~Pidge~

We leave today.

The sun isn't even out when the crew starts loading onto the Atlas. Shiro has the Paladins put on our armor and get into our Lions, keeping a comm line open to the Atlas.

After what seems like forever, but also never enough time to properly say goodbye to our families. Especially for poor Lance. He looks like he's about to cry when Nadia gives him a necklace with purple and pink plastic beads on it. He hugs his family until he absolutely has to leave. Even then, it takes Keith and Shiro having to all but pull him off his mom. Keith walks him to the Lions, and I can practically see his tears running down his cheeks.

I watch him climb into his Lion after saying something to Keith. And then...kissing his cheek? What? I'm so confused. Are they together now?

"Awwww," Hunk's voice crackles through the comms.

"What happened?" I ask.

"Lance kissed Keith on the cheek. I'm so glad I helped them get together," Hunk responds. I can hear the smile in his voice.

"Pfft," Lance's voice breaks through. "Helped? I think not. What you did was make me embarrassed."

"What?" I ask again, emphasizing it this time.

"Oh, right. Well Lance here failed at asking Allura, don't worry everyone knows, and accidentally said he wanted to ask Keith. Well, then he asked Keith and Keith said yes and they went to dinner together. And now they're a gross cute little couple," Hunk explains helpfully.

"Does Allura know he meant to ask her?" I ask flatly.

"Oh. Quiznak."

"He wanted to WHAT?" Allura half screams.

"Oops." Hunk goes silent after that, but I know he's biting both lips into his mouth and making a weird half-smile. That's just what he does when he messes up.

"It's true," Lance says sheepishly, "that was my original plan. But I slipped up and said I wanted to ask Keith. I'm glad I did, too. I-he-yeah..." Lance trails off. I can tell he's blushing by the tone of his voice.

"I'm glad too," Allura responds. She sounds like she's truly happy for them, if not a little hurt by the fact that Lance chose Keith.

"Guys, come in," Keith's voice is finally heard. I wonder if he's been listening this entire time. "I need to make sure everyone's here before we can go onto the Atlas and launch, okay?"

"Okay," comes the chorus of replies.

"Lance?"

"Here,"

"Hunk?"

"I'm here,"

"Pidge?"

"Here,"

"Allura?"

"Present,"

"Keith? Here," He adds playfully. "Let's go,"

We fly our Lions into the hangar for the Atlas, landing them slowly, one by one, rather than as a group as we usually. This is because we go in lion by lion, since the opening isn't the biggest. If they'd opened it all the way, all five of us could go in as one, but they didn't since it's not necessary.

Keith goes in first, then Lance, then me, then Hunk, then Allura. When I climb out of Green, Lance and Keith are already out and chatting. I take my chance.

Sidling up to them, I say "Soooo...a date, huh?"

Keith blushes cherry red, looking to Lance and then to his shoes with a small smile. "Heh. Uh, yeah,"

Lance looks at Keith fondly, a smile ghosting his lips. "We are indeed,"

I smirk. "Did you guys fu-"

"HEY there Lance, Keith, Pidge. Let's not finish that sentence, huh? I'm gonna go check out the kitchen, anyone wanna come with me?" Hunk bursts into our conversation. He puts and arm over Keith's and Lance's shoulders, putting his head between theirs.

"Nah, I'm gonna go check out the training deck. Shiro said they have a knife throwing target!" Keith says excitedly. Lance looks at him, like this boy is so adorable. (His words, not mine.)

"I want to check out the Altean tech with Allura. I can meet you in there later if you want!" I say, grabbing Allura by the wrist. She smiles.

"Oh, Pidge, you are going to love this."

~Lance~

"I'll go with you buddy!" I say excitedly. I wave goodbye to Keith and allow Hunk to lead me out of the room. Keith. My...boyfriend. It makes me giddy to even think it, and an involuntary smile makes its way onto my face.

"Thinkin' about Keith?" Hunk asks knowingly. I nod and look away, hiding the enormous smile in my hand.

Before long, we've arrived at the kitchen. Inside I see several large freezers and refrigerators, and a lot of ovens. Only one stove, though. Hunk pats the counter-space and starts taking out ingredients. I've been in situations like this with him before, where he's cooking and I'm here to talk, and sit on the counter. My feet don't quite touch the ground if I don't point my toes, so I let them kick around.

"So..." I start, not sure exactly what Hunk wants to talk about.

"So. We need to talk about the slip-up of the century: you. More specifically, the fact that you asked out Keith when the goal was Allura." Hunk measures out some...stuff. I don't really remember my way around a kitchen after all that time away from Earth. Even if it was only a little bit, a lot happened.

"What about it?" My voice cracks. I clear my throat.

