MetalLionHearts

Dragon of Eilsameer Chapter 2

Pidge refused to let go of her blade, no matter how much her fingers trembled. Ingel after Ingrel fell and soldier after solider followed suit.

And Pidge could do nothing but watch. When Lance had been wounded, she had made a choice. A choice that was leading to the death of so many innocent men on this battle field.

If I had Green, I could burn these beasts to ash without breaking a sweat. But… I needed to get him to the safety of the Castle of Lions…to the healing chambers.

Now? Pidge felt that decision with every fall and clash of her blade against the beasts. Every scream, every wound and every battle-cry.

Blade at the ready and streamline black armour at the ready, I slipped between the legs of the Ingrel before her and swept her blade up and into its guts, with a heave ripping it back and letting its blade rain across the field. The creature gave a howl, shuddered, and died. Rinse and repeat.

For the moment she spared in the mud and dirt, Pidge called out for the green lion once more. In her soul, her mind and body it called for the Lion, for her lion. Just as she had for the last five times.

But just like the last five times, there had been nothing, no response, until –

Boom.

A familiar burst of power and a furious roar ripped through the battlefield of the main-street. Even the Ingrels ceased their attack for just a moment, long enough to look up into the sky and witness the beast that would be their demise.

The Green Lion.

But…who was flying her?

From the mouth of a lion a blue beam shot forth, vaporising the coming waves of the grey wolfish beasts and destroying their skittish formations.

She landed, crushing the Ingrels beneath her, roots and vines responding to her call and pushing up from the wet torn up earth to wrap and crush the remaining creatures.

Pidge let herself fold to her knees. Her blade returned to its Bayard base form in her hand, grateful for its rest.

They were saved. A Defender of the Universe had come to their aid when the Green Defender could not.

But still, the question remained. What paladin had saved their lives this day?

As if in reply, green opened her mouth and fully armoured and at the ready, the Blue Paladin Lance with his shield and armour of black and blue stepped forth. Pidge let the tears welling in her eyes fall freely, for the man she loved so dearly had been the one to return Green to her. For the man who did not love her back had come to save them all.

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The night was late, but Pidge didn’t let it weigh her eyes down. She was tired sure, but the weird energy drinks Coran offered them for late night training kept her eyes keen. Three cans of the stuff lay scattered about the floor of her bunk. Her communication tablet buzzed with urgent requests from Keith to turn the video game STAR SQUAD KILLER: REVENGER OF VOLTOR blaring from the system Lance and her had spent hours and many haggles to set up.

Right now, Pidge didn’t care. She was in one of the most intense battles of her life. Namely, because Lance was currently beating her.

“Bastard,” She snipped underneath her breath, mashing the buttons to get her green Star-craft to do one of the hardest combos in the game to avoid both a meteor and one of Lance’s turrets.

                                                           ~

Lance’s back simply ached from sitting hunched over in the same spot for hours. But did he care? No? Was he ever going to take a bathroom break? Ha. Funny.

Because he was winning. Admittedly, he was only just winning, a few points ahead of Pidge.

But Jesus, he was winning against Pidge!

For the last five nights on the small break the team was afforded, travelling to the next planet Ulmeer as they were had allowed all the Paladins a mini holiday. And every single night the Green and Blue Paladin had been locked into the ultimate battle. And tonight was the deciding round.

Granted, the matches Lance had been winning were won by the skin of the teeth but he’d won them fair and square. And tonight, he might just become the champion, the greatest damn player of STAR SQUAD KILLER, THE REVENGER OF VOLTOR in the universe!

His bunk was starting to smell, though.

                                                           ~

Pidge let the controller slip from her hands. That was it. After completely destroying Lance those first two rounds, he’d somehow done it. He won.

Pidge let herself flop onto the floor. Amongst the crumpled up cans of mystery-energy-drink. The snacks Hunk made at four am every other night. Her communications tablet continuously blowing up with Keith’s complaints, alongside his indirect complaints on the group message channel.

She didn’t really care about any of it. Because she could hear the sound of Lance’s approaching footsteps.

With a groan Pidge opened the door for him.

‘What’re doing here La-‘ She began. She was cut off when he cupped her face with both of his hands.

‘Here to collect my prize for winning,’ He answered softly with a light smirk.

And with that, he pulled her close and kissed her deep.

