#of five

The conversation becomes less fraught, lots of shop talk, which for a kink club is actually pretty boring. Steve does eventually apologize for their swift departure the night before, if only because he missed the show downstairs. And as much as he's willing to get into Eddie's pants, he really did have a great time with Diana, and doesn't want her to think he's forgotten about it.

“You can make it up to me another day, baby.” She reaches across the bar and pinches his cheek.

“Oh my god, stop,” he whines, rubbing his face. She wasn't being soft about it. He chubs up a bit.

“Actually,” she drawls, contemplative and possibly scheming, “I wanted to run an idea past you.”

“Yeah? What's up?” He tries to look cool, and not like he's praying she doesn't embarrass him in front of everyone.

She leans over the bar, into his space. She's ditched the corset for a comfortable T-shirt but her tits are still huge and are pushed up to her collarbones with the maneuver.

“You know how we said it was going to take awhile before we worked up to…that thing you really want?”

He nearly takes his own chin in his hand so he doesn't turn to see if everyone is listening to this. Of course they are, they're all sitting three feet away.

“Yep.”

“I was thinking, Eddie's better than me at that sort of thing.”

Time stops. He doesn't misunderstand her, he knows what she's suggesting, but the way Eddie goes stiff in his seat…

“Di.” His voice is reprimanding. Angry.

Steve's stomach plummets.

“Oh please, you know it's true. And we both know it's not really about sex with him, he just needs the set and release, so what's the problem? Are we not all adults here?”

Eddie doesn't want to. That much is clear. Despite what he'd said that first night. He's angry at her for even suggesting it, silently communicating that she drop it. Steve has to clear his throat before speaking.

“It's okay,” he says softly. “He doesn't have to do anything if he doesn't want to. I'm not worried about…I mean, I'm fine with what we were doing.”

Eddie turns to look at him in confusion.

“What?” Steve asks, not sure why he's being picked apart about this.

“If I don't want to?”

Steve goes to use his food as a reason to stop looking Eddie in the eye and finds he's somehow already eaten it all. Even the soggy pancake bits. Fuck.

“Yeah, man, it's cool. Don't even worry about it.”

“I am worried about it.” He turns in his seat and, fucking Christ, reaches out and physically turns Steve in his. Steve looks up in shock as their knees bump into each other. “Stop acting like I'm the one who hates the idea.”

Oh. Okay.

What?

“You're the one who said you had a preference for women. Remember?”

This is it. This is the moment that will make or break his chance with Eddie. He needs to think fast. Flirt or play it cool? With everyone watching he can't suddenly show his hand. This is so embarrassing. Fuck. Thinking fast has never been his strong suit.

“That was back when it was all sexual, though. Right? Like she said, that part hardly matters anymore. It's all about,” he looks over at Diana, trying to remember what she'd said that first night, “confronting trauma in a safe place?”

“Exactly.” She pats his arm and then turns to Eddie. “See? You're the only one here who sees an issue.”

Eddie shakes his head like he's trying to wake up. “Me? I don't- There's no problem. I just thought… Okay.”

The emotional rollercoaster Steve's been on has gone completely off the fucking rails, he's in freefall.

“Okay?”

He looks Steve over, like Steve's the one who might be fucking with him. “Yeah. I'm free the rest of the day. I assume you are too? Not a school day.”

Today?!

“No but, uh, tomorrow. Tomorrow is a school day.”

“So we do it now and not later tonight.”

Now?!

“Holy shit,” Megan says, which reminds him, horrifyingly, that other people are still here, “are you a school teacher?”

He somehow manages to rip his eyes away from Eddie long enough to answer her. “Guidance counselor.”

She coos over this, and immediately wants to know if all the kids have a crush on him. He almost says, no, of course not, but he realizes on the spot that it's not true and Matt Owens had a very obvious crush on him two years ago. Embarrassing.

“I mean, maybe. But nothing too bad.” He knows his face is still red, so he probably looks like he's trying to hide some kind of nefarious deed.

Eddie startles him when he places his hand down on Steve's arm again, leaning in to mutter, “Wait here, I'm gonna grab some stuff. Gimme ten?”

Sweat is gathering on Steve's lower back.

“Yup. No problem.”

“Cool. Meet me in Room Six.”

“Will do.”

Eddie leaps off the bar stool and half jogs downstairs. Everyone is suspiciously quiet. He looks back to find them all staring, various looks of excitement across their faces.

“What?”

Diana snorts. “Ignore them. They don't get out much. You want a shot of something?”

1.

James Griffin admitted he was an asshole back in the day. 

But here’s the thing: He changed. He fucking changed, made some friends and is really matured (even though he says so himself).

