Author introduction and Copyright Attributions 3/13/2024:
If you're new to my work, welcome!
If you're a long time reader (2008 or since), welcome back and surprise! I actually do write fan fiction other than Fullmetal Alchemist!
All characters, locations, specific terminology related to Voltron: Legendary Defender is not mine. It belongs to DreamWorks and World Events Productions.
I lay only claim to OCs and extended universe material made up for the purposes of this fan fiction.
Some quick notes: This was a series of random fic bits worked and re-worked between the end of the series and last year. Some of it was written mid-series and adjusted later to account for things that happened. I tend to try to be loyal to canon when expanding on a world, but in this case I, like many, really was not satisfied with where the series ended. I really liked many things done in season 8, but the last episode just left things too open and vague for me. So welcome to my adventure, drama, slice-of-life, romance Voltron story that looks at how the characters lives progress. It's unapologetically Team Punk romance (there are many lovely interpretations of their amazing friendship and all of them are valid and awesome. In this particular instance, I wanted to explore how that would naturally flow into a lifetime relationship), and by the end also provides what I feel is a much better and happier ending for Lance within the events that transpired. Also, would it be Voltron if the Lions never returned?
Chapters will be posted as I finish final polishing edits as the entire story as it stands is already written and complete, so far as it's been sitting on my computer in its current incarnation for nearly two years. I figured it was time to put it out for anyone else who might enjoy.
Yes, it's rated T for teen because the characters are now adults, and some adult themes and issues are addressed tastefully, though being Voltron, most of it tries to keep the feel and nature of the original series.
Without further ado, please enjoy.
Chapter 1: Modulation Parameters and Beignets
Location: Galaxy Garrison, Earth
April 2nd, 2328 (Earth Year)
It was a rare day when Katie Holt could not completely engross herself in her work, getting lost in the glorious mechanics and complexity of the beautiful, elegant technology she regularly had the pleasure to create and maintain. Particularly when she had an entire team of computer technicians and engineers working under her obeying her every order. It was amazing how smoothly and quickly designs could go together, and work could be accomplished.
Not that they were working on anything groundbreaking today; not in engineering, robotics, or integrating new alien tech or increasing the realms of AI understanding and sentience; any of her usual fun projects. Nor was she getting to work on any of her personal ongoing projects, because today she was overseeing a maintenance overhaul and testing of the latest upgrades to their fleet of fighters. The latter was less exciting than it probably sounded, since the upgrades were finite tweaks in programming, and the tests were being run in-bay using computer read-outs before they tried testing them hot in the air or in space, where something might explode with a pilot.
Everything was running right on schedule, and there hadn't been anything more exciting than a .06% increase in energy efficiency to report. Normally, that would be enough to be a satisfying day's work, except today. Today, nothing felt like it was moving fast enough.
Every few minutes, Katie caught herself glancing at the digital clock on the wall. A couple more hours; an hour; forty-seven minutes… After one of their longest missions in years, the Atlas was returning from a seven-month stint out along a remote series of sectors that had remained, while not openly hostile, restive and distrustful, and stubbornly reluctant to join the Galactic Coalition despite the fact the Coalition had been growing steadily for over nine years, even without Paladins parading around in Lions to draw attention.
Not that Katie particularly missed the Voltron traveling show, but there were still days when she missed having her lion, and not only because having a giant mechanical weaponized cat she could summon with a thought was incredibly useful, but because their bond had been so incredibly complete, particularly by the end. It had tied them all together, connecting them in a way that she had never experienced since. Not that it was gone, not entirely. When she tried to reach for Green, she found the connection felt more dormant than cut off. She couldn't sense the lion's location, but she knew that had been on purpose. The lions had left because the galaxy had become a place where, foreseeably, they were no longer needed, and might be a hindrance to the peace moving forward. They had successfully, and very literally, saved the Universe. She also suspected that, were they ever to be truly needed again, the lions would return. Though they would feel that connection awaken before they ever arrived. Until then, she had refrained from attempting to use technology to track them down again, just to know their locations. It was better they remain hidden, if that was what they felt was right.
Everyone still referred to them, in formal situations, as the Paladins, and she had accepted that even without the lions, that was how they would always be known, especially to the public. It was a weird kind of notoriety, though she was mildly relieved that it had overshadowed their semi-popularity based on the show that had been only loosely based on their adventures.
"Katie? Katie!"
Caught in her moment of reverie, Katie moved to the edge of the platform and looked down. Matt was standing below, grinning up at her. "What is it?" she called down.
"The Atlas is coming through the teludav in two minutes! Are you coming?"
Dignity be damned, she hurried down the stairs, only barely refraining from taking them two or three at a time with a bare "That's it for the day, good work everybody!" Then she hit the floor, and almost ran past her brother, who was grinning. She ignored the grin, knowing her brother was nearly as happy the Atlas was back as she was. Shiro and Hunk were back, and they were supposed to be bringing Keith with them for a visit. Tomorrow, Lance would join them, and they would all be together for her twenty-fifth birthday.
The fact that their return had aligned with her birthday was fortuitously unplanned, but it made her even happier. Not having her friends there would have made it just another day on the calendar.
Katie arrived outside just as the Atlas settled into place in its docking station, wishing briefly that she'd pulled her hair back as it whipped in her face. She wasn't the only person waiting as the doors opened, and members of the Atlas crew started to disembark, friends and colleagues finding each other with warm greetings. She knew not to expect any of her friends to be the first off-ship, but that didn't make waiting easier now that they were back.
Keith was the first one to appear, grinning as he spotted her moving through the crowd, and returning her enthusiastic hug warmly. "It's good to see you, Pidge."
"You too. It's been forever. How are the Blades?"
"Doing well," Keith replied as they moved out of the way of others still coming out. "We just finished a huge relief delivery to the Ralnok System. The rebuilding they've accomplished is incredible."
"That's great! So, the new power generation systems we sent them worked?"
"Yes, Pidge, your tech worked perfectly, as usual." Keith chuckled.
"Good." The last thing she wanted was for something she had worked on not to help people the way it was intended.
"Pidge!"
The familiar sound of Shiro's voice cut into the conversation. She and Keith both turned as Shiro and Curtis came down together.
"Shiro!" She moved forward to hug him tightly, then offered Curtis a friendly hug as well. "How was the mission?"
"Very successful," Shiro nodded, looking both pleased and relaxed. "We have ten new member planets in the alliance, and four more considering it."
"Wow! That's really impressive."
"What do you expect with the best diplomatic team in the Universe?" Curtis grinned, throwing one arm around Shiro's shoulders.
"Which we are," Shiro replied, "Though that's because of the whole team."
"Of which you are our capable leader."
Katie stifled a laugh at Shiro's slight blush at his husband's words. "He's definitely the best."
"I like to think I'm pretty good."
"Well, besides you of course," Katie snickered at Keith. "Maybe being a former Paladin of the Black Lion is a prerequisite."
"I hope not." Shiro smiled. "Otherwise, the universe is going to run short of capable leaders very quickly."
"There you guys are."
Katie spun around at the familiar voice, nearly running directly into her favorite human mountain. "Hunk!" She grabbed him with the same bone-crunching hug she had given Keith and Shiro, only harder, because it took more to get her arms around him.
As always, his strong arms were a firm, muscular contradiction to his cuddly exterior. As he hugged her back, he chuckled, and she felt the deep rumbling in his chest, like a lion purr. "Missed you too," he replied.
Katie held on a moment longer before looking up at him. Even at her full height, she still had to look up. "What took you so long?"
"Oh you know," he shrugged, "Have to make sure the galley's spotless and restock orders of standard supplies and equipment repair orders are ready at the end, or it takes twice as long to get things ready at the beginning of the next mission. One of the ovens was point-two-four degrees off near the end of this last mission."
"A highly unacceptable deviance in temperature," Katie agreed with a slightly exaggerated nod of importance. "I hope it didn't ruin any important dishes."
"Thankfully no, we managed to save the Altean Juniberry Cream Puffs." Hunk's smile widened.
"Which were sinfully good, I might add," Curtis chimed in.
"I don't suppose there are any left for the rest of us?" Katie teased.
"Not a one by the end of that diplomatic dinner," Shiro admitted. "Everything Hunk's team makes is a hit, whether it's recreating some obscure cultural dish or a new experiment."
"Speaking of experiments," Hunk looked down at her, "I hope you're ready for a feast tomorrow. Your Mom and I have been communicating for weeks about the menu."
This was the first she had heard about that! "Mom has been calling you?"
"Well, how else could we make sure I procured any off-world ingredients?" Hunk shrugged. "This meal may be my best masterpiece yet."
"You know it's just a birthday, right?" Katie was flattered, but it sounded like one of his banquets.
"Given how rarely we're all in one place for anything, I'd say Hunk's finest is definitely in order." Shiro put a hand on Pidge's shoulder. "Besides, you should know there's no such thing as just a birthday."
There was a look in his eyes, and Katie thought about how close they had come once to not existing, and everyone they had lost in saving the universe. She nodded, and smiled back. "You're right, Shiro. Every time we're together is worth celebrating."
"Good. Now, I've got to go report in and we need to get settled. We'll see you tomorrow night, as promised."
