There's a light rustling between Hunk and the wall, it's not much but coupled with the sun peaking in through the thin curtains it's enough to get him stirring. He wonders momentarily if Pidge is just moving in her sleep, but when he opens his eyes to check he sees her wide awake, sitting up against the wall with her legs across his back and one of their camcorders, a camera, and her phone at the ready.
"Oh, shit, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." She says quietly, giving him an apologetic smile and he just grins back.
"No problem. What time is it?"
"Ten."
"What are you staring at?" Hunk asks and Pidge moves her legs off him with a smirk.
"Check it out." She says,pointing towards the other bed.
Doing as she says, he turns and sits up to get a better look, immediately having to suppress a coo at how CUTE their best friends are right now.
Lance is turned away from them, his body curled around Keith's and his arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders. He can't see because of the blankets but there's no way their legs aren't tangled together if the indents are anything to go by. Keith's hands are under his own head, arms trapped between his and Lance's chests. It's fairly obvious this was all Lance's doing and he can't help but smile at his best friend.
Poor Lance has had the literal worst luck in relationships. For fucks sake his first, and only, kiss was forced upon him by a girl he didn't even like. After it Lance had actually asked Hunk to kiss him, so she wasn't his only one, but he had assured his best friend that eventually he'll find someone and be happy Hunk didn't give in to his incessant whining.
Of course he's not saying that's gonna be Keith, obviously. Definitely not anytime soon since last he checked Keith thought Lance was straight.
Still, looking at the two of them sleeping so peacefully, he can't help but hope that maybe it will be Keith. He loves Keith and has no doubts they would be great together.
"Dude this is so getting used somewhere on their wedding day." Pidge snickers and Hunk laughs.
"I hope so."
"The projector shit is lame but we'll find a way go make it work."
Hunk looks to her excited, "What if we do, like, pictures all through the reception room? Like across the walls. Pictures of their time together. That way there's no cheesy music and people can enjoy it at their leisure."
"Yes, oh my god Hunk, yes. It's decided. We're gonna do that and put little captions under them. Obviously pull some stills from our ghost hunting stuff." Pidge is beaming, more excited than him, "I need this wedding to happen."
"Hmm...is Keith the marrying type, though? Or into big weddings? Because Lance has always wanted a big wedding. Like, file for bankruptcy the next day kind of wedding." Hunk explains and Pidge raises a brow.
"...Why…?" Her face drops, as if she just answered her own question which she probably did since she's familiar with his flair for the dramatics, and she sighs, "Well, Keith is a closet romantic. He had a wedding planned out for him and mothman when we were little, but it was a pretty small affair. Dunno if that's his personal taste or if it's because he didn't want Mothman to be overwhelmed...but...honestly, I think he'd be happy with whatever made his husband happy. He's kind of a sap like that."
Hunk looks over and smiles at Keith, "He's such a good guy….wait….mothman?"
"The less you know the better. If you want to keep any respect for him, at least." Pidge laughs, followed by Hunk, because, really, mothman?
The noise is enough to make Keith begin to wake up, though, so they quickly go silent and watch.
Pidge pulls out the camcorder, muttering something about blackmail. No doubt she's already probably got enough from before he woke up to last a while, but he knows she's the type who believes excess in something is better than a lack in something.
Keith, who was just relaxed and peaceful suddenly tenses up, his eyes springing open to come face to face with probably Lance's chest. Maybe his neck? Hunk can't really get a good view on where the guy's eyes are in relation to his best friends torso. Still, he sees some part of Lance and goes to jump back, only to be held there by aforementioned teens strong grip on his shoulders.
"Pidge, stop snickering and get him off." Keith grumbles and Pidge bursts into laughter, her head falling back to bang into the wall, but it doesn't halt her for a second.
"I think you're in a better position to do that than me, buddy!"
"Oh my god!" Keith yells and becomes horrified to see Lance now sleepily looking down at him, processing the situation.
"What the shit, dude!?" Lance gasps, moving away from Keith and falling off the bed.
"This is the best." Pidge decides and Hunk nods as Keith and Lance both scramble to get on opposite sides of the room.
Well, Lance does. Keith kind of just scrambles to a corner on the bed. Lance runs to the door.
"Where are you planning to go in your pyjamas, bro?" Hunk asks and Lance groans.
"Why didn't you wake us sooner!?" Keith asks, glaring hard at Pidge.
"Well, we would have, but we were busy planning for your wedding."
