Chapter 6: I Like You Just the WEIGH You Are

.


.

"Hunk, it's fine," Pidge said, trailing after the yellow Paladin as they marched through the castleship.

"It's not. We almost—because of me—"

"You didn't do anything wrong."

"Pidge, I got stuck."

"So? It was a pretty narrow vent-"

"It's not even the first time I got stuck. Remember when we were all separated? Lance and I crash landed in some water covered planet. Lance had to do things alone because the mermaids saving us couldn't pull me through the hole. And then I tried to kill him!" Hunk rambled quickly. "And when Keith and I had to go into the weblum I got stuck in part of the circulatory system. Now that was just temporary but still the fact is-"

"Wha- What…? Hunk!" Pidge exclaimed. "Focus! You lost me."

Hunk stopped and exhaled slowly, turning to face the youngest Paladin, guilt on his face. "You almost didn't escape because I was stuck."

"Hunk…"

"You should have went first. You should have left me."

"…I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."

"It's true."

"Hunk, how can you say that?" Pidge said, placing her hand gently on his arm. "Do you honestly think I'd leave you?"

Hunk closed his eyes briefly but Pidge could feel him tremble. He pulled his arm away. "You should have."

.


.

Pidge collapsed onto her back, the hard floor of the lab strangely soothing as the cold seeped through her shirt. She rubbed her tired eyes and stared up at the ceiling remembering the time she was stuck with Hunk in zero G. She laughed softly to herself. Sure, the Castle of Lions was basically trying to kill them at the time but she remembered it fondly.

She snorted. Hunk didn't want to kick her because she was his friend. He looked surprised that she would even suggest a thing.

Pidge rolled to her side, resting her head on her arm as she picked at some grit on the floor thinking.

Today was tough for all of the Paladin's. They found a small Galra delivery base and decided to take it down. A small step in defeating the large empire but it was something. It wasn't too difficult but things got hairy near the end.

Pidge huffed, sitting back up and folding her legs. What time was it? She glanced at her laptop screen. Late. Of course. She didn't mean to stay up all the time it just happened. But right now she wasn't thinking of herself. A few more tics and Hunk should probably be up for a late night snack. She'd meet him in the kitchen for occasional late night talks while she refilled on something caffeinated (they weren't able to scrounge up Earth coffee but found something that came close) while he made something to soothe his rumbling tummy.

Pidge got up, wiping dust off her shorts as she made her way back up to the kitchen. The halls were long and it was always eerily quite. Her mind wandered to familiar thoughts. The Castle of Lions certainly wasn't built for just seven people in mind. There were several kitchens spaced throughout its halls and floors, many different communal bathrooms, and even more bedrooms. The place should be bustling with people and yet…

Not everything goes as planned.

Pidge had yet to explore every nook and cranny of the castle. It was too big. As she neared the shared kitchen closest to the Paladin's sleeping quarters she tried to listen for Hunk's familiar humming or the sound of clattering dishes and utensils.

Silence.

Just like the desolate halls.

Pidge walked inside, the automatic lights turning on. Spotless. Untouched.

"Hunk…" Pidge whispered to herself.

He should be here. He should be here testing out strange ingredients with labels he couldn't read, trying to mimic Earth recipes. He had told her baking cleared his head and now would be the prime time to de-stress. And he wasn't even here.

Pidge waited.

And waited.

She waited long enough that she nodded off, falling asleep right at the counter. The light sensors turned off and she was left in the dark.

Alone.

The castleship suddenly felt too large.

But perhaps that wasn't the right word to use right now.

.


.

"AHHHHH!"

Pidge woke up with a shout, swinging her mug around to hit whoever was trying to attack her. "Wha-what-" she spluttered, blinking as her glasses sat askew on her face.

"What are you doing sleeping here in the dark?"

Pidge blinked as the world came into focus. Coran stood clad in a robe at the kitchen entrance, hands on his hips.

Pidge groaned and sat down, exhausted. "What do you mean? I don't know about you Alteans, but humans like to sleep in the dark."

Coran moved closed, wagging his finger to chastise the girl. "You know what I meant, Number Five. It's bad for you to sleep like this!" Pidge half listened to the older man, briefly thinking of her father. She yawned as Coran continued with his lecture. "Think of your back. You should go sleep in your room."

"I was just waiting for…" she paused. "What time is it anyway?"

"Very late."

"What are you doing up?"

Coran straightened, pulling at his mustache. "I got hungry. I think Hunk noticed I get hungry at strange times…I've yet to train the mice to make me sandwiches on command…" Coran trailed off, as if thinking of new methods to get the space mice to obey his instructions. "Anyway, he always seems to leave something interesting to eat. So here I am."

"So here you are," Pidge said slowly, looking around. "Well, he wasn't here today."

Coran sighed, disappointed. "Pity." The older man seemed to change resolve quickly. "It's my chance to return the favor! I'll leave him a dish!"

Pidge smiled. "That's nice."

"You know what else is nice?" Coran asked, leaning down so they were nose to nose. "Sleep!" he exclaimed, straightening his back and gesturing towards the door. "Now come on Number Five, off to bed."

Pidge grumbled under her breath but did as she was told. She slouched and dragged her feet as she walked back to her room, passing some of the other bedroom doors.

She slowed as she approached Hunk's.

Hunk was a deep sleeper. Pidge swore his snores could shake the ship. But at least that meant he was sleeping soundly.