"I'm going to go find Krollia." Keith picked up his bag. "See you tomorrow!"
Katie watched them go, before turning to Hunk. "Do you have somewhere you have to be, too?" She felt a momentary twinge of disappointment. Of course, she understood why Shiro and Curtis would want some quiet time to themselves, in their own place, and Keith would want to go see his mother. It wouldn't surprise her if Hunk already had plans to go see his folks.
To her pleasure, Hunk shook his head, grinning still from ear to ear. "Nowhere pressing; I need to drop my stuff off, but I already filed all my reports. I was hoping we could catch up, if you're not doing anything tonight."
"Just what I wanted to hear," Katie admitted, returning the smile with a grin of her own. "I just finished my shift for the day, too, and I'm famished. What do you say we have dinner, and then I can show you what I've been working on? I've been dying to show you the progress I've made on integrating synthetic gene sequencing into the new minute internal circuit engineers." The acronym of course, being MICE. It had occurred to her a couple of years back that having more engineers like the mice, able to sneak in anywhere human hands couldn't reach and do a variety of engineering tasks, would be invaluable. Especially if they could think independently.
"I take it that's going well?" Hunk asked as they walked back into the Garrison towards the barracks.
"Incredibly." She went on describing the effects of the integration as they went inside and Hunk left his stuff in his room. She waited outside while he changed out of uniform.
It was only a couple of minutes before he came out in pants and a t-shirt, and his favorite green-and-yellow jacket. "So, you mentioned food?"
Katie rolled her eyes. "You never change."
Hunk chuckled. "Would you want me to?"
"Not in a million decaphebes."
April 3rd, 2328
The following day it was even more difficult to stay focused on work than the previous one, as Katie looked forward to that evening's dinner. Hunk and her mother had both refused to say a single word about the kitchen plans, which made her wonder even more just what they were planning. Her father and Matt both insisted they didn't know themselves. Katie wasn't sure how she felt about her mother and Hunk having been hatching secrets for months behind her back, but she suspected the food would be amazing. Her best friend's cooking was now inter-galactically famous, and she could only imagine what it would cost for private catering if he had ever chosen to leave the Atlas and strike out entirely independently, instead of training Galactic Coalition chefs with a goal of diplomatic purposes.
They were lucky to get to eat his cooking for free, though almost every time she heard someone raving about his fine cuisine, Katie couldn't help but think of scoltrite cookies, and smile.
Since there were plans for the evening neither she, nor her father, nor Matt, worked late, arriving at the house well before the party was supposed to start. Her mother and Hunk had both taken the entire day off to cook. So, Katie was not surprised to hear laughter coming from the kitchen when she walked into the house, though she was startled by the twinge of jealousy that came with the sound. She would have enjoyed spending an entire day chatting with her best friend in the kitchen, the way she had years ago, in the Castle of Lions. Not that they hadn't spent hours last night talking and catching up, the way you had to do in person, and not just via interstellar communications channels that were often limited to official communications only. After eating dinner in the Garrison mess, they had gone to Katie's workshop, and Katie had shown Hunk her projects in process, until it led them off on fascinating theoretical rabbit-trails they would have followed all night if they hadn't had to get up the next morning.
There simply was never enough time. Not even when most of the Atlas's diplomatic trips were measured in weeks, sometimes days, rarely months. When they first started, months had been much more typical. When they were back, there was just as much work to be done, and late evenings in the lab, even finding the same down-time could be a challenge, and most of her family's work had meant the Holts were usually on Earth when the Atlas went out.
Even with teladuv technology, that didn't mean Katie could get out to visit her friends in space that often. She hadn't seen Coran or anyone she knew on Altea since their last Celebration of Allura day. That was the last time she had seen Keith too, before yesterday.
Lance at least showed up to visit from time to time, since he spent more time on Earth than the rest of them. When he wasn't travelling on missions of peace with the others, he was on his family's farm, though he had taken a few extended trips to Altea over the years.
Katie hit the kitchen door before Matt or her father. "What's so funny in here?"
Two heads whipped around with surprising speed as whatever moment she was interrupting ended abruptly. "Katie! No, you can't see it yet." Her mother practically jumped between her and the kitchen counter, blocking her view. "We're almost done. Why don't you go relax in the living room?"
Hunk gave a sympathetic shrug and a look that said I'm not arguing with your mother.
Frustrated, Katie sighed. "Fine. I'm sure it'll be worth it. Can I at least do something useful like set the table?"
"Nope, it's already done. On that note, don't go into the dining room either."
"Really?"
"Oh, relax, Katie," Matt chuckled behind her. "That's what you're supposed to do on your birthday, remember?"
"Says the guy who insisted we work three hours late on his last birthday because his pet project was almost complete."
"Hey, that was relaxing."
Katie shook her head, but her next snarky retort died on her lips as the door rang. "I've got it!" She called out. Finally, someone else to talk to! She wondered which one of her friends it was.
She opened the door to find, to her surprise, that it was not one friend, but two…and one who was very much not expected. "Coran?"
The red-haired Altean standing next to Lance grinned. "You didn't think I would miss a chance to celebrate with you, did you?"
Given that it had been several years since she'd had a birthday with more than one or two of her friends on-planet at a time, she had, but she didn't think she needed to say that. Katie hugged him instead. "I'm so glad you're here! Come on in. Mom and Hunk have barricaded me out of the kitchen until the party's set up. Maybe you can help me with a coup."
"Or, we can at least keep you from going stir crazy," Lance suggested, grinning as he and Coran came into the house. "Unless you think a couple of charming guys can't distract you for a while."
"Oh I'm sure they could, if I knew any."
"You wound me," Lance mimed a stab to the heart.
"Just don't bleed on the carpet." Katie grinned. He had managed to improve her mood. "Mom, can I at least offer drinks to my friends?"
"There's a cooler just outside the kitchen door!" her mother called back.
"Let's see what we've got then." Katie went to the cooler and opened it, sifting through what proved to be a wider variety of cans of soda, fruit juices from at least three planets, and some utterly Terran cans of beer and wine coolers.
"Well now, that's a far cry from what we had at your eighteenth," Lance chuckled from behind her as he crouched down, then grabbed an orange soda.
"That's because you brought it all," she reminded him, grabbing a cream soda. "I'm still not sure I've forgiven you."
"And here I thought you enjoyed that party."
"Coran, what would you like?" she asked, ignoring the taunt.
"Some of that Eldorian Plum Nectar looks delightful."
Katie pulled the bottle out and stood, handing it to Coran.
By the time dinner was ready, Shiro and Curtis had also arrived, followed soon after by Keith and Krollia, and finally Romelle, cramming the Holt's living room full to bursting with people Katie could not imagine not having her in life in some capacity. They hadn't invited anyone else on-planet, or she might have ended up with half the garrison, and they'd have had to move it to the mess hall. Chip had called her earlier in the day to wish her a happy birthday from his current long-term mission posting, helping rebuild and regrow all of Olkarion, which had returned to existence when they saved the Universe, though not in a pristine state. After nearly a decade, the planet was nearly livable again, and the Olkarion who had managed to escape, few as they had been, were hard at work restoring their society. Allura, of course, was to thank for its renewed existence in any form.
Katie was glad for the small group. She preferred the private party.
Finally, her mother appeared in the doorway, smiling that secretive, smug Mom smile. "All right, Katie. Everything's ready."
Katie was the first of the group into the dining room, and even expecting something incredible, she was brought up so short someone behind her almost tripped. While the decorations were fabulous enough, with a rippling, shimmering, almost three-dimensionally printed Happy Birthday sign hanging across the back wall, the table was groaning with foods from all over the galaxy, most of which she recognized, but not all. All of it smelled amazing though.
And towering in the middle, a feat of culinary art and engineering, was a three-foot cake that almost defied physics: it formed a twisting curving, iced double helix, wrapped around in what looked like leafy flowering vines but, on closer inspection, were in fact made of some kind of icing and sculpted into a variety of plants, some earth, and some she recognized from other planets they had visited. It must have taken ages.
Hunk was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, arms crossed, looked pleased.
"This is amazing," Katie finally gasped, moving in for a closer look at the cake itself, and the spread on the table. There had to be at least a dozen different dishes, from her favorite foods her mom always made her, to a dish she'd loved from Olkarion, and two Altean dishes—not food goo—as well as plenty of munchies from fresh vegetables to cheeses from across the galaxy. "Is that cake defying physics?"
Hunk laughed. "Not quite, but it sure felt like it once or twice."
"Well, I love it! All of it. Thank you, both of you." She turned and hugged her mother tightly, then Hunk even more so. "Now let's eat it!"
Dinner proved to be as incredible to eat as it had been to look at, though even when Hunk very carefully cut slices out of his fascinating cake, Katie couldn't tell how he had managed such a complex three-dimensional shape. It didn't take long for most of the table to be demolished, and once everyone was contentedly full, and settled around the living room she was surprised with presents.