"Our what!?" Lance shrieks, "The only one planning my wedding is me." He huffs before going bright red, "A-and it won't be to a non believer like Keith."
Keith rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, "Like I'd marry an idiot who believes in ghosts anyways."
Hunk and Pidge share a knowing smirk, before Hunk decides to get the day going. "So what's the plan until we go to the Sallie house?"
Lance smiles at him, embarrassment quickly forgotten, "I've got an awesome day planned! We have until about 3:30. Let's check out of this place and go venture around. I found a great restaurant in town that's cheap and we can window shop and then we have to go to Amelia Earhart's birthplace at some point. It's a museum and really cheap, only $6 an adult."
"Great!" Hunk looks to the other two, Keith still glaring down a smirking Pidge, "Hey, Pidge, why don't you shower first?" He suggests, figuring she probably doesn't want to go after a bunch of guys.
"Sure, I'll go first." She shrugs, walking around him on the mattress before plopping down on the floor and heading to the bathroom with her bag, "I won't be long."
"Keith you can go next." Hunk suggests and Keith nods, but Lance glares.
"Why do they get to go first?"
"Because they aren't water wasting nymphs like someone I know."
"Nymphs are women you know." Lance narrows his eyes and Hunk laughs.
After they all showered and checked out, Lance directed them through the town taking selfies everywhere as they visit different places like a few stores, a nice little restaurant, a beautiful park and currently the house Amelia Earhart was born in. Where Keith and Lance are arguing about what happened to her. Of course.
Honestly, Hunk is just impressed with how much Lance knows about her. Then again, this was a place Lance suggested, pretty eagerly, so he probably did research. Really, the way Lance is flirting with this guy is so weird. Usually he just uses his lame pickup lines, but now he's doing research on things just to annoy Keith.
It's like pulling the pigtails but studying how to do it properly first.
"-They are gonna comb that ocean, baby, and find they aren't in there because the plane didn't sink, Keith!" Lance exclaims, throwing his arms out and up, to accentuate his point.
"You can't comb the ocean you idiot! Just accept that she fucking drowned!"
"She didn't! There's so many alternative theories!" Lance says and Keith groans so loudly that Hunk can hear a person a few rooms over giggle. "Do you even know about the theory where her and her navigator landed on an island?"
Keith lets out a heavy, suffering, sigh and just looks at Lance incredulously, "No, enlighten me, I guess."
"So there's this island called Gardner, or Nikumaroro, Island and people think they got stranded there. It was in the general area and at low tide there was a spot that could have worked as an emergency landing strip." Lance pulls out his phone to show Keith a picture.
"Huh, that's actually not stupid." The man concedes.
"Excuse you." Lance glares, "Anyways, a man named Gerald Gallagher went there much later and found a campsite. He also found a bunch of other stuff like shoe soles and bones and had them tested," Lance sighs, "But the soles were too big for Amerlia's feet, even though they were a brand she had worn, and the bones weren't ruled to be her or that navigator so he burned them."
Keith raises a brow, "Why would he burn them…?"
Lance shrugs, "I dunno, guess he was done. It wasn't them so he just tossed it out."
"...So he burns them? They belonged to someone." The raven haired man shakes his head, "So disrespectful…"
"Yeah, and then later this group called Tighar determined the bones could have belonged to a taller than average woman. And who was a taller than average woman?" Lance motions dramatically to an Amelia mannequin in the room, "Our babe in the sky! They also tried to figure out what happened to the rest of the bones and stuff and according to the director of Tighar, the coconut crabs took them." He shows Keith a picture of coconut crabs and the guy's face lights up.
"I like this theory. Shipwrecked on an island."
"You just like the idea they were eaten by crabs." Pidge points out with a smirk and Keith shrugs.
"I mean it's pretty fucking cool. Shipwrecked and facing all the dangers and perils that come with that, and then you get eaten by these gigantic strong crabs. Definitely more interesting than just drowning."
"Right?" Lance grins excitedly, "There's other theories too, of course. A man thought Amelia was a spy, who was told that if anything happened she needed to land in the Marshall Islands so that American planes could come look for her in Japanese territory. The locals even claimed to see her crash there, and that things got fucked when they were caught and held prisoner for a long ass time before being released back to America under assumed names. People thought this one woman was Amelia and released a book about it, and she sued. I think her name was Irene...Bolam? Idk, but anyways-"
"This is dumb." Keith blurts out, "That whole idea is fucking stupid. I mean jesus, could you imagine people being like 'You're Amelia Earhart! I know it, and I'm gonna tell the world!' and don't even get me started on the hostages freed with different names. Why would they need different names? This is fucking bullshit."
