Ch Summary: After learning more about his blade, and what it can symbolize, Keith starts to analyze why Pidge just... feels different to him compared to the others. Then much to both Keith and Pidge's horror, the closet incident has spread to their Voltron team and Kolivan.
A/N: Thanks to bja133, NeatherStar, Raxacoricofallapatoreous, SailorSnowflack, and Haleygur7 for reviewing the last chapter ^-^
Keith quietly listened as Pidge explained the cultural symbolism of the blades, and how each Mamaora membered viewed their daggers. His eyes were continually shifting between looking at Pidge and watching the monitors.
When she was finished Keith's eyes lingered on the monitors, his right-hand grazing through his bangs and hair, letting out a long soft sigh. He hadn't known about most of the things Pidge just told him, but it did make sense.
Keith tried to think of other people, other team members that he would allow to hold his dagger, or would so willing just give them his blade without a thought... Coran and Allura were quickly crossed out, he trusted them but the tension about his galra heritage, still seem to linger... even just slightly.
Lance and Hunk were a no; Lance would do something stupid he was sure, either by accident, or by fooling around, and Hunk didn't know how to really handle a blade at least not outside of Kitchen. Though admittedly Keith had the opposite problem with knives.
At one point he would trust Shiro with his dagger but lately… things had been so strained between them, Shiro seemed to get angry more easily, seemed to argue more. As things currently were, he wouldn't let Shiro touch his blade.
Then there was Pidge, why did things feel so different with her than with the others? He trusted all his Voltron crew, to varying extents and with different things, but still, the trust was there. But when it came to Pidge, she felt a step above everyone else, and he couldn't quite figure out how or why.
Keith glanced over at Pidge, she was staying quiet giving him time to think, her left hand held onto the hilt as her right thumb gently rubbing over the smooth surface. For some reason, it didn't bother him in the least that she was holding his dagger. Which was a strange sensation... Usually just having it off his person would make him feel anxious.
Yes, some of his trust issued had reappeared, he wouldn't deny or argue with Pidge about that anymore. Still, he trusted her with his blade even during the mission without hesitation, and seem to continue to do so. Maybe there was a part of him that saw Pidge as a ma-
'Beep' came from the monitor having Keith's focus and eyes returning the sensors.
"The Castle of Lions is approaching" Keith announced.
"Oh," Pidge replied, her eyes flicking to Keith then back down at the blade in her grasp, carefully holding her arm out towards him, offering his dagger back. Her eyes were remaining forward looking out the window at the sea of floating rocks and stars.
Keith's eyes lingered over the dagger in her small hand, and suddenly a decision was made.
Keith's hand reached out wrapping around both Pidge's hand and his dagger, her fingers didn't resist as they curled back around the hilt; his hand encompass most of her's. Pidge didn't say anything, but her honey brown eyes looked up into his shining with confusion and probably a thousand questions that wanted to burst out at that moment.
"Pidge I…" damn the look in her eyes made Keith's tongue feel like it was swollen "I trust you with my blade…in the Mamora way " he confessed a light blush painting over his cheeks.
"You make it sound like you trust me with a part of your soul" Pidge replied, looking as if she was not exactly sure what Mamora way Keith was talking about; was it in the family way or was it in the Mate kind of way? Her expression could say so much sometimes, it was often a relief to Keith having to read her easier and guess less.
"I do" he answered, squeezing her hand lightly around the hilt, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry I forgot that during this mission."
Pidge was slowly uncurling her fingers from around the handle of the blade. Keith's expression changed instantly, his eyes flickering down her their hands. The core of his chest suddenly felt a thousand times heavier, his ability to breath felt like it was taken away from him. Pidge lifting the weight as her small fingers curled over his hand; or at least as much as they could, while her thumb still held onto the hilt.
"Just don't ever forget about it again" Pidge warned with a soft smile, squeezing her hand around his, and suddenly Keith felt lighter than he had in a very long time.
