Chapter 3 – Don't sink my ship!
The sky was getting dark when Lance, Leo and Selena judged that it was time to go back. Gabriel had already finished his shift and had spent a whole hour sitting at their table. Eventually, it was time for Lance and him to part, and Gabriel wanted to make a final move, already feeling the need to see this guy again. He leapt up and gently put his hand on Lance's arm to earn his full attention. Leo and Selena quickly disappeared to pay for the meal, leaving the two boys alone.
"Erm, Lance" Gabriel faltered, his heart racing against his ribs almost painfully. He faked a confident smile but he knew Lance wasn't fooled. "This is my number, so you know, call me whenever you want to. I'll always have time for a cute guy like you!"
A crooked smile formed on Lance's lips.
"I'm sorry, but my phone has fallen into water and now it's dead."
It hurt, it hurt so much, but Gabriel kept on smiling despite feeling like he had been hit by a bus. Twice. And it must have had wheels full of cacti thorns.
"Oh, okay, I'm sorry, I thought you… Well, never mind. Thanks for coming!"
Lance's eyebrows knitted at the professional and distant tone. He played the conversation in his head again, trying to find when he had failed, and realized how much he had messed up.
"Wait, no! I didn't mean it like that!" Lance screamed with a loud laugh. "My phone did fall into a puddle!"
"So, you mean you actually can't call me?" the waiter asked with hope, trying to understand what it was all about.
"Yes! I need to get a new phone, otherwise I'd totally call you! And I will." Lance added with a more seductive tone and a wink.
Gabriel smiled back, and this time it was a genuine, joyful smile. He stuffed a paper in Lance's fist, his fingers brushing against Lance's a little longer. The ex-paladin quickly took his hand and squeezed it gently with a radiant grin.
"How about we meet here again in two days?" Lance offered, his siblings eyeing him with an half-amused, half-bored look – were they the ones expected to drive him here again?
"I'm not working on that day," the waiter stated with a sly smile. "Sounds like a date to me."
Lance's smile spread even wider. "Heh, I guess it is. Two pm?"
"Lance, we have to go! Stop flirting, kiss him and say goodbye to your boyfriend!" Leo's voice interrupted him, clearly annoyed.
Gabriel nodded, the hint of a smile on his lips. The youngest boy rolled his eyes, making his new potential boyfriend chuckle, and addressed him a wink.
"Be sure to be here in time! I promise you, you will never forget this date!" Lance declared to Gabriel as he walked away. He had no idea yet how right he was.
"I'll be there. And try to get a phone, pretty boy!"
Lance laughed and assured him he would. When he joined his siblings, Leo raised one brow, one hand on his hips in a very playful fashion.
"You really like this boy, don't you?" he scoffed, staring at Lance's pink cheeks.
"Don't be jealous, Leo, I'm sure you'll find a nice girl someday. Hopefully she'll be deaf and won't understand your poor humour."
"As long as she's able to enjoy the view, I've got a chance!"
As soon as they got home, their dad greeted them with dinner, an extra-large family size pizza, along with salad and a huge cake for dessert.
"Are we celebrating something?" Lance asked after a pretty long silence during which he had been staring at the meal, drooling in anticipation.
"We hadn't properly celebrated your return yet, so I thought it would be a good idea", his mother replied with a smile, her eyes sparkling with tears.
Her children rushed straight to embrace her and Lance snorted loudly. It was something to witness your mother crying, but it was even worse when you knew how much she had had to go through because of you.
"Don't worry, he won't disappear again, mi querida", her husband reassured her, his voice warm and soft.
Lance's smile dropped at this thought but he quickly sported another grin, this one a bit forced. He felt terribly bad about wanting to fly Blue again because it would also mean leaving his family behind one more time, though he couldn't help but miss the sensation so much. And he missed his team almost as much as he had missed his family when he was on the Castle of Lions, if not more – and that was making him feel terrible.
"Lance, are you okay?" his father enquired with a bit of worry.
The boy felt all the eyes on him, especially his abuela's concerned gaze which was much heavier than the others.
"He must be thinking about Gabriel", Selena teased with an evil smirk, her voice full of innuendos while she shot a knowing look to her little brother. She saved him without even realising.
"Who's Gabriel?"
There it was. A laugh escaped Lance's lips as his mother leant over the table with a conspiratorial attitude.
"Lance's new boyfriend." Selena stated.
"Think about all the poor broken hearted aliens, now!" Leo sighed, the corners of his mouth twisted in a sad pout.
"Gabriel is not my boyfriend… yet." Lance grinned with malice. He put his head on one of his hands and watched each member of his family while they took the information in.
It was their father's turn to sigh and his face mirrored Leo's perfectly when he spoke. "Be nice with this poor guy, Lance."
"Don't worry, I'm always nice!" he smirked slyly.
"We didn't need to know that." Selena cringed with a disgusted look that caused a devilish laugh to her little brother. Sometimes he could be really frightening…
Lance closed his bedroom door and leant against it, exhausted. He let his body slip against it and ended up sitting on the floor, back to the door, his head resting against the wood. His gaze wandered on the ceiling, then it moved to the computer which hadn't been switched on for years.
The ex-paladin awkwardly got up, struggling more than he should have to make his muscles cooperate, and walked to the chair that was facing the machine.
He pressed the power button and a protesting roar escaped the engine as the screen lit up. The computer expulsed a thick cloud of dust that made Lance cough and made the boy's eyes started tearing up. Nobody must have switched it on since his first day at the Galaxy Garrison.
The screen lit up, blinding Lance for a few ticks –no, seconds; he was back on Earth, they used seconds-, and he narrowed his eyes to look at the display. The old Windows design, all squares and angles, almost made him laugh, however he quickly noticed the teardrops that were staining his cheeks. After some more dobo—MINUTES, Lance figured out the flow wouldn't stop and he ceased to wipe the tears off, giving in to wistfulness.
His desktop finally showed up, and the now-adult couldn't help but sob grossly while staring at the photo which was his wallpaper. He must have been something like fourteen years old on the picture. His hair was carefully spiked with hair gel and he was wearing sunglasses on top of his head –he must still have them somewhere in a drawer. In the photo, he had a huge grin on his lips, his arm lazily resting around a girl's shoulders –what was her name, again?... Mary?... Mina?... Manon! She was from a foreign country, he remembered! The girl was smiling too, and in her eyes Lance could see the reflection of the photographer, Ryan, who was his best friend at the time. In spite of all the efforts he had put into it, Lance had never managed to date either of them, and God knew he had tried…
The year after that, he had gone to Galaxy Garrison and he had never heard from any of them since then.