From Lance, the first Juniberry flowers of the year from his family's farm, and the newest video game in the Killbot Phantasm series; from Keith and Krollia some scaultrite for a project she'd been wanting it for; from Coran her own Monsters & Mana portable table and rulebook; from Romelle a decorative scarf made from Altean silkmoths that was painted to look like lilac colored blossoms over a subtly shifting waving leaves of green and soft golden yellow, somehow both abstract and yet incredibly realistic at once; from her family, the usual miscellaneous collection of tech gear and parts she was always looking for more of; and from Shiro and Curtis a memory stick full of data on the tech of all the worlds that had recently joined the Coalition, as well as a couple of choice physical items for her to take apart and study to her heart's delight. Bae Bae gave her dog kisses, as usual. As old as he was now, Katie was very grateful to receive them.
The party lasted late into the evening, as everyone talked about their recent work and adventures, and eventually got nostalgic and talked about the best of old times. In the middle of one of Coran's more boisterous retellings of a particular battle that Romelle, Curtis, and most of Katie's family had somehow not yet heard, she saw Lance and Bae Bae slip out through the kitchen towards the back door.
Concerned, she stood up, and when no one noticed her moving, she followed.
She found Lance standing on the back porch, while Bae Bae did his business and sniffed around the bushes. "You alright?" she asked as she joined him by the railing.
Lance smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just… memories, you know."
Katie nodded. She hadn't thought about how much Allura featured in the last few stories they had told tonight, even if they were well before the end of their fight against Honerva. Most all of them had been from even before their return to Earth. "You still miss her."
Lance nodded, fiddling with the bottle in his hands. "Every day. When I'm not thinking about anything in particular, sometimes I can still hear her voice in my head, or smell her shampoo, or feel her nearby. The time we knew each other was so short, in the grand scheme of the universe, but I wouldn't trade it for anything, not even if I had to live it again, knowing how it would end. I still love her. I always will."
The emotion and softness of his voice made her heart hurt. "I miss her too," she admitted. "She was a great friend."
"Well she thought you were a great friend." Lance smiled. "You know, she did eventually tell me what you traded for that dress."
"She did?"
Lance nodded. "That was an incredibly selfless thing for you to do."
"Are you saying I'm not always selfless?" Katie eyed him, daring him to say otherwise.
"No. Just… sometimes very mono-focused." Lance took a drink. "Not that that's a bad thing. You've always been much better at focusing on goals and completing things that I ever was, especially back then, but sometimes you get entirely focused on a project, or a goal, or something you're going after, and you miss out on other things around you. Just… I guess what I'm saying is, be a little more aware of what's around you. If you ever find someone who makes you feel whole, and happy, don't waste time."
"I won't," she assured him, touched by his concern for her well-being, in a way that was more than survival. Though Katie knew that, if someone said that to most of the girls her age, especially at the Garrison, they'd have laughed and told him there was plenty of time. But she understood; there was always the possibility, however remote, of something stealing all that time away from you. "But don't expect me to give up all the things I love for someone else."
"When you find the right person, they fit right in." Lance straightened up. "Thanks, Pidge. I needed a pep talk."
"Well I'm not sure this qualifies, but I'm glad I could help." They hugged briefly, and Lance went back inside.
Katie turned back to the yard, where Bae Bae was still methodically sniffing everything. He seemed to have decided it was time to re-mark every bush in the yard. Be aware of what was around her; don't waste time. Was Lance's advice general advice brought on by his momentary melancholy, or did he think there might be someone around her she was actively missing out on? Not that she had any intention of asking. If a guy couldn't make himself known, and not in a way that made her want to punch his face, then she probably wasn't missing anything.
"What's the birthday girl doing out here alone?" Hunk asked from the doorway. "You all right, Pidge?"
She almost laughed. "I'm fine, Hunk." She turned and looked over her shoulder, smiling at him. "I was actually out here cheering up, Lance. All the stories about Allura were making him nostalgic."
Hunk's eyes lit up in recognition as he stepped up to the railing to join her. "It must still be pretty painful to hear us talking about her this much."
"He's fine now," Katie assured him. "But I have to admit, it makes me a bit nostalgic too. Despite the chaos, and the fear, and never knowing what was going to happen next, there are days I still miss it; living in the Castle of Lions, and flying Paladin missions every other day."
"Eating food goo for every meal, and staying up until all hours working on repairs." Hunk grinned at her, clearly teasing.
"Playing Monsters & Mana and trying to keep Keith and Lance from killing each other." A small chuckle escaped. "That's the part I miss, really, is us, being together all the time. Like we are tonight. We're more than a team; sometimes I think we're more than a family, and while I don't think any of us would trade life now for anything either… I miss us being closer together. I miss talking in the Castle's kitchen at three-in-the-morning because we're working through a programming challenge and you've decided that baking shroomfruit pies will help us solve the problem."
"It worked that time," Hunk pointed out.
It had worked. "At least they tasted better than scaultrite cookies."
"Hey!" Hunk laughed, giving her arm the lightest, playful shove. "Those cookies saved our lives."
"As long as you didn't eat them."
"People who can burn hard-boiled eggs should not cast aspersions on other people's cooking."
"I only did that once! And it was because you distracted me with that question about boosting the ship's tracking systems."
They continued not-bickering for several minutes, until a natural quiet fell in the conversation. Katie sipped her wine cooler, and Hunk his beer, and they just stood for a moment in companionable silence.
In the light from the door, and the smaller light above it on the porch, Hunk was cast partially into shadow, but parts of him stood out in stark relief; the glint of his dark, kind eyes, and the strong line of his broad, well-defined jaw. She remembered when that jaw had been softer, rounder, if just as wide. His hair was a little shorter now—logical, working constantly in a kitchen—but still tied back with the same style length of orange cloth. Just as she had grown up years ago, and finally stopped looking like an undersized pipsqueak—even if Hunk still made her feel incredibly short—her best friend was no longer the insecure teenage boy he had been when they met, though he was still just as much of a considerate, kindhearted teddy bear. He was more confident, and happy, and far less stressed out in the life role he had found for himself; making people happy and cooperative through the joy of shared food. What he did; his creativity, his big heart, made him one of the most incredible people in the universe, at least to her. He hadn't given up engineering, not by a long shot, but now their projects were different ones, and these days, often on hold when they were in separate places. Every time they were apart for months was a little worse than the last. Katie itched to see him when he came home, when they could get back to work on the revolutionary ideas that only their two brains ever seemed to come up with; perfectly in sync, Team Punk in seamless action.
Well, most of the time.
There were those modulation arguments.
Modulation… arguments.
For just a split second, Katie thought her heart had stopped as her mind raced. Words of her father. Words of Lance's. Her own thoughts accumulating over days, weeks, months, years… their very conversation. Occasional dreams ruled the twisted delirium of nights from not-enough-sleep and half-forgotten in the morning.
She lost track of how long she'd been thinking deeply while caught in the line of Hunk's jaw, until he turned her way, and caught her watching him.
"You look like you're thinking something either incredibly profound, or you've remembered something that's going to embarrass me forever."
Katie gave herself a mental shake, and hoped the flush feeling that came over her wasn't visible in the darkness. "Do you miss it, ever?" she asked, not expecting him to say yes. Hunk had repeatedly and often in those days expressed a wish to be done with the violence, the insecurity, the zipping around space, to being able to pass things on to a new generation and go home. They had accomplished that.
"I do," he surprised her. "Not the almost dying every other day part, but the rest of it, like you said; all of us together, hanging out whenever we want, and being able to sink our teeth into a project and work on it for days on end. I miss you hanging out with me in the kitchen when I'm experimenting, and the other good parts. We don't seem to have that kind of time anymore."
His words echoed many of her recent thoughts. Was it possible? Or was she just hallucinating? Or was it the not-even-half a wine cooler she'd sipped this evening? "Not even to argue about programming modulations."
Hunk rolled his eyes, though he was still smiling. "Don't tell me you're going to rehash that with me right here."
"No I… Hunk, do you remember what my father said about modulation arguments?"
"Depends on when the conversation was. We've talked about an awful lot of things in the past decade," Hunk pointed out.
Katie wasn't sure what compelled her to keep talking. "On the Castle of Lions, the first time we argued about it."
Hunk's brow furrowed for just a moment. To be fair, it had been an awfully long time ago. "Well, I remember he sided with you about the whole double-modulation thing, though I just think you're both nuts. Colleen is much more reasonable."
"You just say that because she agrees with you. Nothing…else?"
"Not really," Hunk admitted. "We were in the middle of some pretty complex coding as I recall." Now he looked curious. "Why?"
Her insides squirmed a little. She could argue anything, anywhere, with anybody, but talking about her own inner thoughts or emotions still made her a little uncomfortable. "He said… that was how he and Mom met."
A look of recognition sparked in Hunk's eyes. "Oh, yeah! I remember that now. It was kind of a non-sequitur in the conversation, wasn't it?"
"I'm not so sure, actually," she confessed. The realization that he, like Lance, might have been hinting at something had never occurred to her. At the time, she'd just been irritated by the remark as one of those Dad things. "I mean, he's not usually vague or cryptic. I think he might have been making a situational observation, or a comparison… about us." In for a penny… "And lately I've been sort of wondering if, maybe he was more on the mark than I thought."
She had his very full attention. "In what way?"
