimble ease and professional precision.
He was careful to avoid talking about her experiences over the last three years. Instead, he filled their moments of idle silence with talk about what to make for their next meals or how excited he was to see his mom and dad. They'd taught him so much about cooking and machinery, after all. Hunk, kind and sweet and considerate as he'd always been, greatly helped to ease the lingering tension churning within her, creating a mellow and relaxed atmosphere between them.
During their working hours, Mari examined Pidge's star charts on Hunk's displays. With Scarlett's help, they mapped out the pirate-ridden territories that they were aware of, steering their course to Earth away from potential dangers. Many of the green coalition sectors that once dominated the map had been returned to purple, having been taken over by Galra warlords again. Naturally, it was a disheartening realization for the paladins. They'd fought so many battles with so many lives sacrificed, only for the enemy to return and undo their work.
Scarlett assured them that liberating most of their allied planets shouldn't be a problem for Voltron. With so many split factions within the Galra forces vying for their own power, each warlord's fleet was relatively small and had no backup firepower. What would be an issue was when they found and dealt with Sendak. The Fire of Purification was the biggest army that had been amassed by any of the rogue warlords. She and Mari hadn't heard news of them since they'd attacked Vurelle, but they were sure Sendak's forces had only grown in the past three years and he was continuing to wreak havoc on their allies.
"We will stop them. All of them," Allura insisted, repeating it almost like a personal mantra to herself. "We will not let the Galra win after all this time."
After about a week of continuous travel in the lions, and after one paladins-only meeting with an all-knowing interdimensional being named Bob, they finally stopped on a safe and uninhabited planet to stretch their legs and gather supplies. It was a world covered in towering boreal forests and blue mountain ranges powdered in snow on the horizon. Luckily for their group, it was only mildly chilly as they hopped from their lions to the ground, ready to inspect the area and set up camp for the night.
Everyone was split up into four teams: Allura and Romelle would set up camp, bringing supplies out from the lions. Keith, Krolia, Coran, Shiro, and the wolf would survey the land and gather any edible foods. Hunk, Pidge, and Scarlett were in charge of dinner prep and cooking. And Lance and Mari were responsible for bringing back firewood.
It wasn't exactly an ideal match up, but Mari made no complaints as she trekked through the forest. Lance led the way, unusually quiet as he cut a path for them with his bayard, now transformed into a broadsword as opposed to a blaster. He hacked and sawed at the undergrowth, grunting softly from the effort, while she scooped up the twigs he'd snapped free.
"I didn't know your bayard could change like that," she said as he chopped another branch in twain. "Since when do you use a blade?"
"It happened a while ago. I don't use it much," he replied, keeping his eyes forward. "I'm still not as good as Keith or anything." He pushed aside several shrubs and picked up a stray log. "When has a blaster been your weapon of choice?"
"It's not. I still suck with it," she said, her gun suddenly feeling heavy in the holster on her hip. "But sometimes it's just faster to use than my staff."
"Gives you a quicker kill, you mean?" He put a little too much force into cleaving a thick branch, the wood snapping loudly as it split. "Yeah. I get it."
There was a sharp edge to his voice, and Mari frowned at his back. "You're still mad that I almost shot you," she realized. When he didn't respond, her irritation flickered as her guard edged back up. So much for trying to make pleasant conversation. "Well, so sorry for having my trauma triggered," she muttered. "I was trying to protect my group."
"By killing your friends?"
"I thought you were enemies," she snapped back. "Druids disguised as…Never mind. I'm not gonna waste my breath explaining to someone who won't understand."
She snatched up several more sticks, her jaw clenched in determination to say no more. If he wanted silence, then fine. She was more than happy to give it to him.
Lance came to a halt in front of her, his shoulders sagging as he lowered his sword. He turned to her, his brow pinched in regret as he began to backtrack.
"Wait. No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be insensitive. I'm just…" He sighed and massaged his forehead, trying to put his thoughts into the proper words. "I'm still shocked. You've changed a lot."
Mari rolled her eyes. "I'm older than you and I've got a few screws loose, I know," she said, shifting the weight of her collected sticks from one arm to the other. "There's no need to pretend you're comfortable around me when you're not."
Lance shook his head. "That's not it. Sure, you're a bit older. But now you're a lot more…intimidating? Stronger? Maybe more closed-off? I don't know." He waved his sword helplessly in the air. "I'm a little unsure of how to…you know, be around you."
She was quiet for several seconds, unsure of how to respond. "Just be yourself," she finally decided. "Act how you normally do. Just try not to say anything stupid."
"Okay…" he murmured, sounding unconvinced. He paused before reluctantly turning back to cutting the foliage. "I know right now you probably think you're a mess to the rest of us," he said slowly. "But we don't see you that way. We never have. You're still strong and burning bright in the darkness."