Figuring that he couldn't use his computer to go on the Internet, the ex-paladin decided to go through his old files. The folders were full of secondary school photos in which he was smiling with his friends. His chin resting in his palm, eyes focused on the bright screen, Lance wondered what had become of them. He barely remembered the names of some of them, and this thought made him sad. They surely had forgotten him too… What if the same thing was going to happen with his Voltron teammates? What if they were to forget him? Sure, they had saved the universe together and they had gone through an unforgettable adventure together, but Lance hadn't been the most outstanding paladin of them all… Shiro had always been their leader, always there to motivate them and unite the team. Pidge was the smartest person Lance had ever known, she had saved them so many times Lance had stopped counting, and she also was the sassiest little gremlin. Hunk was the team's linchpin, he was there whenever they needed him, he was there to cover them and to make them smile when the situation was difficult to handle. Hunk was also brilliant when it came to technologies and cooking. As for Keith… Well, Keith was the most talented fighter and pilot Lance knew, even if it was a pain for him to admit. And Allura had showed she was made for leading and driving, either castle ships or robot lions… She had been so talented with Blue, she was a fast learner and she was skilled for everything she did, just like Keith. They were the "Chosen Ones", in Lance's opinion. Altean and Galra. They would have been perfect for each other…
Lance let out a long sigh, his heart in his throat in a very painful way, and the tears doubled in intensity.
He missed them. He missed his team so much. Even if he had always been a fifth or a seventh or more wheel, even if he had never been useful to them, Lance missed them so much. The only thought they could forget him was devastating the ex-paladin in a way almost nothing else could.
He angrily punched the keyboard with his fist and the computer shut down with a loud protesting noise that didn't augur well.
"Fuck this!" Lance swore, his eyebrows furrowing even deeper when he saw that some keyboard keys were stuck to his hand.
The Cuban got up and unplugged the machine without showing any mercy towards the old computer. Then he headed to his bed, eyes closed tightly in an attempt to escape from his sinister memories.
The day after passed fast. Lance got to babysit Nathan and Lilí, and this time he managed to avoid his niece's terrible cooking skills. Eventually, he understood why nobody let the little girl go near the kitchen –or just go near any kind of food. Every time Lance glanced at his deceased phone, he could see a picture of the Castle of Lions crew appearing in his head, and, only then, Gabriel's silhouette, blurred as if he was standing into a thick fog.
Every member of Lance's family guessed he had a date planned for the day after just by looking at him. The ex-paladin was so nervous that he couldn't stay in place for more than a few seconds, and his siblings couldn't help but make fun of him, same for his parents.
When the time came, Lance was already laid on his bed, his eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling above him. He hoped so much his date would be alright and that he wouldn't screw up…
The sunlight illuminated the room through the light blue curtains, and a little rainbow appeared on the floor near the bed. Lance glanced at the colourful spot and he decided to get up despite the fact he had barely got a minute of sleep. The room seemed to capsize and the boy had to lean against the wall to find his balance.
When he miraculously managed to make his way to the bathroom, Lance's reflection in the mirror almost led him to go back under the sheets. The man who was staring at him in the mirror –Lance firmly refused to accept that the guy was actually himself- had pretty bad dark circles under his eyes. His hair was a messy crest of which some strands fell onto his forehead, and his blue eyes were bloodshot due to an obvious lack of sleep.
"I CAN'T GO OUT LIKE THIS!" Lance yelled, and he most likely woke up his whole family doing so.
A loud noise came from the wall, and he supposed Leo had thrown his shoe against it in anger, it was something he used to do years ago.
A door slammed, then a second and a third, and Selena appeared right in front of her little brother, so dishevelled she looked like Chewbacca and Bigfoot's secret offspring.
"I can see the family resemblance" Leo commented from Lance's bedroom doorway, his skin and hair flawless and as awake as if he had been up for hours. Both Selena and Lance gave him a deadly glare, and he retreated with his hands up in the air in a defensive attitude. This guy would have gotten along with Pidge so much.
"Tell me you can help me!" Lance begged his sister with a puppy-eyes look. "Tell me you can fix this! I've never ever looked so bad in my life! Gabriel will leave as soon as he sees me if I go on a date like this!"
The woman took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair, eyes closed. She took the time to straighten her brown curls and relax before she looked at Lance again.
"Keep calm, hermanito, I can fix any bad face. Even if I must admit you look awful, you won't take a step out of this house until I'm finished with you." She declared in a confident and calm voice. Her blue gaze reassured her little brother who allowed himself to sigh in relief.
"Don't make me look like a Barbie, though…" The boy shivered heavily.
"Lance, men can wear makeup too, you know", Selena reprimanded him with a huge scowl.
"I know!" He whined, his cheeks a bit redder. He had crushed more than once on men who were wearing eyeliner, and he must admit it genuinely suited them. Besides, he was sure Shiro wore some too but Lance had never managed to confirm his suspicions in spite of intense staring sessions.
Selena authoritatively made her brother sit on his bed while she gathered all the products she needed. She spent the next three hours correcting his skin tone and erasing all trace of fatigue from his face. She didn't give up, even if Lance was making her work harder than it should have been, always complaining about being hungry, tired or uglier than ever.
"Lance, for fuck's sake, shut up or I swear I'll make you look like a prostitute!" Selena eventually threatened, her voice like thunder. Surprisingly, after that Lance remained silent and stopped wriggling until his sister had finished her magic. She took a step back, looked at her brother from head to toe, and nodded with satisfaction.
"You look decent, now. Didn't you promise Gabriel you'd get a new phone, by the way?" the girl enquired, tilting her head.
Lance started and shot her a sheepish glance before he looked away. He hadn't got the time to look for a new phone and all he could hope was that Gabriel hadn't changed his mind. Not that he could have warned him, though, the waiter didn't even have Lance's number. The ex-paladin made a mental note to fix that as soon as possible and got up without replying to his sister.