Katie was sure they had spent years speaking eye-to-eye, but never had it felt quite so intense, even though she was almost certain Hunk had not yet caught on. She pushed a bit of hair behind her ear. "I think that what I may be feeling may go…beyond friendship, or our whole Paladin bond thing, which is weird given how mentally intimate that was but…" There, words failed her and she let it trail off as she took a breath and tried to relax. "This isn't the way I feel about anyone else."
"I love you too, Pidge."
She stared up at him. Those were not words she had been expecting. "You what?"
Hunk's grin widened. "I love you. That's what you wanted to say, isn't it?"
"Well… yes. I think." She really wished she could see him better in the dark. Even the calm, normal Hunk tone he was using didn't tell her much, except that if she was nervous, he wasn't…which was odd in itself. "That's the only word I have for it."
Hunk turned his body towards her, and she could see his face more clearly. He had that emotional glint in his eye. "You know you're cute when you're flustered, right?"
This conversation was definitely outside their normal parameters. "You think I'm cute?"
"You've always been cute."
Always? "Why didn't you say something?"
Hunk looked amused now. "I did. If you remember, I called you cute in that photo of you and your brother."
"Except you thought I was Matt, then," she pointed out.
"Only for a few days," Hunk scoffed. "Besides, that's not really the point. You're my best friend, Pidge, and you're not shy about what you want. I figured, if you ever had any interest, in anyone, you'd tell me about it. We're Team Punk; you said it yourself, mentally in-sync and able to conquer any engineering or computer problem in a single leap of brilliance." His smile was a little lop-sided. "What we had, and what we still have, is pretty amazing just as it is. We are all like a family, and we fight like one, and we love each other like one."
"Yeah…but I don't think what I'm feeling for you is in any way sisterly," Katie finally admitted, sure her fair skin was fire-red now. "I miss you all the time, even if it's just to hang out playing video games, or talk over dinner. There never seems to be enough time for us anymore, and I'm not sure how to sort out if that's just missing a friend, or more, except that I definitely don't feel like this about Shiro, or Lance, or Coran, or Keith… I mean, I'd like to spend a little more time with all of you but… I've never been in love before. Hell, I've never had a crush before, unless you count my obsession with RPGs and we are not going there."
Hunk looked startled. "Wait, never? You've been on dates, right?"
Katie shrugged. "I mean… a few. They never went anywhere, unless you count that time I almost threw Lieutenant Rollins off a balcony for his terrible pick-up lines and rank stupidity."
Hunk snickered for a moment. "Fair. It's not like I can really claim much more experience, but, I know how I feel about you. Friend, or more, I always want you in my life. I can't imagine not spending time with you. What we have is already pretty perfect, except the lack of time to enjoy it the last few years. I'd like that back as much as you do."
Katie gave in to the urge to hug him tightly, relaxing as he hugged her back; familiar, warm, and there was nothing awkward or hesitant in his embrace. Never in all the years of knowing him, had Katie ever felt uncomfortable around Hunk, not physically. They had climbed, crawled, and fallen all over each other in combat, and in making repairs to a wide variety of ships and other tech projects. Not that she'd given it much thought before, but she had always been very comfortable with him that way.
Now, she couldn't help but be aware that even in peace time there was still a lot of very solid muscle beneath his otherwise cuddly exterior—a pleasantly warm, cuddly exterior that still smelled vaguely of cake frosting.
"Are you purring?"
"What? No!" She looked up at him. "Was I?"
Hunk chuckled. "No, but you looked awfully comfortable."
Tease. She loosened her grip, but didn't quite let go. "You do give great hugs."
"A good hug is like good bread; a little firm, but soft on the inside, warm, and it fills you up with good feelings."
"You bake food metaphors now, too?"
"When inspiration strikes." Hunk let her go, but didn't move away. "So, we're going to try this, aren't we?"
"If you want to." Katie's stomach fluttered. "I do I just… what if I'm wrong?"
"Then we stay the best of friends." Hunk shrugged slightly, as if it were obvious. "Unless you don't think we can manage that after everything we've been through. I mean, it's not like we don't hang out in most of our spare time already."
He had a point. "Not that we have much of that," she reminded him. "We barely have time for each other now. How do we make that work?"
"Prioritize." Hunk suggested. "Something we should have done a long time ago. I've got a lot of trained chefs now, so maybe I don't go on as many missions with the Atlas. Or sometimes, you can come along. Your workshop space on the Atlas is always waiting for you, too. Then, at least we'd have more of our off-duty hours to spend together, like we used to." He reached out and took one of her hands in his. It still engulfed hers. "But how about we start with something simpler, like a date?"
"Okay. What should we do? I mean, that we don't already do?" Katie could think of a lot of things she heard were date activities, but they were things like eating meals together, or going to a movie or an arcade.
Hunk looked uncertain for the first time since they started talking, but not particularly worried. "Well…we already eat together, and hang out together, and work together… so, maybe we should try something we haven't done before. I mean, it's not like we need some kind of neutral ground while we ask each other awkward getting-to-know-you questions." His brow creased in thought. "Tell you what. Give me until Saturday, and I'll plan something we'll both enjoy."
"Well now, aren't you confident?" Katie grinned, though she was already incredibly curious as to what Hunk might plan that qualified as a date.
"I like to think I know both of us pretty well," he replied. "So, what do you say?"
Katie picked up her drink, which she did not remember setting down. "I say… it's a date."
Hunk retrieved his, and they clinked them together. "I promise, it'll be great."
Katie finished the last sip of her beverage. "We should go back inside."
"It is your party."
She turned and looked out into the yard. "Come on, Bae Bae! Inside!"
The dog stopped sniffing the bushes for the third time and ran back to the deck. Katie followed him inside, with Hunk behind her.
Coran was still talking, though he seemed to have moved on to a tangentially related story. If anyone had noticed they were gone long, they didn't say anything or give any obvious signs that they had noticed.
Katie slid back into her seat on the edge of the couch as Bae Bae sprawled out at her feet, and tried to re-engage with the conversation. It was hard though, with Hunk beside her, to keep her mind on the moment, and not on whatever he was going to plan. It felt like it was moving fast, though that was silly. They had known each other for eleven years. If anything, she felt like maybe she had been missing obvious clues the whole time. After all, Hunk had gone through all of this planning just for her birthday. What would he consider a romantic gesture?
April 4th, 2328.
If it weren't for the fact that no one, himself included, had gotten particularly drunk the night before, Hunk might have wondered if he'd imagined or dreamed the entire conversation with Katie, but when he awoke the next morning, back in the barracks, grateful he didn't have to report in for anything early, the memories were still clear and sharp.
He had a date to plan, and he'd promised Katie something other than the usual, which killed nearly every typical first-date idea. Not that this was anything like a first date, in the normal sense of the word. He knew her better than he knew almost any other person in the world—definitely any other woman—even his family members.
Hunk had a few ideas, but he needed a sounding-board. Rolling over, he looked at the cot set up in the corner of his room, where Lance had spent the night instead of going all the way back to the farm. "Hey, Lance, you awake?"
Despite the sleeping mask over his eyes, Lance nodded. "Yeah, what's up?"
"I'd like to bounce some ideas off you. I'm trying to figure out where to take Pidge on a date."
Lance flipped the mask off his face so fast it flew across the room. "You're what?" His eyes were wide, but in a moment, he was grinning. "What did I miss last night?" he asked as he propped himself up on his elbows.
Hunk grinned. "Just a conversation." That was all Lance needed to know.
"That must have been quite a conversation." Thankfully, Lance didn't try to push. "So, a date with Pidge. I'd think that would be easy."
"Normally, yeah, but I promised her we'd do something we don't do all the time together. I mean, if it's going to be a date it should be something special, but a lot of what I can come up with isn't really stuff I think Pidge would enjoy, or me really for that matter. We're not exactly the dinner-and-dancing type. Well, not the dancing," he amended.
"So, what have you got?" Lance asked. "And don't rule dancing out entirely. I'm an excellent teacher."
"Well, I was thinking maybe we could go visit somewhere neither one of us has been here on Earth. With all the rebuilding, there's actually tourism again, and it might be fun to go on a little exploration…an adventure together, but without being shot at by hostile aliens."
"I would definitely not involve hostile aliens in your date plan."
"Very funny." Hunk refrained from flinging a pillow at his friend.
Lance shrugged. "Well, have you narrowed it down past that, or are we still on somewhere on Earth?"
"I was thinking a city," Hunk admitted. "Someplace with interesting history and things to do, that isn't out in the middle of nowhere." As much as Pidge appreciated the outdoors much more than she had when they met, particularly with her deep connection to it and the rest of the universe, she still wasn't really the outdoor sporty type. "Something with lots of options and an interesting culture."
"Got a budget limit?"
Hunk grinned. "Not really. I mean, I'm not looking to spend millions in GAC, but I'm not really hurting for cash at the moment. It's amazing what beings will pay for a custom dish or a little side catering."
"Shiro lets you do that?"
Hunk nodded. "As long as it doesn't interfere with a mission objective. Mostly it's been for folks on planets that have been in the Coalition for years; banquets, birthdays, annual celebrations. The whole point of training my chefs the way I have is to spread joy and peace through food. It certainly doesn't harm good will to accept business when it's offered."
