Allura groaned wearily as she sank down onto a cushion, running her fingers through her messy hair and grimacing as they caught on tangles and knots. She was unquestionably a mess, and the only consolation was that Shiiar'keh had looked similarly rumpled over the com screen. Thankfully, as her father once told her with a bedraggled grin and mud all over his armor, after a certain amount of fighting together one was permitted to let diplomatic presentability fall by the wayside in favour of Getting Things Done.
"Thank you, Coran." She gave the older Altean a grateful smile as he passed her a bowl of rations. During the varga she'd been gone, the paladins had awoken and gathered in a loose circle at the foot of Pidge's cryo-replenisher for breakfast. That even Hunk had contented himself with plain goo, rather than mixing in some of his stock of ingredients to reproduce the taste of Earth food, was a testament to the lingering toll their teammate's injury had taken on all of them.
Coran returned the smile cheerfully. "Of course, Princess." Adjusting his legs under him, he chewed a thoughtful mouthful of his own breakfast before speaking again. "What did Shiiar'keh have to say about the state of the packs that fought yesterday?"
The others looked over as well, equal parts curious and concerned. Allura set down her half-full spoon with a sigh. "About as well as can be expected. Three ships suffered major structural damages that will put them out of the fight for a few rotations while repairs are made. Casualties among the fighter pilots are slightly lower than expected, although it will take decarotations to repair all of the fighter craft that were damaged, and they will need to restock some of the necessary metals to supply all the parts, especially since the pack ships get priority."
"What about the ground mission results?" Alejandro asked quietly, casting a sideways glance at Pidge's pod.
"Of the twenty-two teams, four did not return from Trepan Kev at all." She admitted, frowning at Matt's sharp inhalation and guilty expression. "However, Matthew, Shiiar'keh feels that casualties could have been far worse without your recommendations regarding the composition of the teams. Of the one hundred and thirty-two Hunters who went into Trepan Kev, only forty-one did not return, which is far better than we had hoped for given the limited intelligence we had available to us and the military importance of the target. And aside from Pidge, only two other returning Hunters required a healing pod for their injuries. Most of the critical cases," she nodded toward the circle of occupied cry-replenishers, "were amongst the fighter pilots, usually due to severely damaged craft crashing on landing in the hangar." Matt subsided, cheeks darkening at the mention of his pack leader's approval, while Shiro pulled his boyfriend against him and pressed a proud kiss to the side of his head, and Allura gave a small smile. Those two were good for each other.
"What about the data that was recovered?" Lance spoke up from his spot beside Keith, picking at his food anxiously. "How soon will we know where to find the Weblum's Breath?"
"I am told the codebreakers began their work as soon as the first files were brought to them, but it's going to take time to decrypt the files from each system and for the scouts to follow up on all the shipments in order to locate the weapon. Which reminds me, Keith, what happened to your team's data tablet? I need to pass it on to the Icebringers for processing."
Keith blinked in surprise at the question, then frowned, apparently trying to remember. After a moment, however, his eyes snapped wide and he whipped around to look up at Pidge with a groan of dismay. "She tucked it under her chest plate." He explained unhappily. "It's in the pod with her. There wasn't time…" The red paladin faltered, looking down at his lap. Lance quickly reached over and put a comforting hand on his friend's knee.
Allura nodded understandingly. "Don't worry, Keith, I suspected that might be the case, under the circumstances. Given the quantities of data to be gone through, I doubt they'll be done with the other seventeen tablets by the time Pidge has finished healing." She combed her fingers through her hair again, tugging as they caught on a large knot almost immediately, and huffed in mild annoyance. "They can only do so much so quickly."
There was a small noise of frustration from the blue paladin. "Stop, I'm getting a headache just watching you do that, Princess." Rummaging around in the blankets near him, he produced a hairbrush and moved to sit behind her, pulling her hair away from her fingers without giving her a chance to protest. With quick, careful strokes he smoothed away the tangle before turning his attention to the rest of her hair. Allura felt her cheek markings brightening in embarrassment as the others made no effort to conceal their amusement.
"Just let him do your hair while you eat, Princess." Kurogane advised with a chuckle. "It helps him de-stress, and there's no stopping him once he decides someone needs to be fussed over. Right Shiro?" He grinned at the black paladin even as he elbowed Alejandro teasingly, his partner blushing brightly.
Shiro simply laughed and shook his head. "He gives good massages."
