#Pidge Ship Week 2017

[lgbtqcartoons]

Voltron

Voltron: Legendary Defender is a Netflix original spinoff of the original 1984 Voltron series. Voltron: Legendary Defender’s massive fanbase is what drew me into the show. It really had nothing to do with the plot, but rather the likability of the characters. There were always fun dynamics between them despite being in nerve-wracking situations. One thing that really hooked me was that one of the main characters, Pidge, was changed from a boy in the original 1984 series to be a girl. I instantly connected with her character, as I felt seen watching a girl the same age as me be able to do equally cool and badass things that her male colleagues were doing. Analyzing scripted sexualities in media has helped me see that this was a big breakthrough for this long running series, to be able to change a character so deeply embedded in the storyline to be almost the same, but as a girl. Despite the heavy critics from viewers on gender portrayals for the past few decades, binary and strict gender norms are still prominently shown in media today (Scripted Sexualities, Week 4).  

While watching Voltron: Legendary Defender, however, I had noticed that there was a lot of queerbaiting. Any fan of the show will understand what I mean when I mention “Klance” (a.k.a Keith and Lance). Essentially, two of the main male characters that had a love-hate type of bond that the fans enjoyed shipping together, and the show writers used that to their advantage to gain and maintain viewers. This would be considered queerbaiting, which is “the use of potential queer storylines to lure in LGBTQ+ fans... and then never actually have the storyline develop” (Queering Media, Week 5). There was not any sort of clear evidence of romantic interest, but rather random moments of flirty banter between them throughout the show. It began in the first season when Lance denies that Keith had saved him during a battle, and Keith exclaims: “We had a bonding moment! I cradled you in my arms!”. The mixture of that line and the referenced scene itself was satisfying enough for the fandom to begin shipping them intensely. They are the most written about ship from the show on fanfiction websites and was the top ship of 2017 on Tumblr.  

However, as previously mentioned, the show writers played along with the ship for the advantage of a wider audience reach, but never wrote it into the show any further than playful/flirty banter. There was never any verbal confirmation of a relationship or crush between either of them. This problem comes reoccurs when the writers decide to reveal that one of the other main characters, Shiro, is supposed to be gay and was previously engaged to a man. This information was released at San Diego Comic-Con before the premier of the seventh season. While the show then proceeds to show flashbacks of the interactions between Shiro and his fiancé, it was yet again never verbally confirmed in the show. In the seventh season, the fiancé is then killed off, right after his introduction. This is popularly known as “Bury Your Gays”, in which LGBTQ+ characters in books, movies, and TV shows had to struggle, suffer, or be killed off for them to be represented on screen (Queering Media, Week 5). This phenomenon is so overdone that there are articles that actually list the minority of LGBTQ+ TV shows that do have a happy ending (Woods & Hardman, 2022).  

Overall, while the representation is mainly mixed, I feel as though it leans towards a negative representation of LGBTQ+ characters and relationships. I think what was done for Pidge’s character is by far the best for representation, while Shiro and his fiancé, as well as Keith and Lance were more on the questionable side when it comes to proper representation. 

The two videos linked below are two different perspectives on how Shiro’s LGBTQ+ storyline was handled. This is simply included for a more in-depth look, as well as some alternate opinions compared to my own.  

[all27g]

Day 7: Nature

Setting: Mythical AU where Pidge is a rare type of nature nymph and Keith is a dangerous hybrid of dragon, god, and human in a world where the supernatural mingle with the humans.

Pairings: Kidge, one-sided Shidge

Warnings: Wild!Keith, Possessive!Keith, Potty!Mouth!Pidge, Slightly!Clueless!Shiro

“You’re doomed.”

“Don’t be dramatic, it’s not that bad.”

“When’s his birthday?”

“Despite physically being nineteen, Shiro’s actually four and three eighths years old with his birthday being the twenty-ninth of February.”

“.........”

“I’m screwed.”

“Damn right, Pidge.”

Groaning, Pidge shags against a bench inside a park. “I don’t f***ing know why I’m like this with him, Lance.”

Lance nochalantly sips the last of his vanilla milkshake. “Liking someone romanticly has that effect on everyone.” A mischievous shine glints in his eyes. “You turning into a blushing mess is the result for your first love~”

“At least I don’t flirt with every cute person you make eye contact with.” Pidge shots back unhesitatingly.