Lance eyed him, considering. "Do I want to know what Pidge's birthday meal would have cost if you'd been charging?"
There was a very good reason the food had been Hunk's present. "More than you can afford," he replied. "Though since it only cost me the wholesale on ingredients, about ten-thousand GAC."
Lance whistled. "That's just ingredients?"
Hunk nodded. "It's pretty crazy what some things cost, especially if you can't get them locally. I saved a lot by buying what I could while we were still out in space. At least for ingredients that wouldn't spoil. I had a few things shipped back to Earth ahead of us, and Colleen grew some of the plants herself."
"You went through a lot of effort for that meal."
Hunk shrugged. "Pidge is worth it."
"Did you spend that much on the food you made the last time you cooked for us?" The look on Lance's face said he clearly didn't think so.
"If I spent like that every time, I'd be broke," Hunk pointed out, though he knew exactly what Lance was implying. Given last night's conversation, he could not deny that his relationship with Katie had always been different from the others. "Though if you didn't enjoy eating it, I can always cut back again."
"No, no. You keep feeding us like that if you want to," Lance chuckled. "But let's get back to the much more urgent issue of where you're going to take Pidge for a good time, to do things you two haven't done before, and that will also be appropriately romantic, because seriously, as much as Pidge isn't the mushy frilly type, a date is a date, and sparks need to fly… without bad electrical wiring."
"Which is why I'm talking to you." That was where he found himself stuck. Classic human romantic stereotypes definitely did not define his relationship with Katie in any way, and were things she generally laughed at, or rolled her eyes. "You know Pidge. I could just use a little help ruling places out until we find the perfect balance."
Lance nodded, his face turning more earnestly serious. "All right then. Let's do this."
April 5th, 2328
Katie wished she knew where they were going tomorrow. All Hunk had mysteriously told her was that they would be gone all day, leaving in the morning before breakfast, and to wear something that was comfortable for exploring, but nice enough for dinner out. He had refused to be any more specific, assuring her that anything would be fine and they were definitely going to have a good time.
So, the realization that she had nothing in her closet that even remotely qualified as date outfit material matching that description—unless she counted her old Green Paladin Garrison uniform—meant that desperate measures might be required. Not that she needed anything fancy, but all she really owned outside of uniforms and her everyday casual clothes, were pajamas. While some of her street clothes might pass muster, somehow the fact that they were trying out a new phase in their relationship made her feel that clothes she wore all the time when they were just hanging out wasn't putting in much effort on her part. Hunk was planning a whole day for the two of them.
"You really want my help picking an outfit, for a date with Hunk?" Romelle asked, looking both slightly startled and thrilled at the same time.
"I do," Katie confirmed. "I know he wouldn't really care what I show up in, but that's just because he's a nice guy and, I thought, it's been a really long time since I shopped for anything that wasn't good for just everyday wear. I mean, I don't want anything too fancy but… I haven't really dressed up in a really long time. Like, I wasn't an adult yet long time."
Romelle cringed, then smiled encouragingly. "I'd love to help! Are you sure you just want it to be the two of us? We had a lot of luck with a larger group the last couple of times we've gone shopping with the other ladies."
"No, definitely just us," Katie insisted. "I'd… well I just want this to be private for a while. It may not lead to anything, you know?"
"You'd like to avoid gossip, completely understandable." Romelle grinned. "To the mall then?"
Katie really hoped she wasn't going to regret this later. "Yep. To the mall."
April 6th, 2328
Dawn was breaking over the tarmac in glorious pink and gold as Hunk waited outside the small aircraft that he had gotten permission to borrow for their excursion. One thing he occasionally missed about Yellow; having a space-faring Lion at his disposal had always made travel incredibly convenient.
Today they would be using more common modes of transportation.
Hunk tried to ignore the nerves that had started flittering around in his stomach that morning. He'd been too busy to be nervous the past couple of days, but now that the event was here, he found himself hoping it went well. Not just that they would have a good time, but that in exploring this new potential direction for their longstanding friendship, they might confirm that it was deeper than they had previously realized. He had been honest with Katie on her birthday. He did love her, and definitely not like his sister. Their friendship went deeper than anything he shared with any other person, and while he had never attempted to push their relationship in any particular direction, if she had ever expressed interest before, he would definitely never have said no. I would absolutely have said yes… after some serious stammering.
The more he had thought about it, the more he wondered why they hadn't ever tried this before. It wasn't like they weren't already incredibly comfortable with each other. They spent all their spare time together. They went out of their way to find time to work on their pet projects, and help on each other's projects. Hunk had lost count of how many hours they had spent goofing off, or just talking about all sorts of things—from philosophy to stories of home—while he worked on something in the kitchen. Katie was always willing to be his taste-tester and a willing ear. They were an incredible team… so in sync with each other sometimes it defied explanation.
Not every relationship followed the rules. Not all of them started with sparks and awkward moments and romantic montages. Certainly, most of them didn't look like romance on television.
They weren't starting a relationship, him and Katie. They already had one, long and established. They were just looking at possibly redefining it and expanding the parameters.
He hoped she felt the same way.
Hunk refrained from checking his reflection in the rear-view screens. He had been pleased—and a little relieved—that the nicer casual outfits he had left in his closet several months ago still fit just fine. Khakis and a dark golden-yellow button-down would do for what he had planned, topped with his favorite green-and-yellow jacket.
"Nice ride. Who did you blackmail to get us the use of one of the new pods?"
"Shiro, of course." Hunk turned around, and the rest of his retort died in his throat.
Katie was smiling at him, and he decided she must have picked this particular outfit just to surprise him, because it was nothing like he'd ever seen her in before. Even if it was still, at the same time, very her.
For starters, she was wearing an actual dress. Simple, knee-length, in a light lavender, paired with a light green knit sweater, worn open, matching green flat shoes, and the whole thing was tied together with the scarf Romelle had given her for her birthday, belting the dress. The only jewelry she wore was a small pendant that looked distinctly Altean. "Wow."
Katie scoffed. "You've seen me in a dress before."
"A photo if you in a dress… in middle school."
"Still counts."
"Am I allowed to comment on the outfit?" Hunk asked. One thing he had realized, in thinking way too much about everything the past couple of days, was that how the other of them looked was not something they ever really commented on. Of course, given how critical girls in middle school—and even some adult women these days—had been and were of his size, the lack of judgement from his fellow Paladins had always been something he appreciated, rather than questioned.
Katie shrugged, but she was still grinning. "Since this is a date… you may compliment me."
Hunk chuckled. "Honestly? You look incredible."
"Thanks. I hope it's not too much, or too little, for what you had planned. Romelle helped me find it."
"It's perfect for what we're doing today," he assured her. "You willingly went shopping for clothes, with Romelle?"
"Call it an act of desperation."
"That bad, huh?"
"Well, my closet situation is pretty desperate. The shopping was almost fun, actually," Katie admitted as Hunk opened the pod door and she moved forward to get in. "Alteans don't have some of the weird fashion ideas Earth girls do. Not once did anyone try to force my feet into stiletto heels. It was great."
Hunk could not imagine Katie willingly wearing heels, period; functional boots excepted. He followed her into the pod and closed the door behind them before they both moved into the cockpit. "Well, I'm glad you didn't suffer on my account."
"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?" Katie asked curiously as she strapped into the co-pilot's seat. "And why I'm willingly starving for an extra hour this morning instead of just eating breakfast before we leave?"
Hunk pulled out a data pad and handed it over. "Because this morning, we are starting our day of adventure with breakfast at the Café du Monde, where I have been assured that the chefs continue to make the best beignets in the universe."
"I'm pretty sure the rest of the universe doesn't even have beignets," Katie pointed out as she snatched the pad and looked down curiously. "So, we're going to… New Orleans?"
"I thought it might be fun to explore part of Earth we haven't been to before, now that things are rebuilt. I did a little digging, and found out that most of the old parts of New Orleans weren't damaged by the Galra so rebuilding didn't take long, and the majority of the areas of historical significance are still there. There's a lot of things to do. I figured we could each pick some places to explore, and just enjoy ourselves."
He had put a list of the various museums, famous sites, entertainment options, and basically anything he could think of that might even vaguely interest Katie on the pad, along with a map. The only hard-scheduled items were breakfast, and dinner, because he had wanted to guarantee reservations. Katie could choose where they had lunch.
During the flight to New Orleans, Katie poured over the list of activities. "They have a Voodoo Museum? Weird, but… potentially fascinating." A few moments later. "A Southern Food and Drink Museum. I know who thought that needed to go in this list." Her expression was smug when she looked at him.
Hunk shrugged. "Well, it sounded interesting. Cajun and Creole cooking are not areas I've mastered yet."
"Yet." She looked back down and suddenly squeaked with delight. "That's where the new marine tech research facility is!"
He knew she'd like that one. With all of the aliens that now lived on earth, several species had opened a research and testing facility—a civilian offshoot working with the IGF— for combining different technologies, specifically for planetary exploration uses. The main facility, focused on marine worlds, was in New Orleans. "We should definitely drop in then, don't you think?"