Allura sighed, but submitted to the not-unpleasant attentions as she picked up her breakfast once more. "That's all I have to report for the moment, aside from the fact that our previous missions are obviously being put on hold while we rebuild our strength for dealing with the Weblum's Breath. Shiro, did you have anything planned for the day?"
The black paladin shook his head firmly. "Recovery day today for all of us, unless someone has something specific they want to do?" He surveyed the group in case anyone wanted to speak up.
To both of their surprise, Hunk slowly raised a hand. "Actually...I'm gonna need some help with something." He hesitated, repositioning the blankets around his legs. "I, uh, I got another aspect yesterday too."
That brought a moment's stunned silence to the group, followed by a cacophony of startled exclamations.
"Dude, really? Why didn't you say anything?"
"Another one already? Congrats!"
"Way to go, Hunk."
"Well done, my boy! Your progress is astounding!"
"Do you know which one?"
Over the heads of the others, Allura exchanged a startled look with Shiro. Another aspect already? That made four since the paladins had started actively trying to learn them just a couple decarotations ago, not counting Lance's already-accessible Heart aspect, and the second for the yellow paladin in that time. Did such a rate of progress come naturally to paladins, or was it simply the circumstances they'd been put in lately, with two of them unlocking new skills under the strain of a mission gone wrong?
Hunk's expression was oddly serious as he nodded in response to Kurogane's question. "I think so. I've been thinking about it since yesterday, and I'm pretty sure what I accessed was the personality trait. Patience limited by understanding." He quoted back Malrento's phrasing from when the old Altean had first taught them about the aspects. "I didn't get what he meant by that, before, with that weird wording, but I do now."
He fidgeted a bit with the edge of the blanket, looking down at his hands. "...You guys know I hate killing, right? I mean, as much as the Empire are our enemies, their soldiers are still people. I know we're at war and everything, but it's just…"
"We know, Hunk." Shiro reassured quietly. "Trust me, I understand completely." His prosthetic arm curled into a fist and Matt reached over to put his hand over it as he leaned his head against his boyfriend's shoulder.
Allura winced. Sometimes she forgot just how young the current paladins were, most of them sitting barely at the edge of adulthood. Pidge was still cycles away from being considered an adult by their people, and even Shiro and Matt were still finding their way into the role. But because the Lions had chosen them they'd been forced to the front lines of an intergalactic war, spending every day face to face with the sort of decisions most adults never had to face, let alone these lost children so far from home. They bore their burden with admirable strength, but the choices they were required to make and the things they had to do obviously affected them all far more deeply than they liked to admit.
Giving a small nod toward Shiro, Hunk took a deep breath and continued. "I...I wasn't a good fit for the ground teams on that mission." He admitted. "I should've said something, I know. I couldn't make myself shoot anybody, knowing they weren't sentries. Even when I was trying to get to Keith and Pidge, I kept trying to go around the soldiers and it wasn't working. There were too many. And then Keith told me that if I didn't get to them soon, Pidge was going to…" He swallowed hard as Alejandro wound a supportive arm around his shoulders.
It took the yellow paladin a moment to regain his composure, during which Lance joined his older self in silently supporting their friend. "...That's where the whole patience and understanding part comes in, though. If I could have, I would have taken the time to go around the soldiers, so I didn't have to kill them, but Pidge couldn't wait. Somebody was gonna die one way or the other. You can't...in war, you can't save everyone, no matter how much you want to, but you can chose who you save." There was a solemn silence in the room, everyone listening intently to Hunk's words. Allura could see grim understanding on the faces of those around her, expressions that ranged from Lance's reluctant acknowledgement as he looked away to Coran's weary familiarity with the fact.
"So I chose to save Pidge." He said abruptly. "I shot down one of the patrols, and that's when the aspect kicked in." He closed his eyes and rubbed at his temples as if to ward off a headache. "It was like...I can't really describe it. Like I could sense where all the living things were in the base, relative to me. Groups of soldiers, other Icebringers, and Keith and Pidge. I wasn't seeing them or anything like that, I just...knew where they were."
"Is that how you found us?" Keith straightened. "I mean, I didn't even know where we'd ended up."
Hunk nodded. "I could feel where you were. And how weak Pidge was, too."
The red paladin grimaced in agreement, then blinked. "That's how you kept knowing we were about to run into soldiers, too, isn't it. You were firing around corners and I didn't even know they were there." He seemed grudgingly impressed, but also grateful.
"And the enemy fighters on the return flight?" The question came from Shiro, accompanied by a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah. I could feel the whole battlefield, from the fighters to the cruisers and pack ships. It was a lot less confusing than trying to scan for threats visually in all that mess, I gotta be honest."