Mari froze in the middle of gathering another set of branches. "...Like a star?" she wondered quietly, a small part of her fearing his answer.
Lance didn't even hesitate as he confidently nodded. "Exactly like a star."
A tiny warmth bloomed inside her chest, making her lower lip quiver. "You're still corny and poetic, I see," she noted, hoping he didn't notice the slight tremble in her voice.
He proudly plucked up another log and tucked it under his arm. "You know it!"
He continued to cut away at the forest floor, gradually filling their hands with more firewood. Several minutes passed between them before Mari spoke again. "I'm sorry for trying to shoot you back at the cave."
"Don't apologize. You were just being careful and trying to protect yourself," Lance said, shrugging as if it were nothing. He cast a teasing grin over his shoulder as he added, "Besides, it's not the first time I've had a pretty lady so mad at me. I'm used to it."
There was another beat of silence when she didn't react. His smile faded as his expression softened. "Actually, I've been wanting to apologize to you for a while. I still feel really bad about our fight at the alliance ball," he admitted, his tone serious. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. We left on really bad terms. I'm sorry."
She'd almost forgotten about their quarrel during the alliance ball. It felt like it had happened ages ago, but for him it must've felt like it happened just yesterday. "It's okay, Lance. I've gotten over it," she tried to assure him. "I'm sorry for yelling at you too."
Some of his smile returned. "In the end, it really was a stupid and pointless argument. I can't believe I got mad about a stupid pair of rings," he almost chuckled. "When Allura found out that Lotor had been lying to us, she threw him across the room and took back the one she gave him."
"He broke their promise. He didn't deserve it," Mari said, and Lance hummed in agreement. She waited several seconds before saying, "You still have a chance with Allura."
Lance faltered as he swung his sword, the blade missing the patch of brush he had intended to mow down. "I-I don't know. It's still too soon," he responded unsurely. "She knows by now how I feel about her and we've been getting closer, but…I don't want to just be a rebound for her, you know?"
Mari nodded in understanding. "Well, if it's really gonna take us over a year to get back home, you have plenty of time to work things out with her," she said, careful not to pressure him into immediate action like she had last time. "She'll finally see the magnificent ocean that's been right in front of her all along."
A slight blush rose to Lance's cheeks, and he averted his gaze to the watery blue sky in a failed attempt to hide his embarrassment. "Thanks, Mari," he mumbled, but he was beaming nonetheless.
About an hour ticked by before everyone returned to camp, their arms loaded up with wood and food. While a fire was started, Hunk surveyed the ingredients Keith's team had found, carefully inspecting the eggs, fowl, roots, and leafy greens Krolia and Coran had assured him were safe for consumption. Their resident chef nodded in satisfaction, an idea forming in his head.
"Oh man, this is perfect!" he beamed, a creative spark lighting up his eyes. "I know exactly what we're having tonight. Time to break out the fryer!"
"You have a fryer with you?" Lance asked, sitting by the golden flames to ward off the encroaching chill of the evening. "Don'tcha need oil for that?"
"It's an air fryer, actually. No oil needed," Hunk elaborated, already rummaging around in his supplies for it. "Took it from the Castle before we left. Ta-dah!"
He proudly produced an ovalish silver and blue appliance and Romelle clapped excitedly at the reveal. He placed it on top of one of the cargo crates they were using as tables and chairs and turned to the others, his hands on his hips.
"Roll up your sleeves, guys! We're making egg rolls," he enthusiastically announced.
There was a hesitant beat of silence when no one reacted.
"...All of us?" Mari tentatively wondered, a pit of unease settling in her stomach.
"Yeah! Why not?" Hunk shrugged. "We said we were gonna make them as a team at some point, right? Well, we're all together now. I've got the wraps ready. And we've got similar filling ingredients. It'll be fun!"
Mari stared at him, vaguely recalling how he'd briefly mentioned it way, way back when they had first met Rolo, Nyma, and Beezer on their way to free the Balmera from Galra forces. She hadn't thought about eating an egg roll in years, let alone making them.
"You remembered that?" she asked, and he nodded.
"Of course I did," he said, his tone softening. "I've been wanting to make them with you and everyone else for a while, but…it just never seemed like the right time, ya know?"
She knew what he meant. They'd been slammed with problem after problem ever since they'd left Arus. Between fighting Zarkon and the Galra, finding Shiro, building the coalition, dealing with Lotor, and all the other miscellaneous hiccups that took them off guard in between, there had been little to no time for everyone to get together and relax. But now that the Castle was gone and they had been launched into a year-and-a-half long journey, they had plenty of time to just chill.
