Shiro woke up to the defeated sighs of Team Voltron on the day of the ball. They decided to camp out in the lounge the night before in hopes of finishing the clothes to no avail. Most of them were almost done but are nowhere what they envisioned to wear. Lance's is the only one that looked respectable, yet the way the Blue Paladin clicked his tongue conveyed his dissatisfaction on the final product. Breakfast was a sullen affair as they all eat in dejected silence. Even Pidge who hasn't planned to join the ball seemed out of sorts. Hunk has to fetch the Green Paladin and carry her on his back just to bring her to breakfast. The bandages on Pidge's fingers didn't get past Shiro's tired eyes, but he held back any statement upon seeing the youngest Paladin snoozing softly right beside her full plate. He will just have to add that to his lecture later.
They're not going anymore.
It was the common denominator that Keith concluded just from the looks of others. They didn't even have to discuss it; it was clear the moment they woke up from an all-nighter. They all retreated to their rooms right after breakfast to catch the sleep they missed and wasted. Training was moved in the afternoon to occupy their minds. It did, albeit temporarily. Once they've finished and in fresh clothes, Lance and Hunk began wailing about the missed opportunity. Allura and Coran seemed antsy as they discussed about turning down the invitation in the last dobosh and making excuses to save face. Shiro was assisting them, throwing in sound suggestions.
Keith…well, he couldn't be bothered. He's not exactly looking forward for the ball, but it doesn't mean he wasn't disappointed that all his hard work going to the trash bin. He admitted that he enjoyed sewing with the others, even though he's bad at it and his work, along with the others, disappeared when they woke up. He suspected the mice but none of them tried to find them to get the outfits back. Though something has been troubling him and her name is Pidge. The Green Paladin has been withdrawn for the last two weeks and has spoken little to them. At times, she would not be in her usual spots and it worried him that she might have ended up again sleeping in somewhere in the castleship. He could still recall that one time Shiro almost had a heart attack when she was found curled up inside the vents in his room. He couldn't ignore how out-of-sorts she was during breakfast nor the bandages in her fingers that weren't there the last time he saw her.
He decided, as he roamed the residential corridors, to find her. Allura called in for everyone to gather in the bridge while they establish communication with Hyperia as they neared the planet's orbit. They have to at the very least, make an appearance to alleviate and clear any misunderstanding should one emerge. Shiro, Allura, and Coran were already in there and he just passed by Lance and Hunk who are both on their way. Stopping in front of the youngest Paladin's door, Keith wondered if the night owl (or lioness) of the Castle of Lions is still awake. He was about to knock when a yelp sounded from the other side of the door followed by something being scraped on the ground. Alarm bells rang in Keith's mind.
"Pidge!" He knocked loud, almost banging on the door. "Pidge? What happened? Hey!" There was no answer but as Keith pressed his ear against the door, he could hear hushed voices talking. Did an intruder sneak in the ship without them knowing? Did they get Pidge? Shit! He banged the door louder. The sound echoing in the corridor. "Hey! Open up! Or else-"
Keith never got to complete that sentence when the door slid open and a disgruntled Green Paladin stepped out of view. She pushed past the threshold and the door slid shut behind her. The space mice, all four of them, were sitting on her shoulders. "You're loud." Was Pidge's greeting to him. She has her arms crossed over chest and was looking at Keith with irritation. As if he interrupted her in the middle of something important.
Keith has to blink once, or twice, as he looked down at the smaller Paladin. Only did he realize she was in a green bathroom robe and her Green Lion' slippers. Most of her hair was blown dry but some parts were dark due to moisture. She looked…more feminine than he ever seen of her. He felt his face flushed. "Uhh…did you-"
"Just came from the bath? Yes." Pidge scowled. "I was in the middle of drying off when you started demolishing my door. And yes, I heard Allura calling. I plan on coming if you're going to ask me."
"Ah…" Keith shifted anxiously. "Sorry for disturbing you."
Pidge hummed, letting her arms fall to her sides. "It's okay. I will appreciate it if you don't destroy my door next time." Her eyes flickered at the end of corridor that leads to the bridge and back to the older Paladin. "Why was Allura calling for us? Did something happen?"