He scoffs, “I don’t-“

“You left Hunk feeling shy until he got used to you,” She cuts him off, “Romelle didn’t take you seriously for three weeks, James runs every time you even stare near his direction, and when you first met me, you even-“

Flustered, Lance slapped a hand over her mouth. Quickly turning his head in every direction until, satisfied with the little to no people in the park, he leans closer.

“We agreed to never mention that.” He whispered nervously, before yelping as he pulls away his bitten hand.

Pidge’s teeth gleam wickedly as she grins. “What agreement?”

Lance childly cries, “You evil gremlin!” Looking at his hand, he summons a small amount of water to engulf the bite mark and signs in relief as it fades away. “You’re lucky I can heal myself or I would never let you know peace again.”

She snorts. “Even if you didn’t, I would have... Eventually when your whining gets annoying pretty quick.”

“I worked too hard to have this amazing body be ruined by an ugly mark on my gorgeously lotioned skin!”

“Too much beauty products is more likely to ruin that skin of yours.” Pidge hops up and away from the bench, pausing as she slyly glances over her shoulder. “And peace flew out the window the day I met you.”

She disappears into the trees before Lance’s shriek of “Take that back, you punk! I’m a calming and peaceful joy to be around!” follows after her.

Pidge, when one asks, is a simple forest nymph in her words.

Not everyone agrees.

Apparently, when you heal the planet by accident, you are (potentially) the next Mother Nature.

‘But that’s a thought for another day.’ Pidge strolls through the forest as she waves her hand, green leaves turning into the reds, oranges, and yellows of the fall season. ‘It’s time for f**king work.’

She grimaces. “What the f**k did I do to recieve this damning hell I’m in? I’m a technology lover, not a f**king outdoors person.”

Pidge continues her tirade as she continues her task-

THUD! “SHIT!”

And smacks into the ground after tripping over a random object.

Her hands and knees smarts from the slight burn from slapping the ground as she crouches, barely saving her face from kissing the dirt below.

A green glow emits from her bruised areas, fading away after healing them as she whirls around and sits with a scowl. “What f**king tripped m-!?”

She stares at the large tail an inch away from her feet, eyes noting the red scales and black spikes as her gaze goes from the tip to the base; black shorts covers where it connects to a lightly-tanned, lean body with huge, folded wings hiding the upper body.

Correction: Who the f**k tripped her?

‘A dragon humanoid...’

Then she spots the blood as it pools beneath the body, the various wounds leaking trails down as the bloody pond steadily grows.

“F**k!” Without hesitation, Pidge almost lunges as she hovers above the wounded body. Hands flashing once more with the green glow, she barely touches a wound before a force rams her into the dirt.

A groan comes and dies in her throat when narrowed, glowing red orbs stare too close into her gaze as the male growls, sharp fangs flashing amidst the tiny flames and smokes blowing into her face. Pidge tries to hold in her cough as the male sniffs, black locks tickling her skin when he ducks and noses her neck.

Sweat rapidly trails down as the brunette’s imagination begins conjuring the multiple ways she could die by the humanoid above her. ‘Tearing out my f**king throat with those f**king teeth, sharp claws f**king ripping me open, taking my f**king heart out, f**king eating me alive-!’

Before she dissolves into a bigger panic, the male lifts his head to stare back into her eyes, the tension in his face visibly leaving before the red glow leaves his eyes, revealing purple irises surrounded by pale, yellow scleras.

Despite the terror she just experienced, awe overcame Pidge under the curious gaze of the male.

“Beautiful...” The word slips from her lips, instantly embarrassing her as her cheeks flare pink.

He only tilts his head and a soft sound pipes from his throat before he adruptly falls into her, knocked out cold.

A moment achingly passes before a yell rings out, startling a crowd of birds away from the nearby treetops.

“Don’t f**king pass out on me! You’re f**king crushing me!”

[tear22voltronshipping]

Day 3 Pidgeshipweek: Sacrifice

Each day he sat there… watching her. As her last words continued to haunt his very core. 

“It’s too late Pidge… the virus it’s going to spread…”

“No… I won’t let it end this way. I’m going to route myself into the system and stop this.”

Her fingers raced against the control panel as a green light started to surrounded her. 

“Stop! Katie… if you enter the system you won’t know the difference between our world and that reality. You won’t be able to come back you–”

Her hand softly touched his face as her lips gently pressed against his. 

“I love you Lance… I’m sorry…” she whispered softy.

Her eyes closed slowly, as the green light engulfed her and her body fell limp. Tears ran down his face, as he held her in his arms.