Still, people don’t change in a flick of a wrist. You have to put some serious effort in it. It goes slowly, but steadily. 

Point is, sometimes mistakes slipped out.

Like today, for example. 

It was a generally normal day on the ATLAS (or, how normal it can get living on a ship full with deranged young-adults who somehow saved the universe with sheer dumb luck, five space kitties, two aliens who are supposed to be extinct, space mice who are absolutely useless and a cow) and James had promised Nadia to train together. 

So there James Griffin was, walking through the halls, on his way to the training deck. He passed a classroom (yes, they have a classroom on the ATLAS for the younger cadets, because apparantly even in space education matters) and heard - moaning?

Look, James Griffin was a smart young lad, but he lacks a bit on the common sense part. 

So the first thing he does is opening the door to check if everything was - holy fucking smokes.

What the fuck.

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

WHAT IN THE-

There was Captain Takashi Shirogane, pushed to a wall by Officer Adam Wakefield, sloppily making out.

HOLY SHIT.

James is freaking the fuck out. 

James stood there, standing in the doorway, stupidly opening and closing his mouth like a fucking goldfish, red-faced and why is it suddenly so hot in here?

Finally, he made a sound with his throat that sounded like a dying Howzer crying for her child (he had no idea what a Howzer was, he stole the phrase from McClain).

The two men - !! - looked up and intantly flushed at seeing James staring at them like he had never seen two guys sucking face (okay, so what of it is?).

The three stared at each other for a moment.

Officer Wakefield cleared his throat. “C-cadet, shouldn’t you be... not here?” The last part sounded like a question and James wanted to dissapear and die in a hole, right then and there. 

“I-” Was te only thing that could come out of his mouth.

Everything was a mess in James’ head. Captain Shirogane, famed pilot of the Kerberos mission, Champion of the Galra Arena, former Black Paladin and leader of Voltron, now Captain of the ATLAS, is in a relationshp with Adam Wakefield?

His lame and sarcastic pre-calculus teacher who cracked even lamer and sarcasticer jokes?

What has the world - nay, universe - become?

He had so many questions so the thing he asked was- 

“Are you guys gay?”

Right. That. Congratulations, James. You have made yourself appear as a homophobe in front of your hero and Captain, who already hated you because you used to bully his sort of adoptive brother out of jealousy. 

It wasn’t that he was a homophobe.

He was just not... used to it, all.

James admit, he lived a white, cis and straight prive-leged life. He was okay with the lgbtq+ community, even supported it!

But living as a straight, cis, white man made you pretty sheltered from the rest of the world and meeting gays was pretty rare.

He was even sure he only saw them on the news somedays.

So, in conclusion, he wasn’t a homophobe, just a tad surprised that his boss is in fact gay and fucking his math teacher.

Officer Wakefield just gave him the most judging stare a man could give. “I’m not sure if two guys making out like a pair of horny teenagers would be defined as ‘gay’, but sure jan.” He said in a deadpan voice.

And James can’t help it. He burst out of laughter.

Captain Shirogane relaxed a bit and chuckeled (!!!!!!!) with him.

“Yes, Griffin. We are gay and in a relationship. Sorry to give you such a... shock.” He awkwardly scratched his head. 

James nodded even more awkwardly. “Yeah... Sorry for the whole thing, by the way. Finding out your Captain is shagging your teacher is quite something to fnd out.” He immediately cringed when that came out. God, what is wrong with him today?

“It’s okay.” Captain Shirogane assured him with a kind smile.

God, he was so cool. 

He gestures to the doorway. “I think it’s better for me to leave so I can leave you guys to - yeah.” His face burned. They were staring at him again.

“Bye.” He squealed and turned around, not looking behind him and fast-walking out of the room.

Well, that was an experience. He sure can’t look those two in the eyes anymore. Guess he has to avoid him for a week - or twenty. 

“Yo, brainfart! Where the hell have you been? I’ve waited for hourse! Hours, brainfart!” 

Nadia came running towards him. And she is using that stupid nickname again.

“I may or may not have walked into Captain Shirogane and Officer Wakefield making out.” He said still red-faced. Hell, he still can’t wrap his head around it. 

Nadia’s eyes should have popped out, with the way how they were bulging. It was unnatural.

“What?! What?! For real?! OH MY GOD, YOU HAVE TO TELL ME EVERYTHING-” Nadia was squealing. She latched herself on his arm, babbling incohorently, dragging him to a private room.

Heh, yeah sorry ‘bout that. For having such a cute style, I sometimes get some pretty dark ideas for drawings. Especially when it comes to my fav characters. Sorry for making you (and probably some others) feel bad! To make up for it, here’s a happy fixed Baby!: