The Pacific ocean was a dark expanse of waves below Yellow's thrusters as the Lion streaked south and westwards over the open water. In the cockpit, Hunk's hands clenched and unclenched on the controls, jittery with anticipation. Yellow rumbled under his feet, a confident reassurance that everything would be fine, and the paladin offered up a small grin in response. "I know buddy. I'm just anxious to see them again."
So anxious that he couldn't even wait for a reasonable hour to get moving. Even knowing that Samoa was four hours behind Arizona, he'd left at the same time Lance had, the two Lions taking off in different directions toward distant islands and the families that waited there. By now Lance would be home, and Hunk couldn't help but crack a small grin at the thought of Rosa chewing out her wayward son while hugging the crap out of him at the same time. But Samoa was a lot further away than Cuba and for now all Hunk could see was black sea and star-filled skies.
He heaved a deep sigh, forcing himself to settle back in his chair. Staring out at the darkness wouldn't bring him home to his family any sooner. "Man, Asoese's gonna get a kick out of you, Yellow. She loves cats." His smile grew at the thought of his little sister. "She'd take in every stray in the neighbourhood if we let her." A ripple of amusement, and a promise to be a good kitty for his paladin's family, before Yellow nudged his attention back to the viewscreens. Zooming in showed a pinprick of light on the horizon, drawing nearer as they flew.
Hunk straightened, breath catching in his throat and pulse racing. Both the scanners and his calculations of the travel time based on his lion's maximum in-atmosphere speed said they should be getting close. That had to be the lights of Samoa. His home.
"Let's go, buddy." He murmured, rubbing away the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. "Almost there."
A growl as Yellow somehow managed to coax a little more speed out of his thrusters in response to his paladin's urgency. There were more pinpoints of light now, bigger coastal towns on both major islands separating from the bright spot of Apia as he drew closer. Hunk arrowed straight for it. Once he was closer he would turn and follow the coast until he found the small town just west of the city where he'd lived with his mothers since he was three years old.
Most of the buildings were dark, unsurprising since it was well past 3 AM, but the streetlights showed enough for Hunk's heart to swell with warmth at the sight of the familiar city as he approached. How many times had he seen this same view from a boat rather than an alien spaceship? He allowed himself a moment to bask in the feeling of being home, then turned Yellow west while he was still a safe distance offshore. The last thing he wanted to do was cause a panic flying Yellow over the city after yesterday's battle. Instead he followed the coast, crossing the mouth of Vaiusu Bay to where Apia stopped and the thread of houses and businesses that circled the island started. Up ahead, Cape Faleula jutted out beyond the smaller twists and bumps of the shoreline and he headed straight for it with his heart beating an eager rhythm in his chest.
He slowed as he approached the cape, eyes scanning the buildings along the coast road. It should be right about-
A small light on the shore drew his gaze. It looked like a bonfire, on the beach, and Hunk's heart leapt into his throat. It couldn't be.
Ever since he could remember, his Mama had a special tradition for when he went away, whether it was for school, a trip with friends, or even just an overnight fishing trip. When he got home, there would always be a small fire burning away in the pit she'd built on the beach behind their home, with layers of ash to show all the hours it'd been lit. He'd asked her once why she did that, and she'd smiled and hugged him close beside it as the evening settled in.
"A light to guide your journey home, Hunk, so that you'll never lose your way."
Tears sprang to his eyes. Of course it was. Knowing her, she'd lit it before the Castle had even touched down. Mom would have helped her keep it burning since.
"Come on, Yellow. We've kept them waiting long enough." He whispered around the lump in his throat. The lion didn't need to be told twice, dropping toward the small beach with surprising delicacy for an eighty-thousand-ton metal fighting machine and landing just far enough away that the thrusters didn't spray sand all over the small group clustered by the flames. With a grateful pat on the console Hunk was up and moving. For the first time ever he couldn't seem to get out of his Lion fast enough.
He sprinted down the ramp and hit the sand running, slipping and stumbling but managing to keep his feet. "Mom! Mama!" The figures on the beach were scrambling to their own feet, struggling to get their own footing as they ran to meet him. And then there were arms around him, a collision hard enough to knock them both off their feet and he found himself kneeling, wrapped up tight in La'ei's arms as she wept his name and Fetuilelagi reached them and dropped to her knees as well to hug them both close just as the first joyful sob wrenched itself free of his throat.