"Yes!" Katie exclaimed; then her face flushed for just a moment. "I mean, I promise I won't let it take up the whole day, but they have this new waterproof Balmera crystal powered submarine engine computer I've been dying to see for myself!"
She had that look in her eyes, the one she always got when she was particularly fascinated by something, or passionate about it; usually it involved some fascinating new technology.
"We'll make that our first stop after breakfast."
Katie had to admit, breakfast was worth the wait. Not only were the beignets delicious, but the dark rich coffee had a flavor to it she wasn't familiar with, that Hunk informed her came from chicory. They sat outside, under the large green-and-white striped awning, enjoying the morning light of what was shaping up to be a very beautiful day.
Between them, they finished three orders of beignets, the fluffy, fried, powdered deliciousness melting on their tongues.
Katie smiled and sipped her coffee as Hunk wiped the very last of the sugar from his fingers. "Do we need to order more?"
Hunk looked mildly tempted but shook his head. "No, I'm good. These are exceptional."
"I had no idea there were so many different flavors just for fried dough," Pidge admitted. "I've had those little fried balls with Chinese food, and funnel cakes at the fair they used to have near our house every year, and those kind of blueish ones we had that one time." That had been a very different flavor, but even alien species made variants of fried dough with sweeteners.
"In this case, the cottonseed oil makes a huge difference," Hunk explained.
"That is very true."
Katie looked up at the same time as Hunk, to find a member of the café staff standing at their table besides the waiter who had been serving them this morning. Hunk didn't seem too surprised. Instead, he grinned at the man, and stood up. "François LeRoux?"
The gentleman nodded as they clasped hands. "It is an honor to have you at our establishment, Mr. Garrett, Miss Holt," LeRoux smiled back. "Two Paladins of Voltron, and one of the most esteemed Earth Chefs in the Galaxy. I hope this morning's meal met with your expectations."
"It was excellent, François," Hunk assured him. "You're a master of your craft."
"Well, I do not know your itinerary for the day, but given our previous conversation, I wished to offer you a tour of our kitchens. That is, if you're interested."
Hunk's eyes lit up, but Katie noticed that he glanced her way before answering.
She smiled, and nodded as she stood. "We'd love to."
Watching Hunk in the kitchen of the old café was more fun than kids at Christmas. Not that Katie didn't enjoy herself too. Hunk and Francois were completely absorbed in deep discussion about everything from process to ingredients to the most exacting measurements and adjustments in temperature for a wide variety of dishes. While there wasn't a whole lot she could directly add to the conversation, she had the opportunity to taste, sniff, and otherwise admire the handiwork. It didn't seem to matter to the kitchen staff that she wasn't also a chef, having Paladins admire their work and tell them how much they were enjoying their food made them incredibly happy.
By the time they made it back out onto the street, they had picked up an extra bag of fresh pastries for the road, and coffees to-go. "Well, that was fun," Katie grinned at Hunk. "Enjoy yourself?"
"Did I ever! I've got enough information I can probably recreate these in my kitchen on the Atlas. I've already got some ideas for alternate recipes that other species might like as well."
"Save the experiments for later, Dr. Frankenstein," Katie teased. "We've still got the whole day ahead of us."
"We do, we do." Hunk tucked the bag of food away in a pocket. "I do believe I promised you we'd visit MariTech next."
Katie's pulse quickened as she took a hold of Hunk's arm and tugged him off down the street. "Yes, you did, and it's this way!"
If a day could go any better, Hunk couldn't really imagine how. Their impromptu drop-in at MariTech was treated as a pleasure, and not even remotely an inconvenience by the engineers and programmers at the facility. Given how well his and Katie's technical expertise was known, they found themselves swept along on not only a tour, but drawn into several fascinating conversations about details of the machinery and the programming, and their opinions were specifically requested on more than one occasion.
Katie was as eager and happy as a cat in a field of fresh catnip, and Hunk couldn't help but enjoy watching her interact, and ogle every piece of machinery with unashamed enthusiasm. Afterwards, since it was only a few blocks away, they diverted to the Southern Food and Drink Museum, avoiding what proved to be a brief, quickly moving spring shower. When they came out again, the clouds were already clearing, and it was time to find lunch.
Katie's choice of restaurant was a little place off Canal Street, which served more contemporary dishes, that were a modern fusion of Creole and off-world cuisine, based in ingredients that off-world immigrants, and some human farmers, had manage to convince to grow locally. Hunk recognized over a dozen vegetables and herbs he had run across in other parts of the galaxy. The food was lighter fare, but absolutely delicious.
In the afternoon, they poked their head into the Voodoo Museum purely out of curiosity, then spent a while just wandering through town, watching street performers, listening to the music, and poking their heads into shops that looked interesting.
The longest stop was in a hat shop, where Katie picked up a wool felted, floppy-brimmed hat that was a few shades lighter than her dress, but perfect for keeping the sun out of her face, which was getting close to burning. Hunk also thought it made her look, if anything, more mature and sophisticated, even if that wasn't its purpose. The haberdashery in question had been around for a couple of centuries, and was full of styles from modern to classics that never seemed to go out of fashion.
"I think I like this one," she finally said, turning to him. "What do you think?"
Hunk could not remember having ever been asked what he thought of an outfit choice by any woman other than his mother when he was a boy, and he'd been fairly certain she had only asked his opinion then to make him feel like his opinion mattered. "I think it looks great," he admitted, "And more importantly, like it will keep you from turning into a lobster before nightfall."
"I thought you liked lobsters?"
"On my dinner plate, not as company."
Katie glanced in the mirror one last time, with a small, satisfied smile, then went to pay the clerk.
Outside on the street once again, Hunk checked the time. "If we head towards the restaurant now, we'll be right on time for our reservation."
"Great. Where are we going?"
"One of the oldest restaurants in New Orleans." Hunk felt more than fortunate that he had managed to get them a reservation. Even if he had tried to throw rank around, it might not have gotten them in, but he had been able to get a table, and he was happy to have managed it.
Though he was not prepared for the table in question as, when they arrived, the maître d' herself escorted them through multiple rooms and out onto the slate-covered back balcony, which overlooked the Mississippi, sitting at just the right angle that while only part of the falling early-evening light hit the balcony, it rippled across the water.
No one else was seated near them, though there were a couple of other couples along the balcony, at other tables.
"This is beautiful." Katie looked out at the view before sitting down, and looking at the menu. Her eyes widened a little. "And… expensive."
"Don't worry about the cost," Hunk insisted. "I've got it covered."
"If you say so." She looked mildly skeptical.
"Trust me, it's well within budget." If it wasn't, he wouldn't have chosen this location, but it was exactly where he wanted to wind up the evening.
Water was on the table, and after brief deliberation, and Katie deferring to his judgment on quality, he ordered a wine for them both; something light, sweet, and not too potent.
Dinner was a lavish seafood spread, and Hunk was glad to see that Katie ordered what she wanted, and clearly hadn't worried any more about cost when he told her not to. Crawfish, shrimp etouffee, crab, even a little gator, all seasoned robustly, though not everything was hot spicy. Followed up with Bananas Foster, flamed at the table and served fresh. Between the two of them it was all easily devoured.
"This is decadent." Katie commented after the last spoonful. "I don't suppose you know how to make this, too?"
"I probably could, if you like it that much."
"Knowing you is dangerous." She set down her spoon, teasing. "How does anyone on the Atlas still fit in uniform these days?"
"Shiro, and his strict insistence on adherence to Garrison policies regarding fitness regulations for all officers and crewmen." The ones that had extended forward into anyone who actively signed up as a member of the Intergalactic Forces crews that served the Coalition. While adjustments had been made, and specifications added for different species, the human standards had remained virtually the same since Hunk's cadet days.
"Of course." Katie picked up her cup of coffee that had come with dessert. "That makes sense."
Hunk knew that tone of voice. There had been just a moment's hesitation, something she wasn't saying, but her eyes gleamed with that need-to-know curiosity. He could take a few educated guesses as to what it was, too. "So, what's on your mind?"
She peeked over the cup. "Hrm?"
"There's something else you want to ask. It's all over your face."
"And here I thought I had a pretty good poker face."
"Not when it's covered in your dying for information expression."
"Fair." She fiddled with the cup as she set it down. "But it's kind of a personal question, and I don't want to ruin the mood."
"If anyone has permission to ask me a personal question, it's you, Pidge." That only confirmed in his mind what the question pertained to.
"You might regret that." Katie hesitated only a moment longer. "Have you… lost weight?"
Can I call it or what? Hunk couldn't help chuckling. A few years ago, he would have been more sensitive to any question on the subject, especially coming from a girl. Not that Katie was just any random woman. "You know, you're the only person who's ever said anything? Well, except my mom, but she's Mom."
His lack of offense put her a little more at ease. "Well, you look good. I mean, not that you didn't before, because you were fine before too."
He grinned, reaching out with one hand to take her nearest. "Relax, Pidge. It's not like I ever really expected anyone to notice." Only people who knew him really well probably would have noticed anyway. "It's not that much, and it's not like I was really trying." He shrugged casually. "It's more like a side-effect of my line of work."
"You're telling me you lost weight by becoming a full-time chef?"
"What can I say, I'm doing what I love, which is way less stressful than having people try to kill us every other day. Also, I don't get to eat most of what I'm making these days while I'm working, because it's for other people." Some level of self-control was required in the kitchens. Not being a growing teenager anymore definitely helped too. "That, and Shiro's still one of the few members of the crew who can beat me in a fight," he added at the end, grinning. Peace time didn't mean they could afford to get too lax on training. Not everyone in the universe was friendly.
Katie smiled. "Better not to get too complacent," she agreed. "You never know when we'll be needed to save the day."
Lions or no, what she said was absolutely true. If there were times of trouble, people still instinctively looked to them as someone who could protect them, or who would step up to lead. Hunk was perfectly happy not risking his life on a daily basis, but he had no illusions that it meant an end to all conflict. "And we'll always be there, if we're needed," Hunk agreed. "In whatever capacity we're needed."
"Like indulging your friends with gourmet birthday food?" Katie grinned. "You sure that wasn't just so you could have some?"
"Oh, you know that was part of it," Hunk agreed without bothering to try and deny it. "Those recipes are so good, and all I usually ever get is the smallest taste! Oh, and I should probably say this now, just so it's clear. I make no promises about weight, or food, in the future."
"Hunk, I wouldn't expect you to," Katie replied with a knowing expression.
"I didn't think so, but it's happened before." That had been one date that had definitely not gone anywhere. "The last time I tried going out, half the conversation was not-nearly-as-subtle as she thought side comments and allusions to my size."
Katie looked disgusted. "What a witch."
"Eh. The curse of fame and notoriety. Everyone wants to know you, but they want you to be the person they think you are, or ought to be."
"Isn't that the truth?" Katie shook her head. "I am so tired of men being intimidated by intellect. Or assuming that I was some kind of sidekick female, or worse, a cute little mascot. What is this, the twentieth century?"
"Sidekick? More like the brains that held everything together."
"I know, right? I mean, you start one conversation on quantum singularities and suddenly they have somewhere else to be."
"I love conversations about quantum singularities."
"Especially accompanied by the smell of freshly baking bread?"
"Everyone knows nothing goes better than theoretical physics and baked goods."
Katie's face flushed visibly, even in darkness that had fallen while they ate, so that sat only in the glow from the interior restaurant lights, and the candles on the table. Under Hunk's hand, he could feel her skin grow warmer. "An interesting hypothesis," she finally replied. "It might require further verification."
"Extensive study," he agreed, nodding, and wondering if he dared tell her just how hot she looked a little bit flustered… and when had they gotten so close together? They were only inches apart, and he wasn't sure who had moved in more, other than it appeared to be mutual. "Pidge, I—"
Her mouth pressed to his cut off any further words, or thoughts. He leaned into the kiss, lost in a pleasant tingle that ran through his entire being. They stayed like that until eventually, Katie broke contact, looking a bit wide-eyed, as if she was as surprised as he was that she'd kissed him. "Sooo…I—wow—I mean… I think I'd call that, chemistry, not physics… wouldn't you?" she stammered.
"Definitely chemistry," he agreed, grinning a little foolishly himself. "Though one could make an argument for physics if we're discussing forces of attraction."
Katie stared at him for just a moment longer. Then she chuckled, and relaxed. "I think we're carrying this comparison a bit too far."
"Maybe," he acknowledged, "but it's accurate."
Katie nodded. "So… how was it? For you, I mean."
It was rare to see her unsure about anything. Hunk took her hand again. "It was great! You?"
"I liked it… a lot," she admitted.
"Good. I mean I'd hope so. Cause that was pretty amazing. Of course, you're pretty amazing."
She was turning red again. "Seriously?"
"Seriously. All of today, with you, has been great. I mean, I knew we'd have fun, no matter what, because it's you and me, but this was a little different, in a good way."
"Yeah, I had fun too. It's been a long time since we've been able to just go explore somewhere. I'm glad we did this together, and… I definitely think we should do this again. Especially that last part," Katie added coyly. "I could get used to that."
"Is that a request, m'lady?"
"I think it is."
As Hunk leaned in to kiss her again, he felt both excited and content. Life had just taken a pleasantly interesting turn.
The rest of the evening felt slightly surreal, even though Katie was certain she would remember every detail of it later. After dinner, she and Hunk had taken a long, slow stroll along the park along the river, just enjoying the night view, and the sound of a jazz band playing a concert somewhere in the distance. The stars had come out, and even with the light from the city, they twinkled above.
She still wasn't sure where she'd worked up the nerve to initiate that first kiss, but she definitely had no regrets. The point of today—outside of enjoying time with each other as the best of friends—had been to see if there was anything there besides friendship, and that had absolutely answered that question. After the brief insecurity of hoping that she had not messed things up, and that he thought the kiss had gone as well as she had, she had regained her usual self-confidence. The attraction was definitely mutual. Katie felt a little buzz of pleasure as they walked that she was certain had nothing to do with the wine, and everything to do with Hunk.
They walked for a couple of hours, leaving the river when they got bored, and once more wandering the streets, which held an entirely different energy at night. The city had a vibrant nightlife that was nothing like any of the cities near the Garrison. Eventually though, even they had to admit it was time to call it a night. They still had to fly home, and arriving home late enough that everyone would be getting up again did not seem like the best way to keep from advertising to every single person they knew that they had been out together. Not that Katie expected it to remain any kind of secret, but it would be nice to have a day or so to adjust to this new paradigm in her life before everyone wanted to stick their noses in it.
There was plenty of time to talk on the flight home as well, and as usual, they didn't run out of things to talk about. Though this time, the conversation inevitably drifted to where they might like to go the next time, they had time to see a city. Hunk's suggestions included Prince Edward Island, Seattle, and Tokyo—if they wanted something a little further away for a longer trip. Katie's primary suggestions added Houston, Seoul, and London. They contentedly debated the pros and cons of each city and ranked them in order of priority, without worrying too much about making a final decision tonight.
When they arrived home, it was two in the morning, local time. Hunk landed the pod, and together they slipped quietly inside the Garrison's crew barracks.
"I wish tonight didn't have to end," Katie admitted as they reached Hunk's door first.
Hunk clasped both of her hands briefly in his. "Me too. Today was perfect, but it's just the beginning. See you at breakfast?"
"We do both have to eat." Katie chuckled, then leaned in as he kissed her a sweet goodnight. "Love you."
"Love you, too."
After he vanished into his quarters, Katie continued down the hallway alone. At this hour, there was no one to be seen, since almost everyone was asleep. Even though it was the weekend, there was never a time when everyone was off duty, so a lot of folks would be up at early hours to go about their work as usual. Though that didn't mean there wasn't always the possibility of running into someone up for a late-night snack, or sneaking between quarters.
Or, walking right down the hall towards her as she reached her own door.
Nadia Rizavi spotted her the moment she turned the corner. "Pidge?"
Time to play it casual. "Oh, hey Nadia. What are you doing up at this hour?"
"Coming home from a night out with friends. I could ask you what you're doing up, coming home in a dress…" Her eyes went wide. "Oh my gosh! You were on a date, weren't you? You! I almost don't believe it."
"Thanks, Nadia." Katie replied wryly. "I have been on dates before."
"But not in a hot dress! This must be some guy—or girl, I don't judge—so tell me, who was it?" She was almost vibrating with curiosity.
For a moment, Katie considered just telling her, but there was a small part of her that decided it would be more fun to play with her. She shrugged; hands palm up. "Oh, just the most sought-after single officer in the Intergalactic Forces. I'd tell you, but you might be jealous. He's pretty popular."
"Fine, play coy," Nadia scoffed. "Will you at least tell me where you went on this amazing date?"
Now that she didn't have a problem answering. Katie grinned as she turned oh-so-casually and keyed the code into her door. "The French Quarter in New Orleans."
She caught Nadia's mouth dropping open out of the corner of her view, and had to admit, it was very satisfying. "Well, that sounds promising," Nadia said, recovering quickly. "You know I'm going to find out who it is, right?"
"Oh, I'm sure you will, but how about we continue this conversation in the morning. I don't know about you, but I am exhausted."
Nadia chuckled, but continued down the hallway towards her room. "I bet you are."
Katie was glad she was already inside her room when she realized what Nadia had probably assumed she was implying. Well, there was nothing for it now. She started getting ready for bed, knowing that morning would come too soon, but also feeling a little eager, just because it would mean breakfast spent with her dearest friend… and now, boyfriend. Though that word seemed woefully inadequate as a way to describe her relationship with Hunk. They were still best friends, but that didn't seem right either. Lovers… implied a level of physical intimacy they had definitely not shared yet! She'd have to think about it.
Katie took off the necklace first, taking a moment to hold it. The tiny silvery pendant, shaped like a Juniberry flower, had been a small thank you gift from Allura after her first date with Lance. Allura had insisted that Katie's selflessness in giving up the game she had desperately wanted, for Allura and Lance's happiness, had been a worthy and kind gesture, and that it had made a difference. I hope, someday, when you find someone you care about, it will bring you the same fortune in love, Allura had said.