He went to the bathroom and admired his fresh-looking face in the mirror. Selena could truly make miracles when she wanted to! Lance picked his new clothes and spent an impressive amount of time choosing his outfit for his date. In the end, he opted for a pair of slim blue jeans and a simple but efficient t-shirt on which it was written "Abduct me I'm alien". One last glance to the mirror assured him he was as irresistible as always, and he walked out with a tiny smile on the corner of his lips.
After lunch time, Lance criss-crossed each of the household's rooms at least four times before Leo made him sit down, his hands on Lance's shoulders pushing the young man down.
Leo had opened his mouth to let out an exasperated complaint when suddenly a ringing chimed in the house. The sharpshooter quirked a brow, looking at his brother with a gaze full of unpronounced questions.
"Lance! Somebody's here for you!" His dad called from the entrance.
Lance mechanically put a hand to his pocket where he knew his phone was supposed to be. He frowned and walked to where his father was, baffled and wondering who could be there to see him. He didn't remember having told Gabriel where he lived.
When he entered the corridor, Lance felt the urge to pause a few seconds. His heart was racing and his hands shaking… His mind must have been playing on him, the voices he was hearing couldn't be Hunk and Pidge's?!
The young boy gasped and raced over the door. He didn't even stop to greet his friends or to make sure he wasn't going to hit his father in his rush, it no longer mattered. Tears were already flooding his cheeks –ruining his sister's hard work- when Lance jumped straight onto Hunk, gripping Pidge's shirt at the same time.
The three of them landed on the ground. There was an awkward silence, only broken by Lance's heavy sobs, before Pidge and Hunk burst in laughter. The girl made her way into the hug, a huge grin on her face.
"I can't believe you guys are here!" the Cuban stammered with much difficulty.
"We were worried, we haven't heard from you for two weeks," Hunk notified his friend while hugging him even tighter.
"And you weren't even on the internet," Pidge added, wiping condensation from her glasses. "We thought you were having troubles…"
Her voice faded into a wail and her bottom lip began to quiver.
"No, no, I'm fine! I dropped my phone into a puddle and then we had a blackout!" Lance reassured them, still smiling.
The two other paladins shared a surprised look and then turned back to their friend.
Pidge was the one to put their thoughts into words, not emotional anymore. "You're kidding, aren't you?" she began, incredulous and almost cold. "You are seriously telling us that we couldn't contact you because your devices were out of order?! AFTER TWO QUIZNAKING YEARS IN SPACE YOU CAN'T EVEN FIX A PHONE OR A ROUTER, LANCE? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO TELL US?"
The latter laughed even louder, tears still going down his face. "I've missed you so much!"
"So, you two were in space with Lance?" Leo asked, observing their two guests. He addressed Pidge a slight smile, his head resting in his hand on the table, and the girl raised an unimpressed eyebrow. Lance glanced at Leo, then at Pidge who had cut her hair shorter than he had even known her. It suited her, though. She had explained Hunk that she wanted to differ from her brother, and she didn't want to go back to her old self. Katie was dead and buried. She was Pidge, now, she was a paladin of Voltron!
"She's seventeen, man." Blue's pilot intervened with a judging look to his big brother. "And definitely not interested in you, or in any person, as far as I know," he added with a crooked smile.
Pidge nodded absentmindedly and Leo frowned in confusion, not knowing which part she was agreeing with.
"Actually, we were with Lance since the Galaxy Garrison, I was his roommate and Pidge was our teammate for the flight simulations." Hunk specified to give the green paladin a break. "We found the Blue Lion –one of our spaceships which became Lance's- together, and that's how it all began."
"How do you feel, knowing you've saved the universe and nobody will ever acknowledge it on Earth?"
Hunk blurted a light laugh and Pidge choked on the chocolate cookie she was eating.
"Are you purposely being a jerk or were you born like that? I can't remember," Leo's little brother spat. "Nobody would believe us, and we can't even tell the Garrison. By the way, guys, have you told them you were back?"
Hunk looked down, embarrassed. Actually, he hadn't even thought about it. He didn't really know what he wanted his future to be, but after having piloted Yellow, the paladin didn't like the idea of going back to Galaxy Garrison. What would he tell them, anyway? "Hey guys, I'm back from two years in space defeating an evil emperor who wanted to take over the universe. What's up? Oh, and we've found Shiro, and Samuel and Matthew Holt are back with Pidge, who happened to be Katie Holt." When he had come home, his parents were completely stunned, and they had cried for hours without letting go of their son. He guessed it was the same for Pidge and Lance. However, Hunk wanted to go back to space, and he had already told his family about it. This time, he had a way to keep in touch with them, and space was now a safe place to go, after all. His father's first reaction was to smile and give a pat on his son's back. "You better send us a photo of that girl, Hunk!" the man had told him with a shit-eating grin that had made Hunk blush heavily.
"We agreed on sending them a family photo," Pidge snorted with a devilish look. "I hacked their network again and changed all the wallpaper and icons to a family reunion photo. This one, to be precise."
She took her phone out of her pocket and turned the screen to the others. The photo had been taken at their home. Matt had an arm around Pidge who was giving the middle finger to the camera. He was sporting a challenging smirk which contrasted with his usually soft attitude. In the background, Samuel Holt was standing next to his wife. She had her arms resolutely folded and was shooting a death glare to the camera, the kind of look which said "You will pay for this, I won't ever let you forget your errors". In Samuel's hand was a piece cardboard on which were written those words : "Shiro and us are back, thanks to VOLTRON. Kerberos mission has failed but here are greetings from the Underworld."
"Savage," Lance commented with an admiring smile.
"And clever," Hunk added with a nod. He was going to add something when the team's sharpshooter suddenly got up with an alarming look on his face. "Lance, are you okay?"
"Leo, it's almost two o'clock! I was supposed to meet Gabriel! I can't even cancel, my phone is dead!"
Pidge snorted and Hunk frowned.
"Who's Gabriel?" the latter asked, but his voice was covered by Leo's.
"Do you need my phone to cancel on your boyfriend?" the older man teased.
Pidge's eyebrows furrowed so much they were almost joining in the middle of her forehead. Beside her, Hunk was lost. Lance had a boyfriend and he didn't even know it?
"I won't cancel on him! We need to go!" the ex-paladin was halfway through the corridor when he remembered the presence of his friends. He swore under his breath and went back to them with a mildly-embarrassed look. "I… um… I need to go to town… Wanna come with me?"