“I promise… I’ll find you… I’ll bring you back…”

Okay hope you don’t mind as I write and draw out my angst Plance feels. I had this script sitting in my head for like a month and I was going to use it for another fan project I have in mind, but after seeing all the amazing art on the pidgeshipweek 2017 I felt I needed to give it my all. 

[calligraphist-artemisia]

Day 6: Intimacy

For Pidge Ship Week 2017!

Summary: Lance always had a habit of keeping things bottled up inside until they exploded free.

Pairing: Lance/Pidge

Also on AO3 and fanfiction.net

Day 6: Intimacy

“I'm asexual,” Lance blurted out.

Pidge, who had been in the process of running her hands up under his shirt, immediately paused and lightened her tough. She didn't withdraw completely and instead looked to his face for any sign that he was uncomfortable. “Is this okay?”

Lance visibly swallowed, staring at her with wide eyes. “I- yeah. This... this is okay.”

Pidge removed her hands with a soft sigh and sat up in bed. Next to her, Lance made what sounded almost like a whimper and made a half motion to grab her arm.

“I'm not leaving,” Pidge said, looking alarmed. She twisted to face him, taking his hand in both of hers. “Lance, I wouldn't leave over something like that. You just took me off guard and...” She bit her lower lip. “You weren't comfortable with that and you lied about it. I need you to be honest with me, okay? You're allowed to set boundaries. We're allowed to set boundaries.”

Lance wouldn't meet her eyes.

Pidge changed tactics. She wasn't the best with words anyway and she wasn't going to mess things up more by trying to tiptoe around him, “Lance, I'm not dating you for sex,” she bluntly told him. “I'm dating you because I like you and I want to be with you.”

“...you like me?” Lance asked, peering up at her.

“I like you a lot.”

“Like, a lot, a lot?”

Pidge gave him a stern look, though the corners of her lips began to twitch upward in a smile. “I am trying to have a very serious conversation here, and you're trying to make me laugh? Lance, we have got to talk about this.”

It was Lance's turn to sit up with a sigh, though his was heavy with reluctance. “I know, I know. You're right. This isn't... this isn't easy to talk about, you know? I've never...” He paused and looked away from her again. “I've only ever told one other person. Back on Earth. My first girlfriend. She...”

To Pidge's alarm, tears began to form in Lance's eyes.

“She didn't do anything. She just... she didn't get it,” he explained with a sniffle. “Used to say there was something wrong with me. Said stuff like 'what kind of guy isn't interested in sex?' It went on for weeks. And I tried! I just – I can't. I can't...”

Pidge slowly rubbed her thumb over the knuckles of his hand, not daring to do more than that when he was in such a vulnerable state.

“Pidge, I'm sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” she said, somehow keeping her anger over how he'd been treated in the past from seeping into her voice. “There is nothing wrong with you. Nothing. I love you, Lance, and I'm not leaving just because you have no interest in sex. You could tell me right now that even kissing is off the table and I'd still stay right here.”

Lance rubbed at his eyes with his free hand, a tiny laugh bubbling up in his throat, more hysterical than happy. “You really don't care? I mean, I know you're saying you don't but I also know that you like kissing me, which means now you're the one lying to try and make me feel better.”

“You're right. I do really like kissing you,” Pidge acknowledged. “But that doesn't mean I'm lying.” Slowly, she reached up with her right hand to caress his cheek, keeping an eye on his expression to make sure she wasn't pushing him too far. She gently wiped away his tears. “I'm glad you told me. Look, we don't have to talk this out tonight, but we should do it soon. For now, maybe getting sleep would be best. Unless you want to...?”

Lance shook his head. “Not yet. Tomorrow? Or... no, tomorrow,” he decided, more than a little unsure. “Could you... will you hold me tonight?”

Pidge smiled for the first time since their conversation began. “Of course.”

The pair moved slowly, laying down and pulling their blankets back up around them. Lance lay with his back to Pidge, who happily scooted up against him and wrapped one arm around his waist.

Lance exhaled happily as the lights dimmed around them. He sought out her hand and brought it up to his lips, brushing a featherlight kiss over her knuckles. “I love you, Katie.”

“Love you too, Lance.”

[dragbunart]

Day 3: Sacrifice 

Pidge didn’t have time to think. They were in battle. She hadn't even seen the sentry aiming at her. All she heard was a desperate ‘PIDGE’ from Keith. 

