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Lance yawned as the words GAME OVER flashed across the screen. He set down the controller and rubbed his eyes.
“Pidge, it’s your turn,” he said softly. She didn’t answer.
She had been reclining on the right side of his bed, propped up on one elbow to watch him play. When he turned to look at her, he saw that she was now sound asleep, drooling slightly into the pillow she was hugging.
Lance smiled to himself as he turned off the Mercury Gameflux II and put the controllers away. Pidge was sleeping so peacefully that he didn’t want to disturb her. She seemed comfortable enough sleeping in the casual clothes she was wearing, a pair of black leggings and a soft, well worn and much beloved Galaxy Garrison T-shirt that he had outgrown.
Lance swiftly shed his jeans, hoping she wouldn’t wake up while he slipped on a pair of pajama pants. For a moment he considered sleeping on the couch, but he knew he was too tall to lie down comfortably there. He also prayed that Hunk was asleep in the next room and wouldn’t ask awkward questions in the morning. There was little chance of that though. Ever since they rented this little Garrison apartment together, Lance hadn’t had any girls over, and of course if he ever did, his nosy roommate would have to know all the details.
He sighed. Loverboy Lance’s reputation was mostly courtesy of the Voltron Show’s propaganda, and both Hunk and Pidge knew it.
There was a particularly good reason for his voluntary celibacy that was unknown to his two closest friends though. It was the one thing he was almost too terrified to admit to himself, and as that frightening thought raced through his sleep-deprived mind, he stared at the living reason for his chastity.
She had left her glasses on his nightstand and her sneakers next to his bed. Her thick, tawny hair was in disarray, and her soft lips were slightly parted as she slumbered.
Lance swallowed. She looked so beautiful in the soft light of his bedroom that he regretted dimming the illuminators.
He held his breath as he carefully sat down on the left side of the bed. There was a moment of panic as the weight of his body shifting about caused the mattress to creak ever so slightly. Thankfully, Pidge didn’t stir. He slipped under the blanket and then made sure she was covered as well. For a long moment he just stared up at the ceiling, listening to the sound of her breathing until his eyelids felt heavy...
The next thing that Lance was fully aware of was that something soft and warm rested upon his chest, and a smooth, slender arm was wrapped around his torso. Pidge, he remembered. You fell asleep with Pidge in your bed. For a fleeting instant his imagination ran wild with visions of Sam and Matt Holt planning to murder him and Colleen Holt suggesting baby names for her future grandchildren. His eyes snapped open, and he realized that he was holding Pidge very close, embracing her as she slept. The sun rose higher in the desert sky as he lay there, not daring to move. Sam and Matt wouldn’t have to kill him, he thought. Pidge might just do that herself when she woke up.
After what seemed like an eternity there was a little mumble and she stirred a bit. He felt her nuzzling his chest, then heard her speak a few muffled words that made the blood rush to his face. She must be talking in her sleep, he thought. She would never say such things if she were fully awake. Or would she? Well, maybe it was time to find out.
“Lance,” she murmured.
“Pidge,” he spoke softly as he rubbed her back. “Are you awake?”
“Hmm?” She stirred again, then suddenly sat up, struggling in his embrace.
“Lance! What? Did I—?”
“You fell asleep in my bed,” Lance said sleepily.
Even in the early morning light from the window beside them Lance could see that she was blushing. “Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—“
“It’s okay,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “I don’t mind. I had always hoped I would wake up one morning with a beautiful girl in my arms, so for me this is like a dream come true.” Even half asleep, he couldn’t resist the opportunity to flirt with her. “Come here,” and with that he pulled her back down upon his chest. They were face-to-face now, and her cheeks were very pink.
“What are you doing?” She asked, looking at him wide-eyed. “It’s not like I’m your girlfriend or anything.”
“Maybe we should do something about that. Y’know, you can kiss me good morning if you want to.” He was gazing at her through half-lidded eyes and smiling flirtatiously.
“I have terrible morning breath,” she explained timidly.
“So do I.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Well, I don’t want my first kiss to be gross.”
“First kiss, huh? I guess I should brush my teeth for that.” He began to tickle her ribs and Pidge responded giggling and then wriggling away from him in an attempt to grab her pillow. When she finally had a grip on it, she swatted him with it.
