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Pidge toes off her boots, socks. She wiggles toes and feels the weird sock lint that comes from being stocking-footed too long.
She jumps, high, and grasps the rings in the training room. She's restless, hasn't had a good workout in ages. It has to have been before the boys went on the Kerberos Mission. Her mom hadn't wanted to hike far enough out to really let loose since then.
There are many, many problems with space but having a gym to let loose on is not one of them.
She climbs, up, up, up, like if she climbs high enough she'll be able to hold the stars. Her workout shorts are more comfortable than anything she's worn in months, the clothes in her closet similar enough to her clothes from home.
She doesn't tell anyone that she just took Matt’s too small clothes, stiff like denim. Shiro probably knows, but she likes pretending. It hurt enough without talking about it.
Pidge drops, landing lightly on the balls of her feet. She's not moving fast enough, it's time to move on.
Her next command draws up a new challenge, a giant pegboard. The pegs move up, but they also cycle like a grocery belt. She starts to climb.
Her ears itch and she thinks of being small, confused by the way her parents disappeared their ears. Confused by the way they had to keep moving. Once every four or five years seemed to be the magic number, with Dad staying on Galaxy Garrison.
She will learn, later how much her parents hate the Garrison, but it's the best way for them to monitor the Galra.
The Galra, who still have her family. The Galra, who most likely know that her family is Altean.
Pidge falls and somebody shouts.
“Pidge!”
She falls into arms, which is fine. Alternatively, she would have been fine hitting the ground. She's strong, stronger than most. It's not just the alien stuff.
She's caught by somebody stronger, but not abnormally bulky.
“Five!” Coran says, even though he just called her by name. He's smirking, so it must have been to make her smile. It doesn't work. “You have to be careful in here! You should have a spotter if you're going to use the climbing functions of the training room.”
He sets her on the ground, not her feet, and sits down beside her. Pidge reaches for her socks and Coran watches as she tugs them on.
“I don't understand how you wear those.” He says, almost awestruck.
Pidge shrugs. “I've had to wear them for a hundred and fifty years. It's just habit now.”
“But you have so many touch receptors!” Coran says. He tugs off his shoe. It's leather and the bottom looks strong, but thin enough to be breathable. “You see. This is the real way to wear shoes. When Allura was small, it was a battle to get her into her slippers every day. For a time we had to cut the soles out.”
Pidge huffs. “Matt used to mountain climb barefoot. It scared our mom so bad. She said that we'd get in trouble if he didn't stick his sneakers back on.”
“Did he?” Coran asks, quiet. Pidge realizes that this is uncharted. We're you hurt, so far away?
Pidge shakes her head. “No. We haven't gotten in trouble in a long time. We got good at hiding.”
They fall into quiet for a moment.
“Pidge?” Coran asks. “Do you know your name?”
He doesn't mean Katie Holt.
Pidge knows that he parents were something special. Not everyone was evacuated, there simply wasn't enough space. That meant her parents must have done something. They must have thought that her parents would have been able to help somehow .
Her dad is a scientist, did he help with castle upkeep? Did he explore new planets? Her mom is a doctor. Did she help with the pods? Or did she help with other major things to prime the machines, stitching people back together and helping with illness. The pods are more advanced now, but Pidge’s done the reading. It wasn't always like that. Now pods heal injury, but still not illness. Maybe her mom worked in line with those.
“We've always gone by Holt.” She says. “My name is Pidge Holt.”
Coran nods. “I don't remember any Holts.” He says, like an apology.
“It's okay.” Pidge says, even though it's not, not really. “My mom is still on Earth. When we find Dad and Matt, we can go get her. She knows, and then we'll have more Alteans.”
We won't have to be alone , she doesn't say.
Coran grins, forced, because he understands in the same way Pidge does. Strength in numbers.
Pidge stands, stocking footed, and holds a hand out to Coran. “Can I have some more goop?”
Coran brightens and let's Pidge pull him up. “I told you, that's standard Altean fare! We just have to sway the other paladins now.”
“You know, I think that’ll be a little bit difficult seeing as they have more tastebuds than we do.”
Coran laughs and Pidge thinks that maybe, this will be okay.