Allura's sensitive ears twitched as she caught a faint whisper, and her eyes slid to Kurogane and Alejandro. The former had rested his head on his partner's shoulder, watching Hunk with an oddly intense expression as he murmured to Alejandro. "...at the Balmera. You don't think…?"
"It would explain it. God knows nothing else did." The former blue paladin murmured back. "We'll never know, though." He sighed and gave a slight, sad shake of his head.
It took her a moment to realize what they were discussing. Their own timeline's Hunk, who had died trying to save citizens on the Balmera even as the Empire's Druids had drained the life from the planet. The two had mentioned during their recounting of their own timeline that at the moment the giant beast had gone into its death throes, the yellow paladin had been deep inside the cave systems trying to reach a group that the scanners had missed but that he had somehow been aware of. Could it have been the same aspect their Hunk had just discovered that guided that version of Hunk to those trapped people?
As the others settled into a discussion of how best to go about testing Hunk's new ability, which Lance had promptly dubbed 'BLIP-sense' after its similarity to the result produced by the sensors, Allura couldn't help but wonder if there might be other aspects that the paladins had used, in either timeline, without ever knowing what they had.
00000000
"I thought I might find you here."
Alejandro didn't look over as Kurogane moved carefully across the wet deck to sit cross-legged beside him, his gaze instead trained upwards on the reflections of ripples that flickered across the low ceiling as he swung the stump of his right leg idly through the water. It was cool and soothing and comfortingly familiar. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend he was in the water anywhere in the universe. The Castle of Lions. Hylath. Or even Veradero Beach.
What did Veradero Beach's water feel like? He couldn't remember anymore.
Something of his train of thought must have showed in his face, or maybe Kurogane could just read him like a book after all these years, because a set of knuckles suddenly rapped sharply against the side of his head and startled him. "Hey. Out of your head, 'lejo. You came up here to unwind, not tie yourself in more knots." Although the tone was playfully scolding, Alejandro could hear the undercurrent of concern in his partner's voice.
Grimacing, the former blue paladin slouched back against the edge of the pool. "I know, I know. I'm trying. My mind keeps running away from me today." He huffed out a frustrated breath.
Kurogane hummed understandingly. "I thought so. That's why I thought you might be here." He shifted sideways so he was directly behind the young man in the water. "Lay back."
Obediently, Alejandro closed his eyes and tipped further back, letting his head drop onto his partner's lap and spreading his limbs until he was floating in an uneven starfish on the surface of the water. Kurogane was both cushion and anchor for his head, and gentle fingers combed short brown hair in a soothing rhythm. Once he was settled, he began taking slow, measured breaths and concentrated on the feel of the water against different parts of his body.
It was an old stress-management trick they'd developed years ago. Back when he'd lost his legs, as part of his healing the Icebringers had brought him here, to the Long Wind's water deck. It was a large, open space, like a pool except that parts of it led into the maze of watery chambers that housed the various water-dwelling species aboard, and with many submerged ledges and platforms at various depths. It served a variety of functions, from access into the aquatic sections of the ship to a recreational area to, most importantly among people that had no access to healing pods, a place where hydrotherapy could take place for those recovering from combat injuries or the abuses they'd suffered as prisoners. It was in that last capacity that Alejandro-or Lance, as he'd still been back then-was first introduced to this part of the ship.
It had been a bad time for the entire team. With Pidge grieving over the loss of her brother, Shiro wracked with guilt over Matt's death and Lance's injury, and Hunk desperately trying to help Allura and Coran hold the shell-shocked team together, Keith had been the rock for a terribly shaken and traumatized blue paladin as he tried to come to terms with the drastic change to his body. He had weathered panic attacks and frustrated tantrums without complaint, and spent a lot of time here on the water deck with him at all hours of the day. While they waited for his prosthetics to be built, in the water was the only place where Lance could be independently mobile, could feel like less of a useless cripple and deadweight and more like the person he'd been before, and Keith never protested when asked to bring carry him to that refuge or looked at him with the pity he hated so much.
Their relationship had been only a few months old at that point, still rocky and plagued with uncertainties on both sides. More than once Lance had melted down, insisting that Keith didn't have to stay with him, that he shouldn't be burdened with looking after a broken waste of space, and tried his best to push the red paladin away even though he was too scared, too miserable, too attached, and too in love to break it off himself. The other would simply shake his head and hold him close as Lance cried into his boyfriend's shirt, petting his hair with the slight awkwardness that was always a part of the other teen. Lance had demanded to know why he stayed, and Keith's cryptic answer had simply been "I don't leave." as he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to the blue paladin's tear streaked cheeks.