"Sure! I can't wait to see you embarrass yourself in front of your boyfriend!" Pidge assured with a toothy grin which made Lance shiver. He had no clue why, but her attitude was seriously frightening him.
Hunk remained silent the entirety of the drive, and when the ex-blue paladin glanced at him, all that Lance could see was his friend lost deep in thoughts with a huge frown wrinkling his forehead.
Leo left them as soon as he parked the car, pretending to have some shopping to do. He had thought about taking Pidge and Hunk with him but ruining Lance's first date was way funnier, so he let them in his little brother's hands.
Lance glanced at his friends, concerned. The green paladin looked like she was going to murder someone and Yellow's pilot seemed to be thinking about the meaning of his existence. It was weird seeing them like that, and the sharpshooter couldn't help but worry about how this day was going to end.
"So, erm… This is gonna be awkward…" Lance sputtered without actually looking at his friends.
"Isn't it already?" Pidge smirked, and the ex-blue paladin started a bit at her sharp tone. What had he done to deserve that?!
"Lance, I need to know, why haven't you-" Hunk began but was interrupted as a man came in their direction, his long hair tied up in a ponytail and sunglasses hiding his eyes.
"Hey, Lance! I thought it was supposed to be a date. Either I was wrong or you're also poly?" the guy laughed, seemingly at ease.
"These are my friends, Pidge and Hunk" Blue's pilot introduced them with a smile. "They arrived a few va—hours ago, so I couldn't leave them by themselves. Guys, this is Gabriel."
"He's afraid we're gonna embarrass him," Pidge intervened, sporting her devilish smile again. "And we're definitely going to."
"I can't wait!" Gabriel laughed while shaking their hands politely. "Any idea of where we could go or what we could do?"
"What about we sit somewhere so we can tell you all about Lance's little secrets?" the girl offered, her gaze hidden by her glasses. "I bet there are so many things you don't know about him. Actually, I'm certain of that, as even I learn new things about him after many years spent together. And when I say years, I mean whole days and nights during almost five long years."
Gabriel cleared his throat nervously with a begging look to Lance who swallowed ostensibly. The ex-paladin looked at his littlest friend, trying to get what it was that she had in mind, but it resulted in frightening him even more. She had this demoniac strategist aura she sometimes had when she was thinking about a plan to make enemies surrender. WHAT HAD HE DONE TO DESERVE HER WRATH? Was she really mad because of the phone?!
"Um, guys, what about this pub over there?" Hunk proposed, pointing at a rustic building at the corner of the street. "They seem to sell desserts and I'd really fancy an ice-cream."
"As long as it's not food goo, I'm fine!" Lance said with enthusiasm.
"Food goo?" Gabriel enquired with a frown, not losing his smile.
"I have so many things to tell you," his not-yet-boyfriend replied with a grin that seemed like a private joke.
When they finally found a place to sit down, Hunk sat next to Lance, facing Gabriel and Pidge, and after the waitress had taken their orders, Gabriel was the one to speak first, desperately trying to lift the mood.
He cracked a smile, eyes on the Cuban's t-shirt. "What's with the message shirt? Is that another one of your bad pickup lines? Eh, don't lie! I witnessed your failures the other day!"
Hunk scoffed and laughed even more when Lance blushed. "What? Don't tell me he tried his lame flirting on people again? Has he tried his lines on you?" the yellow paladin said in a mocking but friendly voice.
Gabriel was going to carry on when Pidge's voice raised again, interrupting him. "Actually, Lance isn't alien but some of our friends are. We went to space, just so you know. We've been sort of stuck there for two years or so."
Lance's newest friend began to laugh and stopped quickly when he noticed they were all dead serious. He looked into Lance's eyes, who avoided the contact with an embarrassed look.
"Wait, I don't know what you're trying to do but it's not working. How could I even believe that?" Gabriel tried, less and less amused as time passed.
"She's right," Lance finally blurted, gazing straight into Gabriel's eyes. "Two years ago, three students from the Galaxy Garrison, a space travel school, mysteriously disappeared. They even talked about it on TV. You can check on the internet if you don't believe us. Three cadets: Pidge Gunderson, Hunk Garrett, and Lance McClain. Come on, check it out, I know you don't believe me."
The earthling reached for his phone in his pocket, his hand shaking a bit. He didn't break eye contact with the boy he had met two days ago, convinced he would suddenly see the three of them burst of laughter and mock his naivety.
He quickly googled "galaxy garrison cadets missing lance" without thinking further, and clicked on the first link. There were two articles, the first one about the Kerberos mission, and another one about the mysterious disappearance of three young boys. The newspapers article was dated from two years ago, and it was written that the Galaxy Garrison found out they were missing on the morning and no trace of them remained. Their clothes were still, along with their personal objects, so the runaway hypothesis wasn't the most likely explanation. Three photos were attached to the article, and even with the different haircut, Gabriel hadn't any problem recognizing the three persons who were sitting at his table.
His heart started racing and the former waiter frantically check other articles from different sources. There were many links and many sources that all related the same information.
"HOLY SHIT! O-Okay! I believe you about the Garrison stuff! But that doesn't actually mean you went to space!" he tried, his voice sounding like a squeak. "You could have deserted or something."
Lance raised an eyebrow.
"What could I do to prove you we're telling the truth?"
"We should bring him to Lotor." Pidge offered with a snort, which brought her an angry glare from Lance.
"Um… The Castle of Lions is on the background of our photos, but…" Hunk stammered, a bit queasy. He wasn't sure that telling all this information to a civilian human was a good idea. "And I don't think Allura or Coran would convince him."
"You don't trust me?" Lance asked, staring into Gabriel's dark brown eyes.
"I mean, I've known you for only two days, handsome," the other man smiled sheepishly.
Hunk rolled his eyes with a slight smile and suddenly a light lit in his head. He stared at Gabriel, then at his best friend, blinking a few times in realisation… They had only known each other for two days?! He almost laughed in relief.
"We have seen things you couldn't even imagine, but you wouldn't believe us if we told you", Hunk pointed out. "And I don't like the idea of having you running around and telling everyone about Voltron and aliens. Sorry, man, it's not against you personally," he added with a shrug.