Suddenly his arms were around her in that protective hold he always did to catch her: Both arms cradling her chest. Then she heard a grunt but felt no pain. Keith took the shot for her. She felt his entire body tense up and hold her tighter, even as his legs gave out.

He fell on top of her in an attempt to shield her from any more attacks. Of course Red went ballistic: tearing through Galra after Galra. Green flew over to Pidge sensing her paladin's distress. 

“Keith?” Pidge asked worriedly. Keith groaned in response. It took effort for him to open his eyes. He looked down at her. 

“You know, Lance would probably have a panic attack if he saw me on top of your like this.” Keith weakly joked. He winced at his own joke, man he needed to hang out with a someone OTHER than Shiro. Pain coursed through his being again.

“No! Don’t close your eyes! Keep talking!” Pidge demanded.

“Hey Pidge?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you try to flip onto your back?” Pidge nodded. It took her a second but she managed to comply. 

“Talk to me?” Pidge asked. Keith winced at the pain again.

“I- I like you Pidge.”

“I like you to, we’re friends after all.” Keith winced once more, but not from the pain.

“Not like that.”

“Like wha-” Keith rested his head on Pidge’s shoulder. “Keith?!”

“I need to know you’re ok.”

“I’m more worried about you.” Pidge heard the Galra retreating and the team run over.

“Pidge are you ok?”

“Keith if you don’t hold on, I won’t tell you if I got hurt or not. Just keep talking.” Keith kept talking to Pidge, but as they got him into the pod his word’s became jumbled and slurred.

“Pidge?” Pidge smiled at Keith.

“I’m alright.” 

“No...” He smiled as they put him into the pod. Everyone froze when Keth did, at least the humans did.

“Olive you?” Coran asked confused. 

“Lance you owe me $20.” Hunk said crossing his arms.

“No! Pidge your too young to date!” “I’m 16! And it’s not up to you to decide that!” Pidge screamed.

“Oh! Keith is trying to court Pidge!” Allura thought allowed. 

“I think they would make a cute pair, if that’s what they decided to do,” Shiro said smiling.

Somewhere in space, Matt felt a shiver run down his spine.

“Katie must be experiencing boy troubles.” Matt joked.

[littlemisswolfie]

Day 1: Trust

AO3

Pidge knew her situation could be much, much worse. She was well fed, she had her own la with tons of advanced tech to take apart and put back together, and she was treated like royalty.

Well, that last bit was probably because she actually was royalty.

If someone had told a fourteen year old Pidge she would end up marrying an alien prince to cement the end of a ten thousand year long intergalactic war, she would have been extremely concerned for their mental health. Here she was, though: nineteen years old and queen of a race of purple cat people she’d spent the last four years of her life fighting against.

After the war, the Galrans (those who were either loyal to Lotor or members of the Blade of Marmora, at least) settled on an uninhabited planet, named it after themselves, and began building. Much to Pidge’s distress, Lotor named the capital city Katelyn after her. The magnificent purple and silver castle was the first building to finish construction, and Lotor and Pidge moved in shortly after it was completed.

Being married to Lotor was… not what Pidge expected. Aside from the kiss they shared during their wedding, he hadn’t touched her. She had her own set of rooms in the castle that he didn’t have access to. He let her wear her shorts and too-big t shirts unless there was a formal event to be hosted as long as she wore her silver wedding band. All in all, she had a lot more freedom than she’d expected to have.

X

The only time Pidge was certain to see her husband every day was when she was in her garden. Lotor had the garden built after a visit from the Olkari diplomats shortly after construction officially finished. Idge had been having a hard time settling into life at the castle; she felt restless being away from Green who, for safety, stayed at the Castle of Lions. Tending to the plants in the garden helped her lion feel a little closer, gave her something to focus her nervous energy on when she had no new tech to mess with, and generally brightened her mood.

Lotor seemed to like watching her garden. He always set aside time out of his schedule to sit on one of the stone benches and observe as she went about her work. Sometimes he would ask questions about certain plants and to Pidge’s surprise, he seemed genuinely interested in the answers she provided. In these moments, Pidge could almost forget this was a political marriage, lost in the warm feelings of domesticity lingering around them.

One one such day about two Earth months into their marriage, Pidge asked, “Why me?”

Lotor started, surprised that he was being addressed. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Why did you ask to marry me instead of Allura?” When he still looked confused, she huffed and continued, “Outside of Voltron, I’m a nobody. I don’t hold any special office on my homeworld. Earth governments hardly even cared about my family until my dad and brother were kidnapped. You had nothing to gain by marrying me. So, again, why me?”

He was silent for a moment. Then, he said, “You seem to underestimate you own worth, my dear.”

“What–”

Lotor brought one slender finger up to his lips to silence her. “You asked me a question, so please allow me to answer it. Katelyn, you have many qualities that make you appealing: you’re smart, passionate, opinionated, battle-trained–”

“So is Allura,” Pidge interjected. She was talking more to the medium-sized fruit-bearing tree than to Lotor now, in an attempt to hide her burning face.

Lotor sighed. “Well, the reason I gave my advisors is that Queen Allura is much too busy rebuilding Altea to be able to rule Galra beside me.”

“What’s your real reason, then?” Pidge asked, turning slightly to face him and quirking an eyebrow.

“Because I’m afraid I’m most desperately in love with you.”

Before Pidge had the time t think of a suitable response to the surprising answer, the door to the garden slid open with a hiss. “King Lotor,” Acxa said, as formal as she always way. “The Balmerans have a grievance regarding our proposed trade agreement.”

“Which Balmera?” Lotor asked.

“Balmera X-95-Vox.”

“I know their people,” Pidge said before she could stop herself. At Lotor’s questioning look, she continued, “When I first became a Paladin, one of the first missions we went on was liberating them.” She turned to Axca. “Did they come to present their grievance in person?”

“Yes. Two individuals named SHay and Rax are here representing their race.”

Pidge started vibrating with nervous energy. Lotor apparently picked up on this and said, “If you like, you may clean up and come to the meeting. I believe negotiations could go well if someone personally acquainted with both parties is present.”

She lifted herself out of her crouch and started brushing the soil of her pants. She moved slowly on purpose; even if Lotor seemed to acknowledge and respect her intelligence, Pidge knew his generals didn’t necessarily share his thoughts. She heard Acxa whisper, “King Lotor, are you sure this is wise? Her feelings may inhibit negotiations.”

“Katelyn is the queen of our people,” Lotor replied. “Her power is second only to mine. I always intended for her to rule alongside me; I would have given her a consort title otherwise.”

Pidge fled, face burning from Lotor’s compliments, and went to her rooms to clean herself up and change.

X

She didn’t bother getting too dressed up. Lotor would have said something if she was expected to. Instead, she slipped into a purple dress made out of a material similar to lace and washed the sweat and dirt off her face, hands, and legs.

Once decent, Pidge made her way to the meeting room. It had a proper name, Pidge was sure, but she was still learning how to speak and read Galran without a translator, so she hadn’t bothered learning the exact English translation of the obscure word. Plus, her ignorance tended to annoy Lotor’s generals, and, as a little sister, she took any and all chances to annoy people.

Lotor, Shay, Rax, and all four generals were waiting when Pidge got to the meeting room, though no discussions had begun. They all turned to face her when they heard the door slide open, and Shay grinned and leapt out of her seat to greet her. “Green One!”

Pidge allowed Shay to hug her. “It’s great to see you,” she said when she was released from the rocky embrace. “How’s the Balmera doing?”

“Healthy, and getting better all the time. Grandma says it should be back to full health in a few more deca-phoebs.”

“With no over-harvesting,” Rax cut in, looking as grumpy as Pidge remembered. “Green one, these Galrans do not understand what we require to accept trade. If we open trade with the deal they offer, the Balmera will fall ill again.”

Zethrid growled. “Don’t talk about us like we’re not here, Balmeran. You’re in our castle, on our planet. We can kick you out whenever we want!”

“Calm yourself, General Zethrid.” Lotor’s command silenced the general, and Shay and Pidge both took their seats around the table. “Now, please present your grievance. I thought our offer was very generous.”

“What did we offer them?” Pidge asked.

“Twenty thousand GAC worth of any commodity of their choosing for each crystal.”

“Well, there’s your issue. What do you know about Balmeras?”

Though Pidge’s question was directed at Lotor, it was Ezor who answered. “They’re planets that grow crystals, right?”

“No!” Shay cried. “Balmeras are living creatures! They can feel pain and get sick! They need Quintessence to produce crystals.”

Lotor and his generals looked genuinely puzzled by this information. Pidge wasn’t overly surprised; she doubted Haggar and Zarkon cared enough to teach the Galran youth about such matters. “The Balmerans produce a very low amount of Quintessence, so they can’t replenish the Balmera on their own. When they traded with the Alteans, they asked for an amount of quintessence equal to the size of the crystala they harvested to ensure the health of the Balmera.”

