#mod rue

Hunk spits out his milkshake - an act that is an unforgivable sin by his own standards, which tips Pidge off as utter embarrassment. It’s wildly amusing, so she leans back into her side of the booth of Sal’s new restaurant. Hunk and Shay are seated together on the other side, taking the time off work to see old friends. 

Perfect for teasing. 

“It’s not like that!” Hunk protests, his face as red as the Lion of the same color. “Shay and I are happily coexisting in the same apartment because it's easier for us both to get to work.”

“That is true,” Shay points out helpfully, not at all distressed at Hunk’s deflecting behavior. “We share everything so that commonly needed supplies can be distributed more efficiently. There is no need for Hunk and I to have two kitchens,” she says melodically.

Pidge keeps her eyes on Hunk the entire time. He is so smitten, the way he hangs on her every word. It’s adorable and she is so happy for them - if only Hunk will just admit it!

“I mean, that makes sense,” Lance interjects. He sits next to Pidge and his eyes betray his neutral expression - he’s about to make waves. “Just like a married couple, right?”

“Oh, the human term for bonding?” Shay inquires. “I admit I have very much desired to be a bride one day.”

Hunk is both dying and also falling in love with Shay all over again. 

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Lance confirms smugly, folding his hands around the back of his head. “You two are cute.”

“Then are you and Pidge also courting?”

Pidge’s brain breaks, and at once, she and Lance both yell “What?”.

“You both live together in order to commute to the Garrison,” she says helpfully. “And cook for each other.”

“That’s because Pidge works late!” Lance scrambles.

“And sometimes he’s too busy working on flight plans!” Pidge says quickly. 

Hunk, curse him, perks up and grins the most manic of grins. His revenge will be swift and merciless. “Sounds an awful lot like me and Shay’s situation.”

“Yes!” Shay agrees. “I like to cook when Hunk has been cooking all day - he never has any leftovers to bring home!”

Pidge can’t breathe. As Lance argues against, and Hunk and Shay argue for, her mind runs at a mile a minute. For so long, she has been on Hunk and Shay’s side, a crush and longing she’d pushed aside for both her own sanity and Lance’s heart - or so she thought at least. 

Lance blushes, occasionally looking in her direction, then back at Hunk. Suddenly all the world is silent as they stare at each other. 

Pidge sees it in his eyes, he’s open to the idea of dating, of a romance...with her. 

In that moment, Pidge realizes that without even mentioning the word ‘dating’, she and Lance have been happily together for months, a couple in all but name. 

“Yes,” she says quickly, eyes only for him.

Lance nods numbly. “Yeah,” he agrees. 

“Go home!” she mumbles, throwing the covers over her head. Five more minutes, is that too much to ask for? It isn’t as if she has any work to do…

“Nah uh uh!” Lance says, pulling the covers off. “You hired me for just this reason. So get out of bed and maybe I’ll share breakfast with you.” She can feel his smug face upon her. “Hunk made it.”

Pidge jumps out of bed and snatches her dress from the day before, uncaring that Lance is seeing her in her underclothes. Proper or not, he is right, this is what she hired him for. 

She begins to slip the dress over her night garments, but is stopped as Lance coughs pointedly. 

“You’re going to start the day without a bath?”

Pidge deflates. “What are you, my mother?”

Lance rolls his eyes. “I have one drawn up already, the least you can do is take it.”

Pidge's jaws drops in a very unladylike manner. “That must have taken you a long time. When did you get up?”

He shrugs as he walks over to her. “Not long. I stayed the night again. Was too late after we pushed to install the last of the lights.”

Gently, he helps her out of her dirty dress that wasn’t really on. Though she’s still in her nightclothes, and Lance has seen her in these before, his proximity starts her heart racing. For a moment they lock eyes, some mysterious energy crackling between them as neither says a thing. Pidge is aware of just how deeply blue Lance’s eyes are.

She doesn’t want to stop looking. 

“The bath is getting cold, Pidge.” He playfully nudges her arm. It’s hardly a proper thing for a manservant to do, but Pidge more than tolerates it because Lance is much more than that - he’s a good friend without whom she’d be down on her luck and out of an inheritance.

“Right!” She gulps and forces a smile amid the awkwardness, even though she means it. “Thank you, really Lance. You don’t have to go this far.”

“I want to,” he says, so fondly that Pidge has butterflies in her heart. “Orange juice to drink?”

“Please,” she nods. “I’ll try not to be long. Thanks again, Lance.”

“My pleasure,” he says, bowing deeply but with a voice with which she can’t ascertain if he means it tongue-in-cheek or not.. “See you in a few, Miss Holt.”

Pidge waits several minutes after he leaves her room for her heart to calm. She’s never been bothered by Lance so close before and she isn’t really sure what has changed. Is it because he stays at the house practically every night rather than returning to his actual roommate Hunk?

Lance is working for her...and she has plenty of room. Why should he not be able to just move in with her? With the latest patent she can probably afford to hire Hunk too. In this economy steady jobs are difficult to find and she picks his brain anyway. Why not go into business with him and enjoy his cooking.

And wake up to Lance’s smiling face every day.