Katie smiled at the necklace one last time, and tucked it carefully away in the small jewelry box that contained the incredibly small amount of jewelry she actually owned. "Thanks, Allura. It really did."
April 7th, 2328
It was, in almost every way, a morning just like any other in the Garrison mess, and a breakfast not unlike many Katie had eaten before, or even shared with Hunk, who was sitting across from her. The meal this morning was a rich maple oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and fruit. The coffee was decent this morning, though not nearly as fabulous as what she had tasted just the morning before. She was going to have to see about buying some of that coffee so she could have it here.
It was almost like any other morning, except that this morning, she felt a little warm and fuzzy inside, and less grumpy than she normally would be after very little sleep. Hunk was cheerful and alert too, just as unusual given that neither of them were what Katie would have called morning people.
The room was fairly crowded, though no one seemed to give them a second look, and Katie didn't see any reason really why they should. She and Hunk did hang out together all the time when the Atlas was on Earth. Much like all of the Paladins. Seeing them together was really not all that rare, especially not here.
They hadn't said much this morning, but then they usually didn't until after at least a couple of cups of coffee.
The morning peace ended the moment Katie spotted Nadia coming through the line with her own breakfast, and Ina in tow. Nadia was looking around with the determined air of looking for someone specific and Katie had a sinking feeling she knew exactly who that was. A suspicion that was confirmed when Nadia spotted her and made a beeline their direction. "There you are," she declared as she sat down caddy-corner from Katie, next to Hunk. Ina took the spot one down from her with less obvious interest. "You owe me a full explanation of last night, Young Lady."
Katie almost choked on her oatmeal. "Excuse me?"
Hunk, looking bemused, glanced between them. "Something going on I should know about?"
Nadia grinned. "I am so glad you're here, Hunk. Maybe you know more about this than I do. I ran into Pidge sneaking in incredibly late last night from some hot date, and she wouldn't even tell me who with! Is that fair, I tell you, not telling one of your friends? I don't suppose she's told you who it is?"
For a moment, Katie thought Hunk was just going to tell them everything, but then she caught a playful glint in his eye, and instead, he shrugged as he picked up another fork full of eggs. "Nope. Pidge hasn't told me a thing about it."
A complete truth, that also entirely dodged the matter at hand. It was all Katie could do not to laugh as Nadia looked frustrated. "You didn't even tell your best friend about it? What kind of a woman are you?"
"One who prefers a little privacy," Katie replied calmly, continuing to eat her breakfast as if the entire conversation were of little consequence, and Hunk wasn't about to burst out laughing.
"Come on! We're dying to know. Aren't we Ina?"
Ina shrugged. "It would be intriguing," she admitted, "Though it's not essential."
"Oh, you're no help." Nadia turned back to Hunk. "Aren't you the least bit curious?"
"Only in what they used in this oatmeal," Hunk replied, eying his food as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. "I'm not convinced it's a regular sugar maple. It might be one of those new hybrids."
Katie almost died trying to hold in her laughter. Nadia looked like she was ready to strangle all of them trying to assuage her curiosity.
"Good morning!" Romelle's voice carried across the table as the Altean joined them, sitting next to Katie. "Well, look at you," she was smiling with great interest. "It looks to me like someone had a good time yesterday. How did it go? That is, if you don't mind my asking."
"Wait, you knew about this?" Nadia stared at Romelle.
Romelle shrugged. "Of course, I did."
Apoplectic; that was the word Katie would use for Nadia's face as she tried to process the situation.
"It was nice," Katie replied easily. "We had a really good time. Thanks for helping me pick an outfit. It was perfect."
"I'm so glad!" Romelle gushed, looking imminently pleased before turning to her meal.
Nadia shook her head, and looked at Hunk again. "How are you not even curious about this?"
Hunk shrugged, and finished the bite in his mouth before answer. "Why should I be?"
He was going to keep carrying this joke… Katie hid her face in her coffee.
"Um, because your best friend went on a hot date to New Orleans and won't tell us anything?"
"I did say it was nice," Katie managed to point out with a straight face.
Hunk set his fork down on the plate. "I don't have any reason to be curious," he said, finally looking at her straight on by turning to the side. "I was there."
Nadia's mouth fell open, and her eyes went back and forth between them so quickly for a moment it looked like she was watching a ping-pong match. Finally, they settled on Hunk. "You're the most sought-after single officer in the Galactic Forces?"
"I feel like I should be both flattered by that description, and yet offended by the disbelieving tone in which you said it." Hunk picked up his coffee mug, then shrugged.
"However, given the hundreds of catering requests and job offers I get every week, I'd have to agree that it's an accurate statement." He beamed at Katie. "Is that really how you described me?"
"To the letter," she admitted.
"Well, I'm flattered. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Nadia, you're catching flies."
Nadia finally closed her mouth, and seemed to come to her senses. "Wow. So, I guess that means you're an item now, huh?" She smiled. "That's great. I'm really happy for you two. Sorry for being so weird about it. You just surprised me. I mean, you've been friends forever. Really, I should be saying it's about time."
"That's okay," Katie accepted the apology. They'd put Nadia through enough this morning. "We kind of surprised ourselves, too."
"There you are!"
Katie looked up at the sound of Veronica's cheerful voice.
Hunk gave a resigned little sigh. "You'd think we were hiding or something. Everyone seems so surprised to see us."
"So… how did it go?" Veronica stopped next to the table, holding her empty breakfast tray. She looked straight at Hunk. "And you owe my brother a phone call. He's dying for news. His word." She looked amused.
Well, that explained how Veronica knew. "Is there anyone who doesn't know about yesterday?" Katie asked, feeling mildly exasperated. "For a military installation, I'd expect people to be better at keeping their mouths shut."
Hunk held up his hands, palms open. "Hey, the only person I talked to beforehand was Lance."
Nadia shrugged. "This is gossip, not classified military information."
"Is somebody confusing gossip and classified information again?"
Katie groaned. "No, Shiro. Just friends being nosy."
Shiro and Curtis walked up, already in uniform for the day, both carrying cups of coffee, but without trays.
Shiro chuckled. "And just what are we being nosy about this morning?"
"You mean you haven't heard?" She eyed them warily.
Shiro sipped from his cup. "Heard what? Yesterday was my day off. I don't hear anything unless it requires my attention."
"Can I tell them if you don't?" Nadia asked Katie with a look of eager desperation.
"Seeing as you might explode if I don't." Katie shook her head. There were simply no real secrets on this base. She looked up at Shiro. "Hunk and I went to New Orleans yesterday."
"Sounds great!" Shiro grinned. "I haven't been in years."
"Maybe we should fix that," Curtis suggested.
"It would make a great destination for something like an anniversary," Katie grinned.
Shiro chuckled. "We can discuss it later," he told Curtis. "Right now, I've got a meeting to be in. See you all later," he waved casually as the two of them continued on their way.
Nadia shook her head. "You didn't even tell them it was a date!"
"Was that not self-evident?" Katie picked up her cup and finished her last sip of coffee.
"Augh! I give up." With that, Nadia turned her attention to her food.
The rest of breakfast was much less dramatic. The topic of the date did not come up again and eventually people started talking about other things. As they finished eating, they scattered in various directions.
Katie was not alone with Hunk again until they reached her lab. "So much for subtle," she sighed as she dropped into her chair.
Hunk smiled. "It'll be old news by tomorrow, you'll see. Does it really bother you that much?"
"No. Nadia was just getting on my nerves," Katie admitted, leaning back. "Yesterday was special. I guess I really didn't think that many people would want to know about my personal life. They didn't before."
"Rizavi never asked you about any of your previous dates?"
"Well, she did, if the Atlas was on Earth, but those never went anywhere. This is different." The very few first-dates she'd attempted had all been, at the best, mediocre conversation, and at the worst, unmitigated disasters. Those conversations with Nadia had been more like venting sessions. She smiled up at him. "This time something happened I don't want to share with anyone else."
Hunk's expression softened as he leaned over, until their noses were almost touching. "Except me, I hope."
"Well of course you." Katie stretched the bare inch between them to kiss him. It was brief compared to last night, but no less enjoyable.
"You know, when they say get a room, usually they mean a bedroom, not a lab."
I must not kill my brother. I must not kill my brother. "You know, Matt, it's polite to knock when entering someone's personal work space."
The moment had evaporated. Hunk straightened up, and Katie could now see her older brother smirking in the doorway. She straightened up the chair.
Matt shrugged. "Not my fault you left the door open. I heard voices. I was expecting mathematics, not a make out session."
She felt her face flush, and silently cursed her skin. "One kiss is hardly a make-out session."
Her brother smiled apologetically. "Easy, Katie. I was teasing. Seriously though, remember to close the door next time. Now, do I need to come back later, or is it all right if I run those diagnostics this morning as planned?"
Katie shrugged. "Go ahead." The mood was ruined anyway. "Hunk and I were going to work on realigning the matrices on the MFEs' targeting alignment systems."
"All right then. Don't let me get in your way." With that, Matt stepped back into the other half of the lab.
Katie booted up the system. She might just have to seriously consider cleaning her bedroom.