“Ugh! Now who’s being gross? You drooled on that!” He pushed the pillow aside when she tried to rub it against his face. After a mock struggle and more giggling, Pidge took back her pillow, fluffed it, and flopped down upon it. Then she turned her head slightly and bit her lip as she stared at him, her cheeks pink.
“You talk in your sleep,” she said, giving him a sly grin, as if she knew something he didn’t.
“So do you. And you snore. Not that I mind. I think your little snores are adorable.” He admitted in a low voice. He was leaning on one elbow and gazing at her fondly. “I could get used to those little snores,” he admitted quietly, talking more to himself than her.
For a moment she just stared up at him.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” she finally asked.
“Yep.” He covered a yawn. “And I also heard what you said when you were talking in your sleep just now.”
“Oh really? And what did I say?”
“It sounded like I love you,” he mumbled. The color rose to his cheeks.
“What was that?” she teased. “I didn’t quite understand you.”
“I love you,” he repeated with sincerity.
She smiled up at him. “I know you do. I love you, too.”
The fear that tied Lance’s stomach in knots melted away. He had just dared to say what he had been feeling out loud, and she wasn’t angry or upset. She loved him too.
This, he decided, was the beginning of the best day of his entire life.
Pidge continued. “I love you in spite of the bizarre things you say when you’re talking in your sleep. You were going on and on about mermaids and said something about not needing any pants. I was a bit concerned about that, especially when I saw your jeans on the floor over there.”
Lance’s eyes widened. “I changed into pajamas!” He exclaimed, panicking for a moment. He pulled back the covers to show her that he was, in fact, wearing pants. ”See?” She giggled. “So, uh, anyway...about being my girlfriend...”
“You haven’t even taken me out on an actual date yet.”
“How about dinner at DeFazzio’s tonight? We can get dressed up, maybe go dancing—“ She gazed up at him adoringly, unable to suppress her shy smile.
“And then?” she asked softly.
“Well, If you don’t want to kiss me good morning, I was hoping that you might at least let me kiss you goodnight.”
She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling exactly the way they did when she made a new scientific discovery or when she found the solution to a particularly complex equation.
“I would like that,” she quietly admitted.
Lance’s mind raced. He used to be jealous of all those scientific discoveries and equations, but not anymore. Take that, science.
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“Pidgey’s going on an actual date with Loverboy Lance, huh? And then she’s gonna let me kiss her. This must be my lucky day.” He grinned triumphantly at her once more.
Pidge blushed prettily, and then sat up. “We should get up and make breakfast now, don’t you think?” Pidge’s hair was sticking up in every direction, and Lance knew he needed a shave. When he sat up she surprised him by kissing his cheek. “Scratchy.”
“I was thinking of growing a beard,” he said, rubbing his chin.
“No.” She wrinkled her nose again. “A beard would hide too much of your face.” She was gently caressing his stubbled cheek as she spoke.
“You like my face, don’t you?” He said, noticing how soft her skin looked. He stared at her moist lips, then licked his own which were very dry.
She studied him for a moment. “I suppose it’s a somewhat handsome face.”
“Ha! I knew it!” He crowed. “Wait a minute, you said only somewhat handsome?” He looked at her with feigned offense.
She lifted one eyebrow. “Conceited much?” she teased.
“Well, I happen to know for a fact that you think I’m cute—“
“—in a creepy, hideous sort of way—“ she added.
“Hey, that yelmor isn’t taking you on a date tonight.”
She giggled. “I’m glad. Even with morning breath, you still smell better than one of those.”
“Thanks,” he said sarcastically.
She smiled at him. “You know I don’t really care about physical appearances. It’s what kind of person you are inside that really matters.” She ran her fingers through his short, messy hair. “You’re courageous, loyal, funny, and kind. You’re...you are honestly one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met, Lance.”
Lance suddenly didn’t care about morning breath. He was examining her lips with hooded eyes. He closed his eyes as he leaned closer to her, and then he gently brushed his parched lips against hers.
It was like finding sweet water after wandering for years in a dry wasteland.
Pidge was trembling, terrified of the new sensation of being kissed and of being loved this way, but she was delighted by it as well. She kissed him back tenderly, her fingers ruffling his already messy hair.