"I'll start cooking the meat," Hunk said, tying an apron around himself before grabbing one of the birds that had been collected by the food team. He glanced at Mari again, gently asking, "Do you and Shiro want to demonstrate how your grandpa made them?"
A nervous but hopeful light gleamed in Shiro's eyes, looking forward to engaging in an old family activity from their youth. Mari didn't quite like the thought of having all eyes on them as she showed the others how to stuff and wrap and properly seal the rolls. But one glance at Shiro's single arm told her he wouldn't be able to do the process on his own.
Dragging herself to her feet, she reluctantly relented, "Okay…"
While Hunk plucked, de-boned, cooked, seasoned, and cut the meat over the fire, Mari chopped up the vegetables and roots into fine bits. Shiro cracked an egg into a bowl and set out the wraps Hunk had prepared who-knew-when for this very moment. When everything was ready, Mari slowly and carefully began demonstrating how their grandfather had taught them to make an egg roll, with Shiro providing commentary on how much of each ingredient should be included. The others watched in quiet fascination as they witnessed this new culinary side to the sibling duo. When they'd gotten a good grip on the process, they were let loose to start making their own.
"You wanna add some veggies in those rolls?" Lance asked dryly, watching as Pidge packed wrap after wrap with nothing but meat.
"Nope," she grinned, holding up a chunky roll.
"Keith, stop sneaking bird bits to your wolf," Scarlett chided. "We're gonna run out of meat at this rate."
"He's hungry," Keith insisted, almost with a pout. "We can always get more if we need to." He handed another slice to his cosmic companion. Krolia stifled a grin and Scarlett sighed as the wolf chomped on it gratefully.
"It's a little messy, but this is quite fun," Allura admitted, smiling as she cupped a perfectly wrapped egg roll in her hands.
"Yes, it is," Coran agreed, making one that was rather long. "It's much more enjoyable than a food goo battle."
"Hey, that was pretty fun," Lance argued, unable to suppress his grin at the memory of the green food goo flying everywhere across the Castle's dining hall.
"Yeah," Pidge was quick to defend him. "It got us to bond."
"Perhaps. But you weren't the ones who had to clean it up afterwards," Coran said, casting them a pointed look.
"Ah." Pidge's smile faltered a bit. "Well, Lance did start it…"
"Hey! I did no – Oh. Wait, no, I did." He cast the Altean advisor a sheepish look. "Oops. Sorry, Coran."
"Mine won't seal," Romelle said, scowling at the wrinkled wrap and filling mess on her tray.
"You put in a little too much stuffing," Shiro kindly noted, and he removed some of it to show her a more workable amount. "There you go. Try it now."
Romelle rewrapped it and her face illuminated with joy when her roll didn't unfurl. "I did it!"
Shiro chuckled, a nostalgic smile on his lips. "Good job."
Egg rolls of all different sizes, tall, stubby, chonky, and thin, filled the plates, and good smells wafted into the air as Hunk began to fry them. Watching everyone work, chatting and giggling and having fun as they made their meal, reminded Mari so much of the days she'd spent in her grandfather's kitchen. She and Shiro would need stools to reach the counters and their grandfather would give them special goggles for when he started up the fryer so the oil in the air wouldn't sting their eyes. They'd spend hours together, sharing stories about school and karate lessons and trips to the observatory, all while making dozens of egg rolls to share with family, neighbors, and friends. Those days of innocence and peace had been the best, when their grandpa laughed out loud and couldn't stop smiling. It was like he was here with them now, his warmth and kindness being shared with so many more people through a food he'd loved to make.
When the last of the egg rolls had been fried, they sat around the fire to eat. The atmosphere was quiet but comfortable as everyone thoughtfully chewed their first bites.
"So? How do they taste?" Hunk asked, watching them with anticipation.
"Guys, we've outdone ourselves," Lance said, his voice muffled from the half-devoured roll still stuffed between his cheeks. "These are the best egg rolls I've ever had."
"It's not quite the same as ojiisan's," Mari admitted, and Shiro had to nod in agreement. "But they still taste really good."
Hunk bit into another egg roll, mentally taking note of the unusual flavors of the meat and veggies. "It's a little tangier than I expected," he said. "We can try again with the original ingredients when we're back home."
Mari nodded, a small smile gracing her features. "I'll write down the recipe for you when we get there."
As the sky grew darker and the air turned colder, the sounds of the forest softened as its inhabitants laid their heads down to rest. Pleasantly stuffed and keeping warm by the crackling fire, their group sat relaxed and content in each other's company as they watched the countless stars twinkling overhead. They were going to rest well tonight. And then tomorrow, they'd be back on the road home.
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