Lance laughs a little, "That's a little harsh...but they also have another ending to this theory where they were executed. People claimed to see Amelia's plane and they even have a photo that might have Amelia and Noonan in it." He pulls out his phone and shows Keith the photo that he has way too readily available, just like the rest of this stuff.
Yup, Hunk was right. Lance planned this.
….Why can't he just ask Keith out to the movies or something? They are starting to draw a crowd.
Still, Keith looks at the photo, too absorbed in their conversation to notice the people subtly loitering outside the door now, " That photo is shit, dude. I don't care what they think."
"Well….I mean...yeah...they found out the photo was taken a few years before her expedition." Lance shrugs, "They also say she didn't have enough fuel to get to those islands, so-"
"So...you're wasting my time." Keith says before gesturing to Hunk and Pidge, "You're wasting everyone's time now."
Lance laughs a little, "Well I like the theory."
"That's great, so glad you like it," The sarcasm in Keith's voice is almost obnoxious, but his amused smile gives away how much he's enjoying himself right now, "But maybe give us something better than bullshit."
Lance flips him off and goes silent for a moment before smirking at Keith, "Well...there is one more theory I know of that's pretty popular."
"Oh boy." Keith mutters, "Bring it on, I guess."
"Some people think she came in contact with aliens," He says and Keith cuts him off.
"I don't even wanna talk about that."
"What? Why?"
"Look, Aliens are more likely than all the other shit you believe in...but...no. Just no."
"Alright, fine, fair enough." Lance shrugs, "Still though, Star Trek made an episode based off of the idea, which is pretty cool."
"I didn't know you were such a nerd, Lance." Keith teases.
"If you shit on Star Trek, Keith, I will have to politely ask that you catch these hands." Lance says and Keith straight up laughs.
"That was great," Pidge begins, holding up her phone, "I got it all on camera, so we can put it up as like some side thing."
Lance and Keith look at her appalled.
"Stop filming us without our consent, damnit!" Keith yells and Lance nods.
"Seriously I would have gotten stuff prepared if I knew!"
"Nah, your natural little banter is perfect on it's own. I'll add pics and stuff before posting it."
Hunk's so grateful she decided to join them in this whole thing. Honestly she's the most on top of it. Next to Lance. Maybe above Lance.
"Nobody wants to see Lance prattling on about stupid theories, anyways." Keith rolls his eyes before he notices people seemingly dispersing from the doorway, "What…?"
"Just some people who didn't want to see Lance prattling on." Pidge teases.
"People were watching us?" Keith asks, his face going a bright red.
"Aw yeah, my people love me." Lance grins, elbowing Keith, "Guess you're the only loser who doesn't care about this stuff."
"We are in an Amelia Earhart museum, Lance. Obviously people here are gonna be into it."
"Look, you're jealous I'm so much better than you, and that's fair, but don't be hating on Amelia conspiracy theories." Lance says, going up and wrapping an arm around the mannequin, "My girl here deserves peoples concern." He goes to move away and ends up fumbling with the mannequin when it starts to fall over, making Keith laugh.
"Is that how you get all the men and women, Lance? Those smooth moves."
Hunk looks at Keith confused, "Wait...how do you know Lance is bi?"
Keith and Lance blush and look in opposite directions, "We, um, we...played 21 questions when you two were asleep in the car. It sorta came up."
Hunk, joined by Pidge, narrows his eyes in suspicion as the two awkwardly head into the next room. "What was with that reaction?" He asks and Pidge shrugs.
"Dunno, but they both know the other likes boys now...so they need to get their asses in gear."
"Lance is literally trying to flirt with conspiracy theories, Pidge, I think it's gonna take a while." Hunk points out and Pidge groans.
"Why can't he be a normal fucking person?" They both go silent for a moment, left in the room alone. Suddenly they seemingly have the same idea, side eyeing each other, "Make them sleep next to each other at Sallie's?"
"Oh, you know it."
After all, the hotel plan was a success. No doubt ghosts added into the mix will bring even greater results.
A/N: Sorry this took so long it took me forever to decide what to do with it. I was gonna go straight to the ghost hunting but then I looked at stuff you can do for the day in Atchison just for like a scene and I was like 'oh shit Amelia Earhart' so I fucking jumped at that.
NEXT CHAPTER I PROMISE I AM SO SORRY
I fucking suck