After a long, glorious moment of pure bliss, Lance reluctantly broke the kiss to tell her what he had known in his heart for years. He brushed a wayward lock of hair from her flushed face as he looked directly into her eyes.
“You’re the one,” Lance began in a husky voice. “You’re the girl that I’ve been waiting for my entire life. If I could have anyone or anything in the universe, all I would wish for is a long and happy lifetime with you by my side.”
Lance’s vision blurred. “I really do love you, Katie Holt.”
She threw her arms around him, and he was glad she couldn’t see him crying tears of joy as he buried his face in her soft, thick hair. He felt her shoulders shaking as he held her close. He both heard and felt her happy, muffled sobbing against his chest.
Pidge sniffled. “I’ve been in love with you since I was fifteen years old,” she admitted in a watery voice. “And I have only ever loved you. All my life it’s always been you.”
Lance’s heart felt as if it would beat right out of his chest. Surely she must feel that.
It had been nearly seven years that they had been best friends, and all that time she had secretly loved him! Lance was overwhelmed by that revelation, and encouraged by it as well. The war was long over, and both of them had secured jobs they enjoyed at the Garrison. It was time to tell her, he thought. It was time to reveal to her his most secret hopes for their future together.
“Someday I’m gonna marry you, Katie.” Lance declared earnestly. “But we’re going to have a proper courtship first. And I’m going to ask for your parents’ blessing too. I really, really want to do this right. I want everything to be absolutely perfect, but I’m so afraid I’m gonna mess this up...”
He had done it. There was no way to unsay it. He had uttered aloud his most secret hopes and fears. After a long silence he gave her a little squeeze and he felt her hug him back.
Pidge slowly lifted her head and pulled away from his embrace a little in order to look directly at him. “Remember how Iverson used to yell at you every time you wrecked the simulator?”
“Yeah, but what’s that have to do with—?”
She was still wiping her happy tears away, and trying to change the subject to regain her composure. Her voice was still thick with emotion as she spoke.
“Remember what happened after the last time you did that? I shot off my mouth at him and you shut me up so I wouldn’t get detention...”
“Yeah, and then I caught you trying to sneak out of the dormitory that night, so I followed you, partly because I wanted to stop you from getting into more trouble, but mostly to satisfy my curiosity about what ‘Pidge Gunderson’ was up to.” His voice cracked as he spoke. Well, she wasn’t the only one who had been crying. Trying to distract her, Lance smoothed her hair once more. He kissed her cheek softly hoping that he would get a chance to kiss her lips again...
“We became Paladins that night,” she reminded him, “and you were the first of us to be chosen. Blue knew exactly what she was doing when she chose you first out of all of us. Do you know why?”
“No,” he admitted. He kissed the corner of her mouth, and she pulled away a little to smile at him. She ducked her head, took a deep breath and continued on with her rambling.
“Blue know that I was destined to bond with Green Lion and become the team’s technology expert. She also knew that only Hunk had the strength and stability to bond with Yellow. And at that time, only Shiro had the maturity and experience to fly Black Lion and teach us how to work as a team. Blue also knew that at the time, Keith was the only one of us who had the willpower and the piloting skills to fly Red. I think Blue Lion knew that someday Keith would grow to be the great leader who would command Black Lion and lead us to victory in the war, and when the time came for Red to choose a new pilot, she knew that only you would have the skill to do it. That’s when you became Voltron’s right hand,” Pidge explained. “Blue knew something very important about you all along.”
“What’s that?”
“She knew that you’re a greater pilot than you or Iverson ever realized you could be. She knew that you would always be the heart of the team, no matter which lion you flew. Blue also knew she was destined for Allura when the princess was ready to become a Paladin. I think Blue had always known that you and Red would be unstoppable together as the Sword of Voltron.”
“Voltron needs his Shield as much as his Sword, Pidge. Maybe we were destined to be a team in more ways than one. I couldn’t have done any of it without you.”
Pidge smiled up at him. “Everything happens for a reason. We all had a destiny to fulfill. I think the Universe is just like that sometimes. Somehow, I have always known that my destiny is to be by your side. I’ve just been waiting for you to realize it.”
Lance couldn’t stop himself from smiling at that remark.