"Shock me like Lance if I ever do" Keith replied back, looking up at her, holding her hand a little tighter. Pidge started laughing a little at the comment.
The Marmora symbol on the blade began to glow between their hands, but went unnoticed, each more focused on the other than the sword.
The com chimed, signalling The Castle of Lions were trying to hail them.
"You better answer that," Pidge said carefully letting go of Keith's dagger, giving him enough time to grab it properly, so it wouldn't fall.
Keith took it back, sliding the blade back into its sheath. Twisting his body around to answer the call, Pidge leaning in so she could see the screen too.
Shiro's appearing on screen, softly sighing seeing the two of them. The black paladin looking relieved and concerned, "It's good to see that you're both oka-" Shiro began before Lance shoved himself into the screen.
"Keith what the quiznar did you do to Pidge in that closet!?" Lance shouted Keith face paled, as Pidge's cheeks flared to a deep red. "Her dress is torn to pieces!"
"Nothing happened in the Closet" Pidge yelled back, embarrassed, flustered, and slightly mortified at Lance's implication. "Wait… how do you even know about the closet!?" Pidge questioned in alarm.
Lance placed his hands on his hips and lightly shook his head "boy do you two have some Ex'splaning to do."
Keith and Pidge slide glancing at the other with confused and worried expressions.
Luckily they didn't have time to talk about it... at least not right away. The focus shifted to Mance and getting him to a healing pod.
Shiro ordering Keith and Pidge to get changed, Giving them a chance to get out of their disguise, and some time to think. The two of them wondering how in this vast galaxy did their teammates hear about the closet!?
Keith was feeling better without the bulky armour, merely putting on his civilian clothes since it was quicker than changing his other set of armour. Before heading to the meeting room, where the rest of the team Voltron was, Keith, taking a spot next to Shiro. The taller man giving him a small and assuring smile, along with a gentle squeeze on his shoulder.
At least it seemed like Shiro believed nothing… inappropriate happened in the closet. Keith couldn't say the same for Lance watching the blue paladin creeping closer, with a smirk that just spelled trouble.
"So what happened in the closet with Pidge?" Lance asked strangely wiggling his eyebrows. Keith had seen Lance make a similar gesture towards Allura before, but he had no idea what it meant.
"Nothing that you're thinking up" Keith huffed, already feeling his cheeks heat up a little. Yes from an outsiders point of view, it could of seem like they were… doing something else, but it was all a misunderstanding. Yes, they did talk and hug in the closet, but that was something they both had done outside of the closet as well so it wasn't anything wrong or needed to be done behind closed doors.
"That blush says something elSEEE" Lance shrieked, turning away from him to look behind himself as Pidge slide in between them. Pidge was acting perfectly innocent as if she had been in that spot the whole time, only sparing a small wink to him that gave away her persona.
Keith smirked, giving her a little nod, Pidge was just… great.
Lance turned back around, noticing Pidge between them and instantly started glaring down at her. Lightly shoving her shoulder for the jab, Pidge replying by sticking her tongue out at him, though the slight upwards twist of her lips, showed it was all for play. Lance quick to return the gesture crossing his arms and sticking out his own tongue.
Keith felt a sharp twinge in his chest, when did they start talking or… arguing silently between each other. Hadn't communicated without words been their specialty? When did Lance and Pidge build up this ability...
Shiro let out a firm cough, glancing over at the two of them. Instantly making both Lance's and Pidge's tongues return inside their mouths, straightening up and looked forward.
At least Shiro's 'Behave' cough still was the same, but the changes between Lance and Pidge had Keith feeling oddly anxious, maybe a little worried?
The hologram screen booted up, Keith's eyes returning forward, only a few moments passing before Kolivan appeared on the screen.
Arnek was in the room as well, the pilot beginning the debriefing about their trip to the gala. After he was done Keith stepped in to explain what happened after they left Arnek's ship. What transpired at the party before they snuck deeper into the ship, getting the files, that was when they discovered about Mance, then the both of them choose to save Mance before they returned to Arnek's ship.