"Well...do you actually like him? You said you were falling in love with Allura. Do you just feel roped into your relationship?" Hunk asks, concern lacing his voice. He furrows his brow as he mixes eggs and some spices in a bowl.

I open my mouth, but close it as I think about what he's asking. "I...I did. I was in love with Allura, I think. But something felt...off when she started showing interest in me. It felt like she was just skipping the grieving period of her relationship with Lotor, you know? So that put me a bit on edge. And then, I mean, dude have you seen Keith lately? He is..." I whistle. "Yeah, but no. I don't think I'm just with Keith because I feel obligated to do so. I'm with him because I...well, I like him. I think I-I think I love him? Maybe. I'm not sure. All I know is, I don't regret anything about last night."

Hunk looks over his shoulder at me and wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. I hit him in the shoulder.

"Not like that, you perv!" I laugh.

"Uh-then how?"

I blush. "Well...we kissed. Twice. One time on the docks and one time in front of my family. I don't think I've ever blushed so much in my life,"

Hunk's stirring has come to a stop. "You what? You kissed him? And you didn't tell me?"

"I told you just now didn't I?" I argue, crossing my arms.

"Well...that doesn't count. You said you just took him down to the docks!" Hunk says, throwing one hand up in exasperation. Egg mixture goes flying onto a wall.

"Well, you didn't ask. Plus, I wanted to wait to tell you. I wanted to see your reaction." I smile sweetly.

Hunk looks unamused. "Was my reaction sufficient?" He asks flatly.

I giggle. "Yes. Very,"

Hunk's expression softens. "You really like him, don't you?" THen, a mischevious smirk. "OH! Lancey's in love~" He shouts. I scramble over to him.

"Quiet," I hiss, "Veronica might hear you and I will never hear the end of it." I look over my shoulder dramatically.

The kitchen doors slide open. "You guys are loud," James strolls in. "Who's in love?"

I freeze. "Uh...me?"

James smirks. "You? Lemme guess, with Keith?"

"I-how did you know?"

"Well, first of all, I was near Curtis when you guys were asking for Keith. Also, you had a huge crush on him before he dropped out and you skedaddled off into space," James says with a bored expression.

I pout. "Don't let Veronica know. I swear, she's got it out for me. If someone tells her about this conversation I'm going to be teased about it until the day I die. Or she dies. Neither of which will be coming any time soon," I add.

James chuckles and pats my shoulder. "Whatever. I won't tell her. I was gonna come and look at what we have for lunch supplies, but you guys are in here. See ya around," he waves over his shoulder and walks out.

I turn to Hunk, a bit horrified. "He's going to tell Veronica,"

"He just said he wouldn't,"

"Veronica was right outside the door. I saw her. Oh, lordy. I'm not going anywhere near my room tonight, no siree. It's right across from hers,"

Hunk smirks. "Then...with Keith?" If a wink could be verbally transmitted, that's what Hunk would have added. I face-palm but nod.

"Not sure how I'm gonna convince him though. Do you think he likes cuddles?" I laugh frantically.

"Lance. Buddy. That guy is infatuated with you. I'm sure he'd cuddle with you if you wanted. However, if you're just using his cuddles to avoid your sister...I think he'll say no," Hunk chuckles and turns to the cookbook.

"Unless...what if I don't tell him?" I mutter.

Hunk turns back toward me. "That's not a good idea. Then he'll find out from someone else and be mad, or sad, or something. Just tell him. Or, face your sister. Either one works,"

I hum thoughtfully, imagining his reaction. He'd probably want me to talk to Veronica, but let me sleep in his bed. I dunno, though. What if Hunk's right? What if I'm just acting like I like Keith? What if he catches on to something I don't even know I'm doing and he gets mad and he cuts me off? And we can't from Voltron and it's all my fault?

"-nce. Lance. Lance? Buddy, you good?" Hunk is waving a spatula in front of my face. "You look sort of out of it. Like, halfway between exploding and falling asleep,"

"Where did Keith say he was again?" I ask. It doesn't answer any of his questions, but I want to ask Keith now. Or do I? Maybe I'm just worrying about nothing. Or maybe something. Maybe I should just leave it for Future Lance to deal with, ya know? Yeah, that sounds good.

"Actually, never mind. I'll ask him later. What are you making?" I cut Hunk off before he can even say anything about Keith.

"Uh...French toast? But with cinnamon sugar in the egg. I've never tried it before, but it sounds cool," he responds, albeit a little confused.

"Cool, cool. Is French toast even French? Like, what about French fries?" I'm desperately trying to change the topic and I'm getting a little bit dry of ideas.