Lance looked at his friend in awe, he had already forgotten how much of a voice of reason Hunk could be. But he had to agree with him. Even if he liked Gabriel, he couldn't share much with him, and Lance knew the man wouldn't even believe him. After all, if some stranger came up in his life with two friends of them, telling they were from a space travel school and they had disappeared in space for two years and had fought aliens, Lance guessed he wouldn't believe them either. Otherwise it would have been weird, actually.
"Let's change the topic!" Gabriel declared to lift the mood again. He turned to Pidge with a smile. "You said you had some exciting information about this lovely boy?"
She quirked one eyebrow and shot a devilish smile to her friend who paled. "Don't worry, I could write a trilogy if I wanted to." She pretended to think about it a bit. "Has he already told you about his awful beauty masks? He wears them every single night, they make him look like a disgusting used condom."
Lance gasped and slammed his hands on the table in protest.
"Shouldn't we leave them some time alone?" Hunk whispered to Pidge's ear when they got out of the pub, heading for another place to go.
"I'm not letting them alone," the girl replied in a harsh tone. "This guy isn't gonna ruin it. I won't let it happen, not now."
Her friend looked at her with concern, wondering what she could be talking about. He didn't like her conspirator look, and this was definitely her conspirator look. He felt a chill running down his spine and put a few steps between the little demon and him, making sure he wasn't going to be her next victim.
"Looks like you haven't found a new phone yet", Gabriel noticed, looking at Lance with a crooked smile. "You promised me you were gonna have one, you liar."
"And I will!" Lance genuinely laughed, already forgetting about the presence of his friends behind him.
He was walking very close to the waiter and his fingers brushed Gabriel's. The sharpshooter glanced at the other man from the corner of his eye, a sly smile on his lips, and slipped his hand in Gabriel's.
Behind them, Pidge was seething, and the yellow paladin elbowed her in an attempt to get her attention away from the two lovers, an expression of high disapproval on his face. It was so unusual to see Hunk being so annoyed that he almost frightened the girl. She swallowed and nodded. Hunk didn't have to suffer her exasperation, it wasn't about him. Actually, he didn't even know why she was so mad, but the green paladin couldn't tell him, not now, he would have to wait a bit, and she would have to bear the situation and grin until they were back to Lance's house.
Their steps led them to an arcade and Pidge's train of thoughts stopped immediately while her eyes began to sparkle. She turned to Lance, every ounce of bitterness vanished, and begged her friend with big puppy eyes.
The Cuban let out a laugh and nodded enthusiastically, his hand still in Gabriel's. They entered the building and stopped to admire the unexpected decoration. One half of the room was filled with coin-op machines and the bright neon lights on the wall along with the checkerboard floor gave the place an old but warm atmosphere. Old songs were playing at a low volume, and Lance started to hum lyrics from ABBA songs without even being aware of it, causing a smile on his friends' faces.
The other half of the room was way more modern, which contrasted heavily with the first half, as if there were two different realities in front of the group of friends. There were FPS games with VR headsets in a corner area, circled by low walls covered with pillows, and a camera was facing the screen in order to take pictures of the players in ridiculous positions. The walls were iron grey with plates and bolts that made the place look like a post-apocalyptic building. Some scratches were disposed here and there and there were discreet blood stains painted in hidden areas. Still in the same gloomy side of the room, four circle pods were glowing on the ground, only colour touch in this dark atmosphere. After a short inspection, Gabriel and the paladins discovered the pods were actually dancing floors for Just Dance players.
Lance had let go of his potential boyfriend's hand, much for Pidge's pleasure, and ran from one game to another, screaming with excitement.
"I bet I can kick your ass on Street Fighter!" the girl challenged the ex-blue paladin with a smirk.
"I'd love to see that!" the man dared with the same look.
They both ran to the nearest two-players coin-op and Lance inserted a coin in the slot in a very sensual manner, grinning from ear to ear. Pidge rolled her eyes and looked at the screen with concentration.
Lance was the first to make his choice.
"Chun-Li?" Pidge voiced in surprise, her eyebrows raised high. "You play a girl?"
"Heh, it's always nicer for a guy to play as a female character! They're nice to look at! And Chun-Li is very attractive and she will kick your ass! And look at those legs!"
Behind him, Gabriel frowned ostensibly.
"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised", the green paladin agreed with a grin. "Now, my turn to choose…"
The sharpshooter narrowed his eyes and gasped when Pidge eventually made her choice.
"What's with this guy?!"
"F.A.N.G." The girl's grin spread wider. "Look at those legs", she mimicked in a sarcastic tone.
"He's a fucking grasshopper!" her opponent whined like a child.
Pidge snickered and Hunk took a step back, almost afraid. He looked at the screen and observed the fight between the two characters. Lance was pretty skilled with playing Chun-Li, as she was always his first choice. He knew some of her moves and combos and was at ease with moving her on the 2D area. On the other hand, Pidge had good reflexes and a huge amount of luck. She kept pressing the touches randomly, being absolutely unpredictable, and even managed to make combo-moves. When she figured out which button enabled the character to guard and dodge, the green paladin was almost invincible.
Lance's voice raised as his HP gauge was getting lower and lower, and when Pidge delivered her fatal blow, the ex-blue paladin couldn't help but shout in anger and frustration. "I DEMAND REVENGE!"
"You will lose all your money. I'd rather have you directly giving it to me", Pidge blustered.
"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO PLAY THIS CHARACTER!"
"But I won". The green paladin's smile grew wider as she replied. "A new game won't change the outcome."
"Can I give it a try, guys?" Hunk manifested himself with an innocent air.
His friends turned to him, baffled, but Pidge took a step back to give the yellow paladin access to the machine, one brow raised. Yellow's pilot nodded with a slight smile and inserted a coin before indicating Lance to choose first. Unsurprisingly, the Cuban chose Chun-Li again.
Hunk smirked.
"I like this guy", he said whilst selecting Ryu. "Let's keep with the old generation."
"Have you ever played this game?" Lance asked, eyes focused on the screen.
"Only twice or thrice", Hunk answered with a shrug, half-smiling and trying to hide it.
His fingers flew on the console's big buttons while his other hand was moving the joystick, and in only three moves the paladin managed to knock Chun-Li out. Hunk allowed himself a proud smile and turned to Lance who was still staring at the screen, his jaw dropped. The Cuban slowly glanced at his friend and he closed his mouth. His gaze stained with determination.