Lance, for but a single moment hesitated outside Pidge’s door. It’d been a long time since he’d sought out his best friend after a nightmare, tired eyes glazed over with the haze of the ridiculous hour. She wouldn’t judge him, she never had. Then again, it had been years since the war ended, years since the lions had returned to the far corners of the universe. But the nightmares still followed them all.

They all dealt with it in different ways, Lance found. Keith tired himself out so badly every night in the training rooms it was near impossible to wake, and maybe he slept so deeply where the nightmares couldn’t find him. Hunk could be found cooking at the latest hours, leaving the pantry full of pastries and sweets always. Allura was the only one to sleep soundly. Or, so it seemed.

But Lance and Pidge? They had always had each other.

It had started out as an excuse to play video games late into the night, way, way back when they had first gone to the space mall. That had continued right until when things got well and truly serious, when each paladin took the opportunity to sleep when they could. It had turned from showing up to play video games to showing up to curl up in silence alongside each other. They were each-others security blanket, a silent acknowledgement that they would fend off one another’s nightmares off, no matter how real that explosion seemed, no matter how you could still hear that persons’ voice or trust that everyone was who they truly said they were.

These battles were fought with soft coos, gentle reassurances and a warm but gentle hold.

Pidge, as she always did, opened the door to her bunk. Without a word Lance simply crumpled onto the bed. Pidge, weary eyed in her tank and green lion boxers crawled up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, legs entwined with his.

Entangled, but comfy. And ready for the battle.

‘Goodnight, little lion,’ Lance murmured.

Pidge had never been fantastic at gifts. Not bad, not good, but not fantastic. And yet here she was, cactus in hand, the pot lent against her chest as she rang the doorbell at Lance’s little farm.

It was also an odd time of day to be showing up at his door. Who on Altea showed up at dusk to hand off their weird cactus to a man she couldn’t ignore her feelings for anymore? One of the needles pricked her finger as she waited. With a hiss of pain she bit her finger, a sudden wave on uncertainty washing over her. Maybe I should’ve dressed up…worn a dress like she did, or – or maybe did up my hair more?

Footsteps approached the door.

This whole thing had been a moment of spontaneity, a sudden urge, an idea taking hold of her and refusing to let until she took the cactus that had been sitting in her lab for months and take it to his door-step today. And then what? Well, the spontaneous notion hadn’t exactly planned that far ahead. Pidge bit her finger a little harder. She was wearing her civilian clothes that still smelled of insecticides and dirt, but maybe she should’ve just shown up in her lab gear.

Lance opened the door. And despite herself and the love she’d ignored for all their time as warriors fighting side by side together, all Pidge could see were the two Altean markings on his cheeks. They were a beautiful taunt.

“Pidge!” He greeted as he always did. With a smile. Without warning he hooked her into a hug, warm and heavy with the scent of butter, flour and honey. All going according to plan, Pidge felt her words catch and tangle up in her throat. She was suddenly so close to him. His lips. His great blue ocean eyes and sweet, sweet smile. His fingers still pushed into her shoulders. With nothing else to do, she offered up the cactus by shoving it into his chest and stammering something about lab, long-live the plant and thinking of him.

He stared at the cactus for a moment, blank for a moment and then seemed to admire it needles and all. His lips began to curl up into a smile before quickly crashing when he noticed her finger was bleeding.

“Oh! Pidge, are you okay?” He asked, taking her hand to inspect it carefully. Again, without warning or control, the demon of impulse took over and Pidge simply let it. With her hand so close to his cheek, she let her remaining fingers brush over his face and ran them against his jaw.

They were older now. It had been years. Years of ignoring how she felt. Ignoring, ignoring, ignoring and dismissing it, convinced it would melt away eventually. Buti it was more than the paladin bond, or a simple crush, or brotherhood, - Pidge had simply fallen in love with the Blue Paladin. Her best friend. Her fellow paladin. And she desperately hoped, her companion.

It was time. “Lance. I know what you went through was – nearly unbearable. We all lost…so much during our time as paladins. But there was some things we gained too, like peace and friendships that can never be broken and I even got my family back. But…I also found that I – developed these feelings for you, during that time too. And they – they’re still there Lance.” The whole time Pidge stared at the Cactus in his hands.

The evening light now cloaked them both. The moments of silence after her confession seemed to go on for an utter eternity.

He didn’t set down the cactus. “For the longest time, any thought of anyone else made me feel…guilty. It felt like I was betraying Allura’s memory.” Lance spoke softly and looked past her. Out into the fields of Altean flowers. He touched his markings, and Pidge flinched.