Hunk slaps a nice moistened piece of bread onto a frying pan. "Well, French toast wasn't always called French toast. I dunno what it used to be called, if there was a name for it, but the some of the earliest records of it are from the Roman Empire. In France, they call it pain perdu, which means lost bread. They originally used the recipe to keep stale bread from being thrown away. Pretty cool, huh? But, the French eat it as a dessert, not as a breakfast food," he explains.

I blink. "I was not expecting an answer for that to exist. What about French fires? Do you know about them too?"

Hunk chuckles, placing more bread onto the pan. "I might. Can you go get them for me?"

"Who's 'them?'"

Hunk smiles sheepishly. "Oh, sorry. Thought I clarified it. Just the Paladins and Shiro, if he's available." He turns back to his work, now multitasking and making some sort of topping.

"Sure," I say, hopping off the counter.

I walk through the halls of the Atlas, trying to remember what Veronica had said when she gave us all a tour. Okay. So, the training deck is over...there. Yeah. Which means the dorms are down there and to the left? And the control room with Shiro is...where? Quiznak, I'm lost. I stop when I hear voices coming from a room. I follow the sound and find the door to what looks like a bedroom. I cautiously lift a hand and knock. Inside, the voices fall silent, and I hear footsteps coming towards the door. The door opens to reveal a slightly disgruntled Shiro.

"Oh, hey, Lance. Do you need anything?" He asks. He steps to the side slightly and I can see one of Veronica's friends sitting on the bed. I don't remember his name, but he was there to witness my tomato transformation while we asked where Keith was.

"Uh, Hunk wanted to know if you wanted some French toast. He said only the Paladins and you, but I guess your friend could come too. Since he didn't ask for Coran. Oh, and I uh. I may or may not have gotten lost. So that too." I smile nervously.

Shiro chuckles. "Sure, I'll come. And I'll help you find everyone else, since you'll probably need help with that, too,"

"Wha-! I do not need help finding them. I cold to it all myself. I'm Lancey Lance, master of navigation!" I say, straightening up and smiling confidently. Then, I slump. "Actually, no. You're right. We need to find Allura, Pidge, and Keith. Then we can go get breakfast without the rest of the crew." I look at the ground.

Shiro puts a hand on my shoulder. "C'mon. We can find Allura and Pidge first, and you can get Keith yourself."

I blush and open my mouth to say that No, we can all go. since I know what he's implying.

"Don't even start," Shiro laugh, "I was there when you asked where Keith was. And I helped him pick out his outfit. And I was the one Keith told about your date, so don't even try and tell me we're all going,"

I smile and look at him. "Huh. Uh...thanks," I say.

Shiro smiles back at me. Then, his eyes light up, like he just remembered something. "Oh! Lance, this is Curtis. Curtis, this is Lance. Should've cleared that up earlier, probably,"

I nod, trying to commit that to memory. Curtis, Curtis...courteous Curtis with courage and courtesy. What?

It's how I remember things.

We arrive at a door the looks like it leads to a secret evil lab. Which, remembering what Pidge and Allura went to look at, probably isn't too far off. Upon opening the door, I see lots of scary looking technology and glowing blue-whit lights. In the very corner, the two girls and standing and looking at a computer screen.

I sidle up between them. "Hello ladies~" I say, slinging an arm around their shoulders. Pidge jumps and yelps comically, and Allura looks at me with a unamused expression on her face.

"Hey, guys," Shiro says from next to Curtis, who lifts his hand and waves.

"Hello," Allura says. Pidge walks up behind her.

"Whaddaya want?" she asks.

"Hunk made breakfast for all of us. He sent me to get you guys," I say.

"And I got Shiro, with a bonus courteous. Er...quiznak. Curtis," I correct myself, slapping myself in the forehead.

The group laughs and we walk out, conversations happening around me. I sort of skip-walk down the hallway, thinking about how good the French toast is gonna taste. I do a couple spins. Of course, I lose my balance and slam my face into a wall.

Laughter erupts from behind me, and I turn around and bow. What a great show.

"We're here," Shiro points to the door next to the wall that I just yote my head into. "Keith should be in there,"

I smile and thank him, turning and going through the sliding doors. Keith is in the middle of the room, stretching. As he shifts from one stretch to another, his shirt rides up his side, exposing his pale side. And I mean Jesus Christ this boy is pale. Has he ever been out in full sunlight? I don't think so.

"Wow, Keith. I think you might actually reflect sunlight," I say, amused.

Just like Pidge, Keith jumps when he hears my voice. "Oh, Lance. Hey. For your information, I spent years in space without having the need to go out in the sun. We can't all turn into a beautiful shade of brown whenever we so much as think about the sun," he says with an annoyed smile.

I shrug. "What can I say? I'm naturally beautiful," I say, fluttering my eyelashes. Keith rolls his eyes and stands up, walking over to me.

"Did you come here for a reason?" He asks, putting a hand on his hip and shifting his wieght to the one leg.