She paused for a moment outside his room.

Silence.

And that screamed louder than any snoring would.

.


.

Pidge didn't know what to do.

Hunk, though one of the more sensitive ones of the group, was the teams emotional crutch. He was their rock. And right now he was crumbling.

Pidge sighed. She felt tainted. Dirty.

Going to go wash off this guilt.

She didn't know why she felt guilty. There was nothing to feel guilty about but the thought of her Garrison friend upset…

Pidge sulked all the way to the bathroom. She debated going down to one of the ones further away, which normally gave her some more privacy, but right now the familiarity of the common bathroom would probably soothe her nerves. By some unspoken rule each of the Paladins had claimed a sink and shower. Lance's countertop area was home to his facemask and different beauty products. Shiro kept a neat little razor and Keith had a comb. Hunk kept a neat little array of his headbands, which Pidge noticed one day because she realized he did own different colors, but seemed to favor his signature yellow.

The bathroom door slid open and Pidge walked towards the hanging towels, reaching for her green one when she felt a prickling at the back of her neck.

Pidge whipped around, heart beating in her chest, before she realized it was just her friend.

"Hunk, what're you doing?" Pidge asked, watching the yellow Paladin stand at his sink, staring intently at the mirror.

Hunk seemed surprised to see her there, turning to look at her briefly. "Oh, hey Pidge. Sorry, I'll get out of your way if you want to shower."

The showers were off beyond a small curtained area so him being here was no issue at all and he knew that.

"That's alright," she said, walking closer to him, her towel draped across one arm. "What're you doing?" she tried again.

Hunk shrugged, leaning both arms against the counter as he stared intently at his face.

"Do you have a pimple or something?" Pidge asked, oh so sensitively. "I'm sure Lance wouldn't mind if you used his face wash."

Hunk shook his head. "No, no. Nothing like that." He slapped his cheeks a couple times, leaning in closer to the sink. "Look at that."

Pidge approached him carefully, leaning with him against the counter. "Look at what?"

Hunk poked his cheek once more. "That jiggle."

Pidge huffed, exasperated. "Hunk."

"Sorry, Pidge," he said quickly, moving away.

She quickly grasped his arm, shaking her head. "No. You don't have to be sorry. You can say whatever you want. That's not-" She huffed, not sure how to say what she wanted to say. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted him to know he could talk to her freely. She just couldn't. "Just- just wait here. I'll be back. Give me a few minutes."

Pidge tossed her towel onto the counter and Hunk watched her run out of the room before turning back to the mirror, placing his hands on his hips. He turned to the side, staring at himself longer before letting out a defeated sigh.

Pidge came back a few moments later-

"Wow!" Hunk looked at her, surprised. "Pidge, you look so-"

"Don't say it," she cut him off, stopping beside him.

"But-"

She glared at him and he chuckled nervously. They stood together for a moment in silence. Hunk, his large, hulking height a great contrast beside her short, petite self.

"Where'd you get it?" Hunk asked.

"It's Allura's," Pidge explained, tugging at the end of her dress. It was a simple, dark green, lace dress that clung to the top half of her body, sheer near her collarbones, and openly flowed mid thigh. "She said she wore this as a child," Pidge snorted. "It was too short on her. I'm probably triple that age and it fits me."

"Is that a bad thing?" Hunk asked.

"Mm, yes and no."

"Well, I think you look beautiful," Hunk said, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm a rectangle," she went on. "I saw this online but I think it fits," she explained before going on. "Turn me sideways and I disappear. Stick out my tongue and I'll look like a zipper."

"That's not true!" Hunk defended. "You're awesome!"

"I'm flat as a board," she continued, ignoring his attempts at reassuring her that her flaws were not flaws. She pressed her hand against her chest. "Okay, not exactly a board but-"

"I wish I could give some of my curves to you," Hunk said.

Pidge laughed softly. "What a kind gesture, Hunk. Thank you."

He was their emotional support. She couldn't find the right words to say but she knew he sure could.

"How come you don't wear dresses more often?"

Pidge snorted. "A dress wouldn't exactly be easy to take care of as a Paladin. And I like wearing pants and stuff but I guess sometimes it would be nice to feel attractive."

"I never want to hear you talking about yourself like that," the larger Paladin continued. "You are amazing-"

"So are you."

"You kick ass-

"You kick ass."

"You're super smart-"

"You're super smart-"

"And you're loved, I never want you to forget that."

"I don't want you to forget it either."

Hunk looked down at her as a few ticks passed. "I see what you did there."

Pidge laughed. "I'm trying, okay?"

Hunk leaned down and pulled her into a hug. She accepted it readily, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you, Pidge."

"Thank you, Hunk."

.


.

Lance walked in on them while they were bonding.

"Wow, Pidge, you're wearing a dress!"

"Go away, Lance," Pidge said, her voice muffled against Hunk's yellow shirt.

It was silent for a little while until she felt thin arms envelop her. She opened an eye and saw Lance embracing them both.

"I don't know what's going on here but I want in," he mumbled, squeezing tight.

Hunk snorted.

"Garrison trio, reunited!" Lance exclaimed, his voice echoing throughout the bathroom.

Pidge didn't feel dirty anymore.

.


.

Authors Note:

Because I felt we could have used more Hunk and Pidge in S3.

(Dress inspiration link can be found either on the tumblr or AO3 post!)