“Until five deca-phoebs ago,” Rax cut in, “our Balmera was a mining colony for the empire. Queen Allura risked her life to replenish a great deal of energy needed to save the Balmera in an ancient ceremony. According to the Yellow One, she was weak for several quintants after.”

“I don’t feel comfortable gambling my people’s lives away for crystals,” Lotor said. “This sounds very dangerous.”

“Allura was only that weak because she had to give so much energy by herself,” Pidge pointed out “If we sent several Galrans for each crystal harvest and only harvested one at a time, it would be completely safe.”

“How are you so sure of this?” Axca asked.

“Hairy Lip has videos of Altean ceremonies,” Shay said. “If the Green One asked, he could send them to you to prove their safety.”

Lotor turned to Pidge “Can you ask for the video?”

“Yes.”

“Then go do that, please The sooner we get it, the faster we can complete the trade deal.”

One quick call to Coran later, Lotor and his generals deemed the ceremony safe. Lotor, Shay, and RAx signed the deal in the common language and the Balmerans left shortly after with promises to call and visit with Pidge more often.

X

Lotor managed to get away from his advisors long enough to eat dinner with Pidge that night, a rare occurrence in its own right. Rebuilding a country wasn’t easy after all, and Lotor was working very hard to secure his race’s future and make reparations for the damage his parents caused the rest of the universe.

With no gardening and no negotiating to focus on, Pidge’s traitorous mind brought Lotor’s words from earlier back to mind. I’m afraid I’m most desperately in love with you. How was she supposed to react to that? She was fourteen when she got swept up in a war, and learning to pilot one-fifth of the universe’s only hope and liberating alien races didn’t leave much time to explore romance and sexuality. Sure, she’d had a crush on Shiro when she was ten, and she used to think Lance was cute, but she’d never even kissed anyone before her wedding. She had no idea how to navigate any sort of non-platonic relationship.

Before she had to say something, Lotor spoke up. “Thank you for your help with the negotiation. It would have taken much longer without your input.”

Pidge ducked her head and stared at her food to hide her blush. “I don’t really think I did all that much.”

“Nonsense,” Lotor said. “You pointed out a flaw in our side of the trade agreement and proved out people had a safe way to provide the Balmera with what it needs. I think that counts as something.”

“I’m happy I could help,” she said weakly.

“I’m glad you got to help.” She glanced up and found him staring very intently at her. “I would be very happy to have you joining more discussions like that in the future, Katelyn. You’re the queen, after all. I trust and value your input on such matters.”

A throat cleared somewhere to Pidge’s right, dissolving the intimate mood. One of Lotor’s advisors stood in the doorway of the dining hall, tapping his left foot impatiently. Lotor sighed, flashing Pidge a wry smile. “Duty calls. Sleep well, Katelyn.”

Then he was gone, off to attend to his kingly duties.

And Pidge didn’t end up asking him about his confession.

Fuck.

[galacticlee]

Prompt: Selfishness

Ship: Shiro/Pidge

Words: 1,914

Summary: She was selfish, it’s what got her places. She just didn’t realize it until then. -—— So holy quiznak I forgot to post this last night cause I finished it so late, but it’s posted on the proper date on AO3.

[dreamworksworddump]

Natural state

@pidgeshipweek

“I’ve never liked playing outside.” Pidge says, sulking. She leans further into the shuttle’s seat cushion, and crosses her arms. Her boots feet heavy on her feet, like weights, and already, she can imagine the blisters she’ll get from this little excursion. “I dunno why you think I’ll like it now.”

Keith stops adjusting the straps on her backpack, and looks over at her, an amused grin pulling at the corners of his lips. “That’s a little bit ironic, don’t you think? You’re the green Paladin after all. This is your element.”

The shuttle starts to lower, and Coran calls over the intercom, “We’re landing now. I’ll be back to pick you up in three vargas. Have fun, Paladins!”

“I promise you’ll like it.” He says, as they start to walk.

She squints her eyes at Keith. Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean that she actually wants to spend time walking around a stupid forest-covered planet. Unfortunately, it’s Keith’s turn to pick their excursion, and since he’d suffered through that trip to the museum of mechanical history, she owed it to him to at least try and suffer through a couple of hours of hiking.