“I have more than realized it. You know, when we have kids someday, I think they’ll be both smart and beautiful.” He leaned towards her to kiss neck just below her earlobe.
“Yes, they certainly will be, but what will they inherit from you?” She asked with a giggle. His stubble made her ticklish.
“Oh, you’ll pay for that one!” He covered her face with scratchy little kisses. She retaliated with a playful slap. Soon they were both shrieking with laughter as they grappled on the bed once more. He was trying to tickle her and she laughed and tried to roll away from him without much success.
There was a loud knock on the door of Lance’s bedroom. “Hey, are you done playing slap and tickle in there? Breakfast is ready.”
Lance and Pidge both froze.
“Should we tell him?” Lance whispered.
“I think he already knows,” Pidge whispered back to him.
They sat up, straightening their clothes.
“Hunk, buddy, you can come in,” Lance called through the door.
“Are you two decent?”
“I am, but Lance left his pants on the floor last night,” Pidge teased.
“Pidge!” Lance was far more embarrassed than she was.
“Seriously, though, Hunk,” Pidge began as she got up to open the door, “We fell asleep playing video games, and now Lance thinks I’m his girlfriend or something.”
“We’re actually going on a real date tonight,” Lance said from behind her. “A romantic candlelit dinner for two at DeFazzio’s, and—“
“And then he’s going to propose,” said Pidge, deadpan.
“What?!” exclaimed Lance.
“My somewhat handsome future husband who’s definitely cuter-than-a-yelmor was just talking about the gorgeous, brilliant babies we are going to have,” Pidge continued. ”They’ll take after me, of course.”
“Hey!”
Hunk laughed until his sides shook. “Congratulations, you two. I knew it had to happen sooner or later.”
Lance was standing behind her, with a scruffy beard and his hair sticking up in several directions. He was grinning goofily at Hunk. “So, do you want to be the Best Man?”
“He beat me to it. I was going to ask you to be my Man of Honor.”
“Hmm,” said Lance. “The bridesmaids dresses would have to be orange. You know, to match his headband...”
“Orange? My mom would kill me.” She looked thoughtful a moment. “Of course it would be fun to watch her freak out and rant about my lack of fashion sense.”
Hunk guffawed. “Sorry, Pidge, I’m not wearing a dress. And Lance did ask first. So when’s this wedding?”
“Hey, give me time. I just asked her to be my girlfriend this morning.”
“You didn’t ask. You just decided.”
“That’s because you talk in your sleep. You kept going on and on about how hot I am and how much you want me.” He leaned close to her ear and breathed heavily. “I know a woman has needs.”
Pidge’s face reddened and her mouth formed an “O” of shocked offense. She spun around and smacked his arm again.
“Ow!”
“You really need to brush your teeth, Loverboy. That morning breath is killing me.” She pinched her nose and daintily shoved him away.
Hunk thought their antics were hilarious.
“I’m afraid that when you two have kids they’ll take after both of you. The Galaxy Garrison won’t know what hit them.”
Lance and Pidge exchanged mischievous glances.
“You two both radiate what Matt calls ‘Chaotic Youngest Sibling Energy.’ “ Hunk added. “He says it could solve the Universe’s energy crisis.”
“Chaotic Youngest Sibling Energy is more powerful than quintessence then,” Lance declared. “Katie, my darling!” He took her hands in his while giving her his softest and most exaggeratedly love struck facial expression. “For the sake of the Universe, it is our duty to marry and reproduce.”
“Yes, my love,” Pidge said while blushing demurely and batting her eyelashes at him. “We must create more chaotic beings such as ourselves, for the sake of the Universe, and for science.”
Lance gave her his best smolder and grinned lopsidedly at her. “You can experiment on me anytime—-Ow! That hurt, woman.” Pidge had let go of one of his hands to smack him playfully once more.
“I am thinking I could just make some genetically altered clones instead of—“
Lance didn’t let her finish that sentence. He swept her off her feet and kissed her passionately. When they broke apart, Lance looked triumphant and Pidge seemed more flustered than she had been before.
“My way is more fun though,” Lance said softly. For once Pidge was speechless.
“I’m also thinking that if our future kids will be so chaotic, Iverson will finally have to retire,” Lance said optimistically.
“I guess I’ll have marry you then.” She said dreamily. “It’ll be so worth it.”