"Shiro and Allura decided to turn down the invitation for the ball. She wanted us to be present-"
"H-Hold up!" Pidge raised her palms to stop him. "Ran that through me again. Shiro and Allura did WHAT?"
"They turned down the invitation." Keith repeated slowly, though Pidge's consecutive interruptions are starting to grate on his nerves. "We didn't get to finish the clothes. We'd rather not go to the ball than make Voltron a laughing mess."
Pidge made a sound at the back of her throat. She looked like a few ticks away from mauling Keith from where he stands. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Of all the quiznaking things!" She grabbed Keith's arm and started dragging him in the corridor. "Nope. NOPE! Not gonna happen. I didn't work my ass off just for all of you to NOT go at the last minute. Fuck that!"
"Hey!"
Keith protested and tried to free himself from her iron grip but his complaints fell into deaf ears and Pidge is strong when she wanted to be. The bandages wrapped around her fingers earlier the morning were gone and her nails (Keith just noticed that they're manicured and designed in clear polish with tiny white, gold, and baby blue flowers dotting the sides) were digging on his skin like the claws of a lioness.
As they reached the doors leading to the bridge, he could hear Allura speaking with what supposed to be the queen of Hyperia. Pidge had let go of his arm and for some reason, Keith expected her to kick open the door and let all hell loose. Instead, the doors slid open and Pidge calmly stepped in the bridge just as Allura was about to tell the queen about the not-so terrible news.
"-expect you to come, Paladins?"
"About that, Your Majesty. We-"
"We're coming." Pidge answered loudly enough to cut off Allura. All eyes turned to her. Lance and Hunk immediately ducked out of sight at seeing her indecent. If Pidge has any concerns about it, she didn't show. She surged forward with such decisiveness and stood just beside the platform Allura's standing on.
Allura looked at her questioningly. "Pidge?"
"Forgive me for barging in so suddenly, Your Majesty, and in such a state too." Pidge continued. Her tone uncharacteristically even and polite for someone who rarely joins in diplomatic meetings. "We had some problems along the way in preparation for our attendance to the celebration, but I assure you they were addressed properly and swiftly." She straightened and placed her hands behind her back. "The Paladins of Voltron will be honored to join you, the king, and your people in this grand celebration."
"Wait…WHAT?" Lance exclaimed but it was drowned out quickly by the queen's elated response.
"Wonderful!" She said, clapping her hands together. "My people will be happy to hear this. We shall expect you in five vargas. I will send the finest of our guards to escort you."
"That's generous of you, Your Majesty." Allura said as she glanced at Pidge on the corner of her eye.
"Nothing less for the Defenders of the Universe." The queen chuckled. "We'll see each other soon, Paladins." Then, the communication cut off and the holographic screen winked into nothing.
"What the quiznak is that, Pidge?" Keith asked as he moved in the growing circle of Paladins.
"Yeah, what was that?" Lance jabbed a finger at her general direction. "And you're the one who doesn't want to go at all."
"Well, yeah?" Pidge crossed her arms and jutted her chin. She met their gazes straight on. "Change of plans. We're going."
"We?"
"You heard me, Lance." She narrowed her eyes. "We. That includes me. Unless you got some qualms about it, you before say it now before I shove my bayard down your throat."
Shiro stepped in between them, hands keeping the two at bay. "No one's maiming anyone." He placed a hand on one of Pidge's shoulders. "Though I may not understand the sudden change in your mind, Pidge, I'm afraid we can't go. We got nothing to wear. Well, at least something decent for Hyperian standard."
"It's in the lounge." Pidge replied. A part of her wanted to be openly smug about it. Maybe later. "Your clothes in the lounge. It's all fixed up if that's what you're asking. Except for Allura's." She regarded the confused princess. "Hers in my room. I'll be bringing it in her own room while we prep her up. Five vargas isn't exactly enough to get a girl ready."
"What do you mean fixed up?" Hunk asked. "Like fixed fixed up?"
A shit-eating grin crept on her lips. "Why don't you find out, you sewing noobs?"