The first hour or so is just as horrid as she’d expected it to be. Some kind of biting insect keeps buzzing around her, looking for bare skin to snack on. She stumbles over the impossibly large roots that they have to climb over. More than a few tree limbs smack her in the face as she tries to follow behind Keith’s confident steps. She’s getting real tired of it by this point, and she almost wants to suggest going home, but then Keith stops, and gives her that stupid shy smile of his, and all of complaints melt away.

“Look, I know the hike here wasn’t all too fun, but we made it, and I promise you’ll like it, alright?” He says as he parts a curtain of purple, hanging vines. “Go on.” He urges, and Pidge can’t help but to smile at his excitement. It’s rare to see him get so happy, even more rare that he doesn’t try to hide it. It had taken her months to finally get him to open up his walls, and even now, he still has trouble showing his feelings (or at least, his nonviolent ones).

She stumbles over another stupid root, but Keith steadies her, and she finally looks up.

“Ta-da!” Keith says, carefully slipping her pack off of her shoulders. “So was it worth the wait?”

Pidge blinks. She’s never seen something like this back on Earth. Almost all of the forests are artificial and protected, and the few that are open to the public have got nothing like this. The tall trees that line the forest’s perimeter sway gently in the breeze, dropping their colorful blossoms into the the lavender, swaying grass. A few wildflower poke up from the grass, but none of them are the same color, let alone species. There’s been no intelligent figure here to carefully grow and prune the scene. Nature has made this all on it’s own.

“It’s beautiful.” She says, honestly. “How did you find out about this place?”

Keith starts walking towards the center of the field, her pack slung across his shoulder. “One of the guys I rescued on our last mission here told me about. He said that I might like it, or that you might.”

She slowly follows after him, unable to look away from the scene. It’s beautiful.

“And uh, I figured we could have lunch here, and then maybe go swimming.” Keith says, dropping the bags with a small ‘thump’.

Pidge looks back at him, confused. Where could they possibly go swimming, here of all places?

He points his thumb behind him, before tugging his shirt off. “The spring. It’s private enough, and I brought towels and,” He awkwardly tries to pull off his pants. “You said you always wanted to try skinny dipping.”

Pidge is floored. She can barely remember that conversation, so long ago. It had been a night of drunkenness, when they’d found Alfor’s stash of Juniberry wine and had somehow ended up alone, playing a game of truth or dare. She’d admitted that it was something she had always wanted to try, and yet, had never had the chance to. Hell, she can’t even remember who had started the game, and yet, Keith had remembered that specific detail about her.

She doesn’t think that she can love him any more than she does in that moment.

Pidge grins, and tugs off her tank-top, and bra, leaving them where they lay. She kicks off her shoes, and pulls off her shorts, and then hugs him, and pulls him down for a kiss. “I love you, babe. Did I ever tell you that?”

Keith’s ears redden. “I-I, uh, no, not really, um.”

“Let’s go swimming.” She says with a smile, tugging towards the crystal clear water like a kite on a string.

[blonde-batgirl]

Day One: Trust

There’s been a lot written on how Lance supported Keith in season three, but relatively little on Pidge. It’s a lot more subtle, but it’s definitely there.

Throughout episodes two and three, Pidge is the one pushing Keith to come up with a plan and lead proactively. In The Red Paladin (Season Three, Episode Two), she tells him, “We need a plan!” Keith is, of course, more concerned with trying to get to grips with the Black Lion which doesn’t fly like Red at all. Still, in The Hunted (Season Three, Episode Three), she asks him again, “Keith, what should we do?” Pidge is the one who identified Keith as “the loner”, but she clearly trusts him to do right by the team. Unfortunately, Keith doesn’t come up with an answer. He just tells everyone to keep out of his way. Of course, what he takes away from The Hunted is that he can’t be reckless and impulsive when he’s responsible for the whole team.