"You monster." Lance murmured, narrowing his eyes distrustfully.
"It was only luck", Hunk shrugged again. "Wanna try again?"
"I'll defeat you and you'll regret the day you were born," Blue's pilot fulminated. He inserted another coin, this time with rage, and chose Chun-Li again. Hunk's choice remained still, and once more he defeated Lance in only a few moves.
"HOW DID YOU DO THAT?" Lance yelled, earning some weird glares from the director of the establishment.
"My turn." Pidge cut him, putting her glasses back up on her nose.
She was so serious that she gave chills to Lance. He let her take his place without a word and folded his arms in resignation, nearly sulking. The girl shot him a quick look, smiling as she thought he reminded her of someone else, and zeroed in on the screen. She took a few seconds to memorize the buttons and analyse Hunk's moves before she inserted one coin into the machine. She selected F.A.N.G again.
The fight was tight and Pidge managed to dodge some of Hunk's blows. She figured out some of the combos and with a bit of practice she would surely be able to compete with his skills. She struck a few hits before her character finally got knocked out by Hunk's and she raised her hands up in the air in defeat.
"You got me", she admitted with a sigh. "You're better than both of us at this game."
Hunk smiled genuinely at the compliment.
"I know a game at which I can beat you", Lance grumbled, his arms still crossed on his chest. He lifted his chin with a challenging and mischievous smirk. "Time to show you who's the best sharpshooter."
Pidge rolled her eyes. "Don't forget Hunk used a gun too," she reminded him with a crooked smile.
"I know!" The ex-blue paladin yelled with a grin, one hand on his hips.
When looking closely, Gabriel found that something looked a bit off with this smile, as if it was forced. He shot a glance to Pidge and Hunk who didn't seem to notice anything weird about their friend, and Gabriel shrugged. After all, he didn't know Lance as much as the other two did, if there were something strange they would have seen.
The four of them moved to the modern side of the room, and Lance and Pidge snapped up two headsets and gun-shaped controllers.
"What's this game?" Gabriel asked, and the two competitors shrugged with a snort.
"Tell me this isn't something scary, tell me this isn't something scary," Hunk kept on chanting, already reluctant to put the thing on his head.
"Would you prefer it to be a unicorn hunting game?" Pidge scoffed. "Boom, no more unicorns. That's how they got extinct."
"I don't want to live a cursed life", Hunk whined, shaking his head from left to right. "No unicorn hunting. I'd rather hunt aliens."
"No aliens here, but definitely zombies!" Lance exclaimed cheerfully.
"Guys, I don't want to play this game…" the yellow paladin whined. "I'm sure I'm gonna suffer motion sickness and there will be blood and I don't want to throw up in Virtual Reality."
"It won't be any different from you throwing up in Blue!" the sharpshooter snickered with a cringe of disgust.
Gabriel frowned, slowly considering the idea of them being space pilots. He couldn't believe it, but he had to admit that the amount of space-related private jokes and nonsenses was high between the three of them. How could someone throw up in blue? What was Lance talking about? Had Gabriel made the right decision when he decided to flirt with this guy?
He stared at the three friends and put his headset on. At least, he knew how to wield a gun and how to shoot. He had already practised and was pretty good at it, but his friends didn't need to know that yet. A half-smile spread on his lips and he took aim at the enemies appearing in front of him on the screen. VR technology was pretty impressive, and Gabriel even startled when he heard a door slamming behind him in the game. He turned round only to find a zombie ten centimetres away from his face, too close for him to shoot. Fortunately, VR didn't come with 4D technology, and they were spared the decomposition smell that would come with the walking corpses.
The zombie came at him with her wobbly teeth and Gabriel yelped, almost dropping his weapon. He heard a bang and suddenly the woman fell dead – well, deader than before. The waiter took a step aside to avoid the corpse to fall on him, a disgusted twist of lips on his face.
He looked at the body one last time and shivered when the sensation of the zombie just a few centimetres away from him came back. The shot must have been very precise to touch only the zombie, as could witness the smoking hole that went through the woman's head. Gabriel raised one eyebrow, taking in this information.
"You should be more careful, I don't want a digital dead woman to ruin that lovely face of yours," Lance's voice echoed both in the headphones and on his right in the arcade room.
Gabriel laughed slightly and his hand found its way to the other man's shoulder. He squeezed it lightly, feeling Lance's body contracting and then giving in to the touch without anyone else being able to notice.
"No time for romance, it is war!" the sharpshooter laughed too.
"Hey, isn't romance what makes soldiers cling to life?"
Lance let out another brief laugh. He had never thought about it this way, and he must admit the waiter had a point, there… Lance tried to glance at him from the corner of his eyes – too bad the headset didn't allow him to -, in a desperate need of contact. He thought about leaving the arcade and spending some time alone with Gabriel – it was a date, after all -, but couldn't bring himself to leave Pidge and Hunk on their own.
He focused back on the game and went to explore a new area. He took three seconds to steady his breathing before entering a new room, imagining the weight of his bayard in his hands. When he went past the door, it was dark, and the young man could hear a low growl coming from the back of the room.
"Lance! On your left!" Pidge warned him, eyes on the map, but it was a little too late.
The ex-blue paladin turned in a hurry, his gun ready to fire. "What the-"
"Lance, what's the matter? Lance?" Hunk's voice asked worriedly, as if they were back on a Galra ship and not only playing a game.
In retrospect, maybe playing a post-apocalyptic simulator wasn't the best idea for young people who had been involved in a war only weeks earlier.
"Move!" Lance yelled, his voice higher than usual. His heart was racing when he shot and nearly missed his target. "What kind of a game is that?!"
Gabriel quickly put his headset off and looked at Lance, who was shaking. Hunk was the fastest to get to him. He freed his friend from all VR technologies and took him in a big hug.
"I-It was a child. It was a fucking child," Lance spluttered.
"It's just a game, Lance, we're back, don't worry. Everyone is fine," the yellow paladin reassured him without letting go of him.
Pidge took his hand as slowly as she could, tears in the corners of her eyes. "It's okay, Lance. You're home, there are no more Galra around here."