"Shh, baby, I've got you, I've got you." His mom's voice was a hoarse whisper in his ear as he clung to them both, sucking in shuddering breaths around tearful wails. He was all but sandwiched between them, tangled up in their arms, and man, he couldn't remember the last time he felt this warm and safe and the thought just made him cry harder. A hand stroked his hair, lips pressed a loving kiss to his forehead, and two familiar voices told him over and over how much he'd been missed through tears of their own as they held him close.
A shriek of "HunkHunkHunkHunkHunk!" just before a small body slammed into theirs announced the arrival of Asoese, almost knocking them all over onto the sand, and he managed a watery laugh that was half sob and freed a hand to pull her against his chest and buried his face in her hair. His sister.
Uncle Henare, following at a jog, crouched down and added his own long arms to the hug. "It's good to see you again, Kiddo." He whispered. Hunk could only nod, swallowing hard as he fought to get his tears under control. He wanted to talk to his family, catch up on everything he'd missed and tell him how sorry he was for worrying them, and he couldn't do that when he was crying too hard to form the words. He swallowed and sucked in a harsh breath, then another, feeling a hand rubbing his back in a calming gesture. It helped.
"I'm sorry!" He choked out when he had enough air to speak. "I'm so sorry Mom, Mama, I didn't mean to disappear! I didn't mean to worry you!" Worry wasn't even the word for it, the Garrison had told their families they were dead, he couldn't even imagine the pain they all must have been in for the last year since he'd gone into space. "I'm so, so sorry."
There were tears on his Mama's face, tears because of him, and he didn't think he'd ever forgive himself for all the ones she must have cried that he hadn't been there to see. But she was smiling through them now as she cupped his face in both hands, wiping away the damp trails on his cheeks with gentle thumbs. "We forgive you, baby. All that matters is you're home now."
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La'ei leaned on the back of the couch, watching her son's face as he slept curled around his sister. Midway through his recounting of everything that had happened since he'd vanished into the depths of space he'd started yawning, a long day followed by an all-too-short sleep beginning to catch up to him. When it got to the point he was yawning more than talking, Fetuilelagi had put her foot down and, in a tone that brooked no argument, ordered him to take a nap. The rest of the story would keep, she informed him, and if he slept Asoese would too. The be-a-responsible-older-brother guilt-trip did the trick, and within minutes both were out cold on the couch. Fetuilelagi tucked them in with a smile that was equal parts smugness and soft affection before turning to chivy her own brother upstairs to the guest room.
Even in sleep, the changes in their son were obvious. A little more muscle here, a little less fat there. New scars and calluses on his hands from tools and machinery, and a few-very few, thank the ancestors-that didn't look like the marks of any tool she'd ever seen. His jaw was a little squarer, his shoulders a little broader than they had been the last time he'd been home, the signs of approaching adulthood. And there were the beginnings of worry lines on his forehead that troubled her. It was a small reassurance, thought, that the smile lines hadn't faded in the slightest. She reached down and with a delicate touch smoothed back some stray locks of hair-longer than she remembered-that were trying to escape his familiar headband, smiling as he shifted under her hand and tried to burrow deeper into the cushions with a tiny sound of protest.
An arm wrapped around her shoulders, Fetuilelagi holding her close as she joined her wife in watching their children sleep. "Come on. We should let them rest." She whispered after a moment, and steered La'ei away to the kitchen.
Through the large kitchen window they could see the dawn just starting to lighten the sky, painting the scattered clouds in pale streaks of yellow and pink. A few early morning travellers had stopped in their journeys and were down on the sand by the dying fire, taking pictures of the strange ship Hunk had arrived in. The Yellow Lion was stretched out on the sand with its head on its paws and its tail waving in slow arcs, looking for all the world like a lazy cat if a cat was eighty feet tall laying down and built like an armored tank. She tensed. That thought was an unwelcome reminder of the story Hunk had been telling before exhaustion caught up with him.
"A war, Fetu." La'ei whispered, tucking herself closer to her wife's side. "Our son has been fighting a war." The very thought made her feel sick. Hunk was an engineer, not a soldier.