He'd asked Shiro about that comment once, and seen guilt and sorrow flare across the older man's face. "Keith doesn't leave people. But he's used to them leaving him." He'd explained quietly. "As long as you never abandon him, he'll hold onto you and never let go."
After that, the long, painful weeks it had taken for Lance to heal physically and get back on his now-metal feet had solidified their relationship, taking it from something new and fragile and forging it into an iron bond that had stood firm ever since. Side-by-side or back-to-back, they had stayed together through loss after loss after loss, each serving as the other's support and refuge against the pain. He didn't know what he would have done without the other man as his partner. He doubted he would have survived.
Lips brushed softly against his, startling Alejandro out of the near-trance he'd fallen into from concentrating on the feel of the ripples against his skin. Opening his eyes, he saw Kurogane watching him upside down with a gentle smile curving his lips that involuntarily brought a matching one to Alejandro's. "Better? You looked like you were thinking of something happier."
"Mm. Thinking about how lucky I am to have you as my partner." The tanned male shifted carefully to reach up and caress the other's scarred cheek with one hand as it darkened with a blush. "What did I ever do to deserve someone as supportive and protective and loyal as you, Spitfire?"
Kurogane huffed, his face rapidly turning the same colour as the jacket he'd once worn. "Probably just by being your kind, accepting, loving self, Sharpshooter. Anyone would be lucky to have you."
"I'm all yours, though. Only yours." Alejandro wrapped one of the lock dark locks that framed his partner's face around his fingers and tugged gently to pull him down for another kiss, this one long and slow and sweet.
"And I'm yours." Kurogane murmured softly, breath warm against the former blue paladin's lips as he pulled back. Alejandro sighed and stretched back out again in the water, turning his head slightly to nuzzle against the other's leg affectionately and receiving an affectionate ruffle of his hair in return.
They stayed like that for a bit, listening to the water rippling against the edges of the pool until Alejandro found himself getting restless. Glancing up out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the other man was staring into space and not paying much attention as one hand carded absently through his partner's hair. He certainly didn't seem to have noticed the former blue paladin staring up at him from his lap. Alejandro's lips spread into a mischievous grin.
Without warning, he twisted upright and dove forward with a single powerful sweep of his arms. As he plunged under the surface he kicked hard with both stumps to send up a spray of water before switching to the full-body dolphin ripple that had him halfway across the pool in moments. When he surfaced and looked back, he couldn't help but burst out laughing. Kurogane was drenched, wet clothes plastered to his skin and hair hanging in clumps around his face as he tried to wipe the water out of his eyes with a bewildered expression. He reminded the Cuban of a confused, waterlogged cat, and the mental image just made him laugh harder.
He was so busy trying to laugh and tread water at the same time, he didn't see his partner's face form a devilish grin as he caught sight of him. The dark-haired male quickly shucked off his wet clothing, stripping down to his boxers and jumping in after him. The splash did get Alejandro's attention and he yelped, paddling away as fast as he could from his pursuer.
Kurogane wasn't the strongest of swimmers-he hadn't had many opportunities growing up, and Galra apparently didn't do well in water regardless-but Alejandro's handicap levelled the playing field considerably as they chased each other around the pool shrieking and laughing. Occasionally one would go off the end of an underwater platform unexpectedly and abruptly disappear beneath the surface, to come up spluttering and wiping hair out of their eyes as they blindly flailed away while the other gave chase. And a few times one of them wouldn't see the side of a platform until they nearly ran into it, resulting in desperate underwater acrobatics with varying degrees of success.
Eventually Alejandro shamelessly took advantage of being more agile below the surface to grab Kurogane's leg and pull him under, where he stole a kiss from the startled man before twisting away again and shooting through the water with a pull of his arms and flick of his hips, only to find himself being dragged back a moment later by a strong hand on his right knee, the former red paladin wrestling him close to steal a kiss of his own before breaking the surface with a gasp. The Cuban followed him up, laughing breathlessly, and leaned in to kiss him once more, tucking wet black hair back behind Kurogane's remaining ear.