"So when did the 'closet' come in?" Kolivan asked calmly, the curve of his mouth showing some amusement.
Keith freezing scrambling for a reply, as everyone in the room, turned to stare at him. Why did even Kolivan know about the closet? Arnek looked puzzled, so he hadn't heard about the closet, but then how did the information reach the other Mamora members.
Pidge moved to step in front of him, the short girl looking a lot calmer than he currently felt. Which meant one thing; Pidge had a plan, or at the very least anticipated this question coming up again.
"We snuck into the closet shortly after leaving the party. We heard footsteps and ducked in there to hide" Pidge explained calmly.
"which we may have never needed to do if my dress had been stealth tested, it was constantly making noise" she scolded, Kolivan simply nodding in reply, Keith hoping he made a mental note, Pidge did not take being ignored well when she was trying to be informative.
Pidge gave a slight nod back before continuing "The footsteps kept approaching, and both Keith and I knew. If it was a guard. We would have a fight on our hands. Since the weapons were hidden under my dress, Keith lifted up the skirt of my dress to grab his dagger, and that was when a servant, not a guard walked in on us." Small 'ahs' of realization and hums echoed around her, well all except for one disappointed 'oh' from Lance.
"How did you hear about the closet?" Pidge questioned the Blade's leader.
"Well, rumours of the Duchess Rukul and her personal Knight becoming intimate while hiding in a closet has been spreading like wildfire over the galra open channels," Kolivan explain.
Pidge's jaw dropped a little, both their cheeks were now flaring a deep red. Did guards seriously have nothing better to do?
"It's been so consuming for the past few Varga, that no reports of Mance's escape have even passed through the coms or even the encrypted channels." Kolivan explained "Though from what I heard from Lucaus; Duchess Rukul is not happy with all this extra attention" Kolivan added.
Pidge ducking her head taking a half a step back closer to Keith; his undercover partner looking a mix of guilt and relief. Probably because the focus; galactic wise, was on Rukul instead of her.
"But you stuck to the main goal of having no one realized the information was duplicated or taken off the ship so we will deal with mending things with Rukul" Kolivan assured, both Pidge's and Keith's shoulders slumping in relief.
"Green Paladin once you finish decrypting the files, give them to Arnek, he will deliver them to the needed agents. Keith, you will stay until Mance is fully healed, report to me when he is able to report in" Kolivan ordered, the three of them nodding.
"I'll get started right away" Pidge promised.
"Thank you Green Paladin, Arnek, Keith for the time being get some rest, dismissed," Kolivan told them before his image disappeared from the screen.
"How about I make everyone a nice supper" Hunk suggested "Arnek you're more than welcome to join us" the yellow paladin offered, wanting to make sure the blade member was included in the dinner as well.
"I think I will, thank you Yellow paladin" Arnek nodded.
"You can just call me Hunk" he assured.
"Have my supper sent to the lab. I need to get started" Pidge told Hunk.
Keith frowned slightly "do you need any help?" he asked looking down at her, he wanted to talk to her more, see her more.
"Nah I'm fine it will go quicker on my own." Pidge replied waving her hand dismissively "anyways I got to spend all day with you. I'm sure everyone wants some Keith time as well." she said gently patting his arm, Keith nodded then his eyes narrow, but not at her, it was directed to the Cuban boy with the Cheshire grin.
Pidge followed his gaze over to Lance, before shaking her head turning to face him and taping a finger against the blue paladin's chest.
"Oh, and Lance if you tease Keith about the closest thing, I will disconnect the game console in your room" she warned flatly, Lance expressing deflating and nodded in defeat.
Pidge had a gift for peoples weak spots, that was amazing. It was a trait many even among Voltron crew found scary, but Keith was nothing but impressed, even when it was used against him.
Pidge turned to leave the room with a challenging smile, she was looking forward to cracking the array of different files, and their encryption.
Keith would take her suggestion and visit with the others but later… He needed to tell her something he realized...
(only one more chapter left ;3 )
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