Fetuilelagi's arms tightened around her. "Yes. But he's here now. He's safe. He won't have to fight anymore."
La'ei gave an uncertain nod. Outside, the lion shifted, lifting its head to look toward the road in response to a faint squeal of tires. The giant machine was very visible over the houses, and no doubt the unexpected sight had almost caused an accident. Sure enough, a minute later a newcomer joined the small crowd watching it from a respectful distance. Apparently deciding the event didn't concern it, the massive fanged head dropped back to its paws, golden eyes gazing at the house instead as it waited for its pilot to return.
Which he must be planning to, she realized with a jolt. Otherwise why would the machine wait for him?
Her heart rebelled at the idea. She didn't want to lose her child again. Maybe if she could make the lion leave without him...for a moment she entertained the mental image of going after the giant cat with a broom, and almost made herself laugh. That cannon on the end of the tail wasn't just for show.
Before La'ei could give voice to the troubling thought, a soft sound from the other room captured her attention. A quiet sound of distress. She and Fetuilelagi were back in the living room in an instant.
Hunk was still asleep, but he was restless, shifting and mumbling. As Fetuilelagi crouched beside the couch, La'ei caught the words "no" and "Pidge". His brow was furrowed in a distraught expression, and even as she watched a single tear ran down his cheek to soak into the cushion. Fetuilelagi put a gentle hand on his shoulder, shaking him. "Wake up, sweetheart. You're having a nightmare."
His eyes flew open with a gasp at the touch. For a moment he seemed to look right through them both, gaze still locked on something in the distance, and his hand jerked toward his hip, grabbing for a weapon that wasn't there. Then he shuddered, putting his hand over his face, and drew in a shaky breath. "I'm okay." He mumbled under his breath after a few seconds of steadying himself. "Thanks, buddy."
The lion, La'ei realized after a moment. He'd mentioned being linked to it.
Frowning, Fetuilelagi stroked his cheek and was rewarded with a weak smile. "I'm okay mom. Just a bad dream." Taking care not to wake Asoese, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. "I think I'll pass on the rest of that nap, though."
Sitting beside him on the couch, La'ei pulled him to lean against her side and put a comforting arm around him. "You were crying in your sleep. Do you want to talk about it?"
Hunk leaned against her shoulder and shook his head. "Not really? I just...we had a mission recently and Pidge got really, really hurt." He swallowed hard, closing his eyes, and she could feel the tension in his body. "Sometimes it's hard not to imagine what would have happened if things went just a little different."
La'ei felt sick at what he was implying. How many times had her son seen his teammates, his friends, almost die in the course of the last year? How many times had he almost died? It didn't matter if you apparently had magical machinery that could heal even potentially fatal wounds, experiences like that changed you. She could see the shadows in his eyes, like the ones she remembered from her father. Turning, she hugged him to her chest, stroking his hair. "It's okay, baby. You're safe now. You're all safe now. You won't have to worry about things like that anymore." She soothed.
He stiffened in her arms. Then he was pulling away, sitting up to stare at her. "Mama...You do know we can't stay, right?" He whispered.
A tense silence settled between them. Fetuilelagi straightened, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I don't see why the hell not." She snapped. "You've done more than enough, Hunk. Someone else can pilot that beast from now on. You're staying right here where you belong."
Hunk grimaced. "It doesn't work like that, Mom. You can't just throw anyone in the cockpit and expect them to be able to pilot the Lions. Coran explained it to us. The pilot's quintessence-their energy-has to be a match for the Lion, and it has to be connected to all the other pilots. That's rare. Finding another set of pilots could take decades. We don't have that kind of time."
Fetuilelagi was scowling now. A year of grief was bubbling to the surface, and La'ei knew her wife wasn't likely to care about any mystical energies, not when her son's safety was at stake. "Well, that's someone else's problem. You're our son, Hunk. We spent a year believing you were dead. We are not letting you disappear on us again."
Hunk's face was a study in conflicting emotions, guilt and grief warring with desperation and, unexpectedly, resolution. He'd always been a sweet-tempered, gentle boy, accepting his mothers' rare ultimatums without protest. But now, for the first time she could remember, he lifted his chin and met his mother's stubborn stare with one of his own, displaying a quiet strength that was as unexpected as it was reassuring. He knew what he was doing, La'ei realized. Not all the changes he'd undergone were physical. Nor were they all bad.