"I-I'm sorry," Gabriel stammered as if it was going to help. "I didn't mean to scare you…"
Maybe if the waiter hadn't come into the room Lance would have shot the zombie without realising it was a child. With Gabriel's character being in danger, the sharpshooter had no other choice but to fire, and, way too immersed in the game, he was now having a serious shock.
Pidge glared a deadly look at the waiter, so full of hatred that the man took a step back, his hands up in front of him in a defensive stance.
"What about we give up this game, huh?" Gabriel offered with an audible gulp.
Lance sucked in deep breaths, trying to relax, and he nodded fervently. He dragged his shaking body to a wall before he realised it was actually Hunk, and leant against him with a grateful gaze. After a few minutes, Lance was already feeling better and he jumped on his feet, sporting a bright smile.
"Okay guys, let's forget this! I can see something that will make you move!"
"Oh no…" Hunk pretended to wail, repressing a smile.
"Oh yes, buddy!" The ex-blue paladin extended one of his hands to Gabriel, the other on his heart. "Would you do me the honour of dancing with me, honey?"
The other man took his hand in a very theatrical move, emphasizing his body language. "With great pleasure!"
"I think Lance met his match," Hunk joked genuinely in a whisper, earning a glare from Pidge.
The green paladin crossed her arms across her chest. She kept her gaze on Gabriel while Lance and he were dancing to Timber. Wavy strands of his long hair were flying around him with each move and his chocolate gaze was locked on Lance, a bright smile that he was surely not aware of on his face. Pidge narrowed her eyes, still focused on the stranger. Dark hair, definitely too long for the aesthetic; dark but soft eyes, and a soft genuine smile… Gabriel reminded her of someone else, and she found herself smiling scarily.
Lance was dancing as the girl, rocking the moves like no one else could, and he was enjoying himself so much, laughing whenever he faced Gabriel.
"I'll be the one you won't forget", the sharpshooter sang with the song, winking as he took the waiter's hand in his.
A light blush appeared on Gabriel's cheeks and he winked back, radiant. Pidge huffed, even she had to admit this guy was extremely attractive.
When the song ended, Gabriel jumped on Lance's back, laughing out loud. Still in this position, he chose the next song. He was going to confirm when an idea hit him, and he turned to Pidge and Hunk.
"Wanna join?"
"I wouldn't like to bother you," Pidge snorted with a smirk which was only half friendly.
"C'mon, guys! Are you scared of losing?" Lance mocked.
The two other paladins exchanged a look and nodded to themselves. "Make room for the best pair of this room!" Pidge declared, a burning fire in her eyes.
Gabriel cheered them with a thumb up, and Lance selected the girl again, as did Hunk, who thought it would be funnier if Pidge was the guy. The four of them sang along while dancing, and it was obviously easier for Gabriel and Lance to keep up with the two activities.
" "Oh don't you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me."
I said "You're holding back."
She said "Shut up and dance with me!"
This woman is my destiny!
She said "Ooh Ooh ooh,
Shut up and dance with me!" "
The final move was made for a couple and the man had to dip the woman. Pidge did her best to support him, but Hunk ended up falling flat on the floor, laughing loudly. They were laughing with tears in their eyes when they realised they hadn't heard their two friends for a while. The girl glanced over her shoulder, only to find the two of them kissing, seemingly unaware of the world existing around them. Lance had his fist clenched on Gabriel's collar, pulling him closer, and his other hand was firmly gripped to the waiter's belt. Still in dip pose, Gabriel was using all his muscles to maintain the position without falling.
Hunk chuckled joyfully, and Pidge cleared her throat dryly.
"Get a room," she grunted in the same tone, no longer amused.
Finally, the two lovers seemed to need some oxygen to breathe and realised they weren't all alone on a desert planet. They looked around, a bit surprised, and their cheeks got redder than they were before.
Hunk's phone rang in his pocket, and he took it out to look at the screen. Gabriel noticed his lock screen, which was a photo of a humanoid creature standing in front of a huge metallic yellow cat. The creature looked very soft and friendly, almost shy, and the waiter wondered if it was a costume or an actual alien. All of his certitudes were slowly cracking as he hung with Pidge, Hunk and Lance. This curious guy had truly changed the way Gabriel saw the universe, and he had only known him for two days.
Leo: 'Are they finished? I want to go home, Mamá promised to bake waffles tonight. Tell Lance I'll kill him if he makes us late!'
"Lance, I think your brother wants to go home." Hunk announced, looking up from his screen.
"What?! How come you've got his number?!" Blue's pilot exclaimed with a frown.
"He needed someone he could contact. Your phone is dead, remember?" Pidge reminded him, bitter.
"Look, I don't want to pressure you, Lance, but there are waffles hanging in the balance," Hunk spoke again, staring at his friends with puppy eyes which could rival Lilí's.
Blue's pilot huffed and nodded, gloomy. He glanced at Gabriel – dare he already call him his boyfriend? – and cracked a sad smile.
"Um… Guys…" Lance began, embarrassed.
"Sure." Hunk nodded, already dragging their littlest friend in the opposite direction. "We'll join Leo, don't be too long, please!"
When they disappeared at the corner of the street, the sharpshooter let out a big sigh. He seriously owed Hunk one, and he would need some serious explanations from Pidge. She was being even moodier than Keith. Lance couldn't believe she was jealous, or something else was obviously upsetting her and he needed to know what if he didn't want to go insane.
"So… Do I deserve another date?" Gabriel asked mischievously.
Lance's gaze lingered on the delicate features of the waiter's face, his thinly shaped lips, his dark eyes which were always sparkling with playfulness, the few stray strands of hair which fell peacefully around his face, escaped from his ponytail… In every angle, Gabriel was very pleasant to look at.
"Of course," the ex-spaceship pilot accepted. His voice was low and slow, almost sleepy, as if he had just woken up and still needed to adjust to reality. "I think Hunk will help me fix my phone if he can, so I'll send you a message as soon as possible," he continued with a polite smile which seemed a bit off in Gabriel's opinion.
"Don't you want to set a date?" Gabriel frowned, a hint of sadness in his voice. "Are you okay? You look like someone who's going to flee or cry, or both. Have I done something wrong?"
Lance must admit he had a point, he was feeling extremely bad without even knowing why. He felt like he had to flee away from this pretty face, even if this single thought was painful to him.