The other grinned, still breathing heavily from the activity, and bumped their foreheads together lightly. With lazy strokes he swam over to one of the shallowest platforms, only a couple inches of water between the smooth blue-white metal and the surface, and heaved himself up to sit on the edge. Alejandro followed and accepted the offered hand to help him up onto the platform as well, a pleased sigh escaping him as he opted to stretch out on his side in the warm, shallow water. Kurogane joined him after a moment, facing him with the side of his head propped in his hand. A broad smile twisted the scars on his cheek, and his face was flushed from exertion and his eyes were bright with happiness.
"Have I ever told you that I love your smile?" Alejandro asked quietly, admiring his partner's face. Smiles, especially large ones like this, were so rare from his often-serious love, especially as their own timeline had worn on, and he treasured it whenever he had the opportunity to see one.
"Not as much as I love yours." The dark-skinned man blushed as he felt callused fingers tracing his lips, his smile widening in spite of himself. Grabbing Kurogane's hand, he kissed the tips of his fingers, then the palm. He was rewarded by a flustered noise and his partner shifting closer to put his arm over him, a warm, comfortable weight on his side.
They lay together for a while, Alejandro letting his hand wander over Kurogane's skin as he traced familiar scars or ran his palm over the firm muscles that lay under the pale surface. Here in this peaceful place it always seemed as if the pain and struggle of the war against the Galra Empire was far away, unable to touch them, and yet the reminders were still there of the life they led, of the things they'd seen and done and felt.
Then Kurogane leaned in to capture his lips for another kiss. "As much as I'd love to just lay here forever with you, we should probably be getting back. I need to find some dry clothes, so I don't have to eat my dinner soaking wet."
The brown-haired male pouted and let out a soft whine of protest as he rolled onto his back. "Don't wanna." Leaving meant going back into the populated areas of the Long Wind, and back to the Castle. Two days after Trepan Kev, the tension was nearly unbearable with everyone waiting for something to happen. For Pidge to heal, for the computer specialists to finish breaking into the files, for the scouts to return from tracing the almathium shipments. For the other shoe to drop, one way or another. It was why he'd fled up here in the first place, everyone else's nerves setting off his own.
"I know, sharpshooter. But we need to eat. And after that we can head back to our room if you still need quiet time." Kurogane's voice was gentle and understanding as he pushed himself upright, dark eyes regarding him affectionately.
"...No, I'll probably be okay." Alejandro sighed reluctantly as he propped himself up on his elbows and shook his head to get some of the water out of his hair. "And I want to be there for Pidge when she wakes up tomorrow."
"I figured you would." His partner agreed, sliding off the platform and back into the water. He stayed gripping onto the edge until Alejandro joined him, slow movements betraying how much he didn't want to go just yet. "Come on. I'll help you get your legs on."
They paddled slowly across the pool, all earlier roughhousing forgotten, to the spot where Kurogane's wet clothes lay scattered across the deck near Alejandro's neatly-folded, dry pile with two gleaming prosthetics resting on top. The former red paladin climbed out first before turning to take Alejandro's hand and help him out of the water once more, the dark male leaning on his hands for support once he was upright to balance out the missing limbs.
Kurogane reached for Alejandro's pile and blinked. "You brought two towels?" He questioned, draping one over his own head before turning to attack his partner's hair with the other, rubbing roughly until it stuck up in a hundred different directions.
Alejandro laughed, grabbing the towel away with one hand before trying to smooth his hair. "Of course. Knew you'd come after me." He started patting himself down, starting with his legs so the prosthetics would grip properly when he put them on. "You always do." He didn't bother to hide the warmth of appreciation from his tone.
Snorting, the other started on his own hair. "Meaning you planned to soak me from the very beginning." He complained, although Alejandro could hear the laughter and affection in his voice. "Sneak."
"You know you love me." He grinned, reaching for the smaller prosthetic. "Help?"
"Sometimes I wonder why." Kurogane rolled his eyes but dropped his towel, taking the robotic limb while Alejandro leaned back on his hands. Practiced hands gently grabbed what was left of his right calf, the end capped with smooth, pale scar tissue, and guided it into the socket, which tightened automatically. He flexed the ankle and curled the toes experimentally before repositioning so his partner could do the same with his left thigh.
Mobility restored, he rolled to his feet and started getting dressed, slipping easily into the Altean tunic he'd once found so confusing. Now it was just nice to own clothes other than his worn-out paladin armor again.
Glancing over his shoulder, he chuckled. Kurogane was also dressed, and back to resembling a wet cat. His clothes were still visibly damp, and his hair dripped steadily despite his best efforts to wring it out.
"Come on, Spitfire. Let's get back to the Castle and get you into something dry." Alejandro grinned, looping his arm through Kurogane's as they headed for the door.