"Mom." There was just the slightest break in his voice, but he took a deep breath, straightened his back, and continued. "I'm sorry. I really am, okay? But I have to go." He saw her opening her mouth to speak and held up a hand. "Look, if I could I would rather stay right here. I mean, I've seen way more of outer space than I ever expected when I applied to the Garrison, and honestly? It's more than enough for one lifetime. But it's not about what I want. It's not about what any of us want."
He took a deep breath before continuing. "Zarkon, Haggar, and Lotor? They've been conquering their way across the universe for ten thousand years. They've enslaved millions of civilizations across thousands of galaxies." His gaze was distant, looking out across the surface of a planet only he could see. "But we-us paladins-we can put a stop to that. We're the only ones who can. No one else is strong enough. And I'm not going to let people go on suffering for who knows how long just because I don't want to fight anymore."
Hunk lifted his head, looking into first Fetulelagi's eyes, then La'ei's. The difference there was jarring. While they still sparked with curiosity and intelligence, youthful innocence had been replaced by a quiet maturity that drove home just how much her son had changed. Hunk was not the same teenager who had last sat on that couch a year and a half ago. He'd grown into a young man somewhere out there between the stars.
He swallowed, eyes suddenly glittering with tears. "I'm sorry Mom, Mama." He repeated, sounding very young and very old and very scared and very tired all at once. "I wish I didn't have to go. I really do. But if I don't it's only a matter of time until the Galra come after Earth again. The only way to make sure that never happens, to keep you guys safe as well as he rest of the universe, is for us to go back up and stop them. And I'll do whatever it takes to make sure the Galra never, ever hurt you."
A long silence followed his declaration. For a moment La'ei watched her wife chew her lip, and thought she was going to press the argument. Then, to her shock, Fetuilelagi sighed, leaning down to hug Hunk as tight as she could. "Promise me you'll come back. Promise you'll come home safe to us."
Hunk wrapped his arms around her neck, leaning into the embrace as if he never wanted it to end. "I promise I'll do my best."
La'ei leaned in to wrap her own arms around them both. She could feel Hunk's relief in his mother's apparent acceptance. But there was tension still in Fetuilelagi's shoulders, and stubbornness in her gaze as she looked past her son's head toward the kitchen and the beach beyond, where the Yellow Lion waited for its pilot. This discussion was not over. And unless La'ei could convince her wife as their son had convinced her, she dreaded to think how the continuation might go.
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It was a good thing Yellow could talk to Hunk in his head, because there was no way he would have been able to hear him over the delighted shrieks of a cockpit full of children as they flew a slow aerial tour of Apia. The lion was purring up a storm, and was of the firm opinion that he couldn't wait to do the same with Hunk and Shay's cubs when they finally stopped beating around the Balmera-
"Shut up!" Hunk hissed under his breath, blushing to the tips of his ears and praying that Asoese didn't look up from her seat in his lap and notice how dark his face was. "Ugh, you're as bad as Mama, Yellow."
He hadn't meant to let slip that he'd found someone he liked-after all, it wasn't as if anything had happened between them, and he didn't get to see her very often anyway, and she had a lot to do helping to lead the people of her Balmera in rebuilding from the damage the Galra had done to them and their planet-but something he said must've given him away when he was recounting his adventures on the Balmera and he'd found himself being interrogated all about Shay. He'd only managed to escape when one of the neighbours poked their head in the door to inform them that half the island was outside gearing up to celebrate Hunk's return and triumphant victory and did they have any tables or blankets they could spare because they were running out of places to put the food people were bringing? Fetuilelagi had gone to locate the folding table they used for La'ei's bridge club, La'ei had gone to raid the linen closet, and Hunk had made his escape outside to help with setting up.
Half the island might have been an exaggeration, but only a small one. The beach was packed with people as far as he could see, with gaps where firepits roasted pigs and fish taro or where people had set out clusters of tables and blankets laden with other foods. Yellow had backed up and was standing in the ocean in order to free up space on the sand, watching the proceedings with a definite air of amusement and pride. Before Hunk could take in any more details, though, someone spotted him standing by the back door, pointed, and a wild cheer went up that nearly deafened him.