“But she’s gone. The only thing I could do to betray her would be to not live my life. To not love and be loved. Because…that’s all she wanted for me, for everyone. To know peace.” Lance looked to her now. Right into her eyes.

Now it was his turn to brush the side of her face. This time to wipe away a tear that escaped Pidge’s eye.

“I think, you’re my peace, Katie. Can I be yours?” He asked, this time his voice shook. She nodded, face rubbing into the palm of his hand.

Cloaked in the evening light, the Altean flowers began to glow in the weakening light as Pidge and Lance shared their peace through a kiss and embrace.

And as the flowers glowed brighter, Lance’s markings faded.

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Pidge let her bionic drive drop the floor.

‘Please, Lance. Just for five seconds, can you stop flirting with every girl-alien we happen across?’

Lance’s reply was to pout. The Volmerian girl with the clear blue eyes he’d been talking up had taken this opportunity to escape the blue paladin’s advances, scurrying off and out of the traders shop. The mall had been busy today, an unfortunate fact that was haunting Pidge by way of Lance deciding to try his ‘dazzling wits and charm’ on each and every female that resembled a human as they passed. The joke was that the two of them had been assigned this mission. A simple mission in fact, to retrieve and repair a control unit for the shower system in the castle of the lions from the mall pawn shop. Lance had decided his true mission was to harass and to make Pidge’s simple job an overly annoying one.

‘Pidge. Listen. I’m just giving these lovely ladies what they want, an opportunity to be with handsomest paladin of Voltron.’ Lance dared to flash her a winning grin. Despite herself Pidge looked away and back at the unit. She pretended to work, as if she could concentrate now. For a while now, Pidge hadn’t been sure as to why Lance’s incessant flirting had irritated her so. At first, she’d chalked it up to not doing his job. But even when he did get the parts she requested, but followed it up by asking Pidge whether he should go back to talk up the cute gear-head? For some reason, that had made her ten times irate.

So maybe it wasn’t so simple as not doing his job properly.

Maybe there was something else to it.

But like most things, Pidge shrugged it off and carried on with the repairs. She was the Green Paladin of Voltron. Pilot of the Green Lion and a Defender of the Universe.  

So Pidge Gunderson was above jealousy, right? Of course. She pretended to brush off some dirt from her over-sized jacket to hide her slight shiver.

‘I’m sure they could go without, Lance. You know what we can’t go without? Hygiene. Showers. Warm water. So if you could help me and for five seconds stop your flirting with a million aliens then we could get that back for the team. You know, our whole motto? T-teamwork.’ She stammered for a moment, speaking as she realised at that moment that it was his jacket. Since it was an off-mission they were allowed to wear their civilian Earth clothes. After a single complaint about the space-mall air conditioning Lance had passed off his jacket without a word.

There was a moment of silence. Followed by a warm touch that sent lolls of heat down her spine. Lance crouched behind her and lent in.

‘What about you, Katie?’ He murmured in a way she hadn’t heard him speak to anyone in. Why –

He ran the two fingers he had in the collar of the jacket around. His fingertips ran around the base of her neck. Thunder rolled down her back, waves of warmth one after the other.

‘Lance?’ She managed to breathe, barely audible. He stood, looming over her for a second and sat in front of her, legs crossed in only the way Pidge sat. Sole to sole, hands gripping the sides. He had this look of playfulness but also seriousness on his face. It was odd and exhilarating and Pidge was utterly and entirely unequipped to deal with it. This side of the Blue Paladin. This side of her fellow warrior she had never seen before. Or…maybe she had?

Lance was only ever this serious when he was being truly sincere. Or this playful when he was flirting. But this? It was a mix, a balance of both that Pidge had no idea how to –

‘Katie. What about you…can I flirt with you?” Lance asked his voice oddly soft and sweet, blue eyes even softer and that much sweeter. He began to reach out a hand --  

Pidge stood, awkwardly. She stumbled back into some of the work trolleys, pushing them away as she backed up, adjusting her glasses at the same time.

‘N-no-one really calls me Katie...Lance I didn’t mean it like that. I mean I did I just – I’m not –’ She began to stuttered.

Lance stood with her. Katie walked back, and kept walking back. And Lance followed. She hadn’t – or rather she’d being ignoring how good he looked in his normal clothes, how it made his blue eyes and warm skin and gorgeous smile – it just made all of him that much more. Because she was seeing him. Not the Blue Paladin. Not Lance the class clown or Lance the ladies’ man.