"Is seeing you not enough?" I ask, increasing the fluttering of my lashes and feigning innocence.

"No."

I drop the cutesy act. "Hunk wanted to know if you wanted French toast. He told me to get all the Paladins but we got a 'buy one get one free' deal with Shiro and have Curtis with us, too," I say, mimicking his tone.

Keith smiles and tilts his head. "Well okay, then. Lead the way,"

I stop him from going out the door, earning an odd look from the mullet-haired boy. "Kissie?"

Keith chokes on the laughter he tries to keep down. He kisses the corner of my lips, taking me by the fingers and pulling me along with him out the door. The group is waiting and talking to one another.

"How was your date?" Allura asks. She was dealing with official, universe saving stuff last night so she didn't get a rundown. Same with Pidge and Curtis.

Keith shakes his head so his hair floofs and bounces around. "That'r for us to know, and you guys to wonder about,"

I smile. "What he said!" I say. Pidge raises her eyebrows and I drag Keith down the hallway to the kitchen. Pidge barrels after us and the older, responsible, people just laugh and walk slower behind us.

Keith and I burst into the kitchen, faces red with laughter, hand intertwined. Hunk looks up from where he was dolloping whipped cream onto the French toast. He sprinkles some cinnamon sugar on top and smiles at us.

Pidge shoves through us, smiling. "You guys are tall. It's no fair, I have stubs,"

I shrug. "Shouldn't have had so much coffee, then, huh?"

Pidge shakes her head. "Even running on .2 hours of sleep and eighty cups of coffee, I got higher marks than you at the Garrison. So, I guess I just have room for my smarts,"

"Uh, guys," Hunk interrupts our little argument. "I accidentally made an extra serving. Anyone want two?"

"Actually, Hunk, we brought Curtis! He was with Shiro when I found them, so I invited him. He can eat the extra!"

Hunk smiles gratefully and hands plates to everyone. He sits with Pidge and Allura and they talk about nerdy tech stuff. Shiro and Curtis are in the only two chairs in the kitchen, hidden from view. Keith is squished next to me on the counter, practically sitting in my lap to avoid touching the stove.

"You know, it's now hot," I say. Keith looks at me with a confused expression. "The burner. Hunk used to one on the other side," Keith looks at the stove, and scoots closer to me. I lift my plate so he doesn't knock it out of my hands.

"Yeah, but I'm not going to sit on the stove. That's gross," he says, wrinkling his nose and squinting. I feel my stomach flutter. This boy makes me weak when he's adorable like this.

I take a little dab of whipped cream and put it on the tip of his nose, smiling when he goes cross-eyed trying to see what I'd done. I kiss it off, blushing when I realize what I just did.

"Sorry," I giggle softly. "You just looked so adorable,"

Keith elbows me and goes back to eating his food, looking up at me every few seconds. "Why aren't you eating?"

I blush and reach my arm around his waist, hugging him from behind. "Well, I have to reach my food," I explain, nodding towards the French toast in my hand. He mouths a silent oh and ducks under my arm so I don't have to hug him while I eat. Or to make sure I don't get any food in his mullet. I don't know.

"You got tall," I blurt. Keith looks confused, but fond.

"I spent two years on a space whale with Krolia. You guys just decided not to count them. So yeah, I'm tall," he replies.

I squint. "Shrink."

"What?"

"I want you to shrink. You're too tall now. Go back to little baby Keith,"

Keith shakes his head. "No can do,"

I pout and lean forward, pressing my lips to his cheek. "No kisses until you shrink,"

Keith smirks and pulls me closer. "Actually..." He leans forward, closing his eyes. I do the same. We get closer...closer...

"Get a room!"

Pidge interrupts our moment, causing Keith to jump back a little bit and drop his plate onto the counter. Miraculously, it lands food-up and he can still eat. I stick my tongue out and Pidge, but I don't go back in for a kiss. Mostly because every single person in the room is staring at the two of us. Hunk looks mildly amused, as does Allura. Pidge looks like she's trying not to exaggeratedly fake vomit onto the ground. Shiro is muffling his laughter by putting a whole piece of toast in his mouth, almost choking to death in the process. Curtis is smiling and laughing slightly.

Keith starts laughing too. "No!" he laughs, pressing a peck to my lips. Pidge turns and sticks out her tongue.

"Blehghghghhghghghfghgh"

Keith and I are clutching our stomachs, wheezing.

For our first day marching toward death, it seems pretty good.

This.

Is.

So.

Late.

I had really bad writers block and I wasn't sure if I wanted to have a kiss in it or if I wanted to skip this episode and got to the third one and blah blah blah.

Anyway, here ya go. Comment your thoughts. Byeeeeeeeeeeeee