"I guess the day was long," Lance affected with a neglectful wave of the hand. "I was really happy to spend the afternoon with you," he assured, taking Gabriel's hand in his and raising it to his lips to give a gentle kiss to his palm.
"You should go, Lance, your friends will be waiting for you."
The Cuban smiled again, the same odd unhappy smile that made Gabriel's stomach twist. Lance nodded briefly. He kissed Gabriel on the lips, chastely, and left with a wave of hand, without adding a single word.
The waiter waved back with a bright, radiant smile that faded away as soon as Lance turned at the corner of the street, and Gabriel wondered if he would have the opportunity to meet him again…
Lance climbed in the car and let his head rest against the back of the seat, exhausted. The silence being heavy, he glanced at his brother, one brow raised interrogatively.
"How was your date?"
"I don't know, how did they tell you it was?" Lance replied, indicating Hunk and Pidge with his chin.
Leo raised his brows, surprised by the dry tone, one of his hands on the wheel and the other held defensively before him, no longer joking.
"Wow, tell me what happened."
The sharpshooter let out a long sigh and rested his head against the seat again, eyes closed as he tried to avoid the gazes he felt on him.
"I don't know, I freaked out, I screwed up again."
"What? Did you tell him to fuck off?" Pidge voiced, genuinely curious and almost relieved.
She earned a glare from Lance and shrugged, unimpressed.
"I don't want to talk about it," the ex-paladin ended the conversation.
He remained silent until the end of the journey, looking sadder and sadder as the minutes passed. Hunk squeezed his shoulder gently and let him rest for a bit. As soon as Leo parked the car, Lance jumped out and walked straight to his room, leaving his two friends in the doorway.
They exchanged a worried look. They had never seen Lance acting so depressed, so out of character. Where was his playful attitude? What about his nonchalant smile? His self-confidence?
As promised, Aleja McClain made them a generous amount of waffles, served with whipped cream, melted chocolate, sugar, jam and whatever they wanted. It was worth a celebration banquet, and when the family and the two guests had finished eating, they were so full they didn't move for a whole hour. The sky was now dark and full of stars, and Lance was feeling a bit better, he offered his two friends a walk on the beach, which they accepted enthusiastically.
The wind was light and just fresh enough to be enjoyable, and the sand was irradiating a sweet warmth that the three paladins appreciated greatly. The sound of the ocean waves was like a lullaby which bathed the peaceful atmosphere.
Lance was holding his shoes in his hand, his trousers rolled up to his knees so that he could walk in the water. Pidge and Hunk were walking beside him, quiet, waiting for him to speak first, which he did after some minutes.
"How long do you think you'll be able to stay here?" the ex-blue paladin asked around, eyes locked on his own feet.
Hunk put his arm around Lance's shoulders, a huge grin on his face. "How long do you need us to stay here?" He felt his friend shake under him, laughing. "We can stay for a couple of weeks if it doesn't bother you. Then I'll try to find a way to go back to the Balmera," the yellow paladin explained, blushing heavily under the moonlight.
"Want to join Shaaaay~?" Lance teased him with a huge shit-eating grin.
"Yes, I do." Hunk agreed with a shrug, his smile growing even bigger. It was the purest smile Lance had ever seen, and he found himself wondering if someone would ever have this effect on him.
Gabriel was a nice guy, he was very attractive –and a very talented kisser -, but the sharpshooter couldn't help but have a weird feeling whenever he looked at him, something between nostalgia and happiness. It wasn't truly a bad impression, more of a strange sensation that made Lance feel slightly uncomfortable, as if he was incomplete.
"Um, Lance? What happened when we left you alone with Gabriel earlier?" Pidge asked.
The man looked at her, surprised. He had forgotten how fast she could be. Sometimes it was as if she could read minds.
"I don't know, I felt weird… Speaking of weird, what was that, guys?" The ex-paladin frowned deeply and turned to Hunk. "You were acting so distant, and you, Pidge, were just acting like a jerk."
Nice save, Lance, you're the best at changing topics.
"I thought you were hiding your new boyfriend from me," Hunk admitted sheepishly, scratching his cheek in embarrassment. "I was hurt, sorry."
"Hey, buddy, you know you'd be the first I'd tell!" the ex-blue paladin reassured him immediately, gently nudging him.
Pidge was staring at Lance, waiting for her turn to explain her point. When her friends finally looked at her, her answer wasn't exactly what they were expecting. "I hate him," she stated. As simple as that.
Lance's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
"What?! But you acted all friendly with him! You've spent the day –you've spent my date- telling him about every single one of my habits and flaws!" the guy yelled, unbelieving what he was hearing.
"Well, I kind of hoped he was going to flee or something," Pidge snickered, her glasses reflecting the moon and the ocean.
"Pidge! I thought you were my friend!"
"I am your friend—" She paused as if she was going to add something but came around. "That's the whole point."
"Aw, man… You're giving me a headache," Lance laughed, not resentful. After all, Pidge could like or dislike whoever she wanted, and she wasn't the most social of the crew. Lance was sure she was a close second asocial, just behind Keith, except Keith was just awkward around people while Pidge was simply better at interacting with robots.
Lance suddenly stopped and dropped onto the wet sand, his clothes already being soaked by salted water. He splashed his friends and they protested a bit before joining him on the ground.
They stood there for what seemed like an eternity, just the three of them enjoying their time together, quiet, close, their eyes locked on the stars they used to visit only a few weeks ago. Lance's gaze wandered from one constellation to another, looking for something, almost as if he was hoping to catch the glimpse of a light in the night sky which would give away the position of what he was seeking – even if he didn't know himself what he was looking for.
"Guys… Do you think they're alright?..." Lance whispered, his eyes reflecting the many stars he was lost in.
Pidge brought her knees closer to her chest, circling them with her arms, her gaze not letting go of the stars shining upon them. She put her head against Lance's shoulder and Hunk put an arm around both of them.
"They obviously are. We're the defenders of the universe, remember?" Pidge laughed slightly, her movements making all of them shake.
Far away from Earth, in the middle of a deserted galaxy, a huge ship was driven away without anything attach, one side completely destroyed, debris floating around in the vastness of the void. There was no longer any light coming from this castle-shaped craft. No living being was to be found there, only silence remained. And, in the darkest room of the spaceship, five giant robot lions were left without pilots.