After that everything turned into a blur of affectionate buffets and proud hugs as the yellow paladin was thoroughly welcomed and thanked by more people than he could keep track of until he was dizzy from being passed from person to person. Before long a full on party was underway, Hunk and his family the guests of honour in the middle of it all as people ate and danced and drummed and celebrated. As he savoured the taste of a bite of luau, his chest ached with sheer happiness. God, he'd missed this so much. As much as he loved the other paladins and the Castle, there was some things you just couldn't replace. The sights, the sounds, the tastes of home. He wasn't going to waste a minute of it while he was here, and he'd have to find a way to take as much of it with him back to the Castle as he could.
He ended up recounting parts of his adventures to a rapt audience, who seemed fascinated by the Balmerans in particular. Now that he thought about it, the two cultures did have a lot in common. Maybe that was why he and Shay got along so well.
When he talked about flying Yellow, though, Hunk found himself mobbed by kids wanting to try it.
"Whoah, whoah, easy, guys!" He laughed. "The Lions don't let just anyone pilot them, sorry. But," He gave them a conspiratory grin when he saw them pouting, "If you ask your parents, they might let me take you guys up."
He ended up having to take up several groups of adults first, to reassure them it was safe. To be fair, though, he knew the Lions could be more than a little intimidating when you weren't used to them, and the airlock being inside the mouth really didn't help since it made you feel like you were being eaten. Even some of the toughest people he knew balked at going up the ramp. Once he got them into the cockpit and took off, though...by the time he stopped doing sightseeing flights the sun was sinking toward Savaii and he was pretty sure almost every person there had gone up at least once. Not that he minded. Flying Yellow was something he would never get tired of, and being able to share that with friends and distant relatives and kids who hadn't discovered before now just how much fun flying could be? It was enough to make him wish he could purr like the Lion did.
As the last group of passengers left, he took a deep breath. The party was slowly dispersing, leaving him be to spend time with his family now that he'd been shown how much he was missed. A soft evening breeze washed in through the airlock, carrying the smell of the sea and the rainforest and the sound of waves on the shore and people calling farewell to each other in Samoan. Home.
Hunk stepped out onto the sand again, moving to rejoin his mothers and sister where they sat on the sand. As much as he'd enjoyed the party, there was no better place than this, here with his family.
One of them, anyway.
"Mom. Mama." He hesitated, not quite sure how to broach the subject. He didn't want them to think he'd replaced them.
"Yes, sweetheart?" His Mama smiled, putting an arm around his shoulders. One or the other of them had had him in a hug almost every time he held still long enough.
He sighed, trying to push the nervousness away. These were his parents. They'd understand. "I was wondering...if you'd come back to Arizona with me. Just for a little while. There's some people I'd really like you to meet…"
"Your friends?" His Mom also had a soft, understanding smile on her face, putting her arm around his waist. "Of course, Hunk. I need to thank them for taking good care of my son."
"Really? You will?" Almost giddy with relief, Hunk turned and threw his arms around both of them in a tight hug. "Aw man, thank you! I know it's a long way, but Yellow's way faster than a plane anyway. I just really wanted to introduce you guys because honestly? They're like brothers and sisters to me now? Except Coran. He's like a weird uncle. Even weirder than uncle Loto in Peru."
"Weirder than Loto?" Fetuilelagi raised an eyebrow and La'ei giggled. "We'll see about that." She kissed his forehead. "I look forward to meeting my new honourary sons and daughters, then. I can tell how much they mean to you from the way you talk about them. I'm glad you weren't alone."
He shook his head, sitting back on his heels and grinning. "Nope. Took us a while to get used to each other, but even at the beginning Lance and I were looking out for each other. And now I've got a whole bunch of people watching my back while I watch theirs. I don't think I could've handled everything without them."
Fetuilelagi hummed in agreement. "All the more reason to thank them, then. But not right now. We'll go in the morning. Alright?"
Hunk grinned and settled back down between them, sinking into the familiar embrace of his parents. "Sounds good to me. Right now right here is just where I want to be."