There’s an obvious contrast between The Hunted and Hole in the Sky (Season Three, Episode Four). In the former, Keith rushes in and, whilst everyone protests, it impacts Pidge’s role in the group the most. She can’t do her tech magic because he rushed in, and she repeatedly warned him that this would be the case – “We may not want to follow him,” “Keith, without accurate sensors or working equipment, we're not gonna be able to tell what's up or down, where we are, or how to get out. I say we fall back.” Hunk is sitting there because he’s cautious. He doesn’t want to fly around in the dark.  He doesn’t want to take the risk. Pidge is sitting there because there’s nothing she can do short of flying around aimlessly in the gloom. In the latter, they come across a mysterious hole in space. This time, Pidge does not ask Keith what they’re going to do. Instead, she suggests a course of action herself – “We could send a probe over to it.” For his part, Keith doesn’t even question it. He just says, “Do it.” Pidge making this suggestion marks a shift in their dynamic. From that point on, we see Keith relying on Pidge a lot more. It’s not that he hasn’t relied on her in the past – the two of them came up with a plan to take on Ulaz back in Shiro’s Escape (Season Two, Episode Three) without even speaking – but throughout the episode he defers directly to her on a number of occasions. “Pidge, any chance you can explain what I’m seeing right now?” “Pidge, keep an eye on Voltron’s vitals.” “Pidge, which way to the lions?” What’s interesting here is that Keith has arguably had more interactions with all four of the other paladins, but it’s Pidge he turns to. Hunk or Coran may have been able to answer his first question. As for the last, presumably all the paladins have some idea of where they left the lions. In The Hunted, one of the things that Keith says when he realises that he is the reason why they are separated sitting ducks is, “Everyone warned me, but I didn’t listen.” Pidge’s warnings were specifically related to the environment and how their systems would hold up. If you glance back up, you’ll see that Keith defers to Pidge on these specific topics. He recognises that Pidge is their resident tech expert and aware of her environment (which makes sense, given that she relies on stealth in battle), and actively engages with her when he needs information on those topics. For Pidge’s part, she does her best to answer, even when she isn’t entirely sure (“The energy source doesn't originate from anything that registers with my understanding of how reality works.” – Hole in the Sky).

She is “the brains,” (The Red Paladin), after all.

[strugglingtoast]

Day 7: Nature

IM SO LATE WITH THIS

This made me so frustrated. But I hope you enjoy it regardless.

Thank you all for the support. I truly did enjoy every ones participation. I hope to join more ship weeks and may my art hopefully improve @olkarianprincess  this is for you babe o3o thanks for the inspiration @hessonite-angel I remembered you did something like this. I hope I can add to your collection

[scenekidstreber]

after voltron, they all got married. Now they mostly stay in space bc the earth is a shitty place that doesn’t recognize their marriage. 

pidge ship week, day 5: time

polydins, bc theres never enough polydins.

[all27g]

Bonus Day: Free Day

Settings: Kidge Soulmate AU (where you find your soulmate by the first touch) that takes place in the beginning of S1E1 with the usual Keith who's shy around Pidge and a cautious Pidge reluctant in (meeting her soulmate &) starting a soulmate relationship at all.

Pairings: (Eventual and mutual) Kidge, Hunay (Thank you, landing-amongst-the-planets!), Shatt, Allurance

Warnings: Just introducing the main couple with their situation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katie didn’t want to consider the concept of soulmates.

Not to say she hated the idea of soulmates...

Well, the ones we find by a touch of skin instead of by communication. 

‘Why is intelligence always pushed aside for hormonal touches?’

At least, for herself, she wants to trust the person they are then what they are supposed to represent...

If she ever meets them.

For now, Katie’s grateful that out of those touches, someone like Shiro is Matt’s soulmate; despite the sappy, disgusting aura that surrounds them every time they catch sight of each other, they were truly one of the lucky ones out of every other soulmate relationship. 

While Matt tells her she will be the same when she meets her soulmate, she doubts it’ll be as sappy as his. Even if he hopes for her to meet them before she reaches adulthood, she doesn’t. She needs to focus on achieving the best she can get and stability in the worst case scenario of meeting her soulmate.

(Even if a tiny part wants what Matt has with Shiro...)

•••

Pidge didn’t need a soulmate.

Pidge cannot afford to have one when she needs to focus on locating Matt, Dad, and Shiro. The report she found at Iverson's computer proves her hunches were right; Shiro is one of the best pilots that came from the Galaxy Garrison, and no way would he crash the shuttle, especially one holding his beloved soulmate.

Pidge is a Gunderson and not Katie Holt, who’s been denied entry into the Garrison. They aren’t even the same gender, much less have the same history if one compares the two.

Pidge will do whatever is needed to reach her goal, no matter what she has to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Keith always wanted to meet his soulmate... After a very direct explanation on what a soulmate was supposed to be.

“Keith,” Akira Kogane began, a seven-year-old Keith sitting at his side, as the father-son pair stared into the twinkling sky above the desert. “A soulmate is someone who’s your missing half of living.”

“I have everything I need to live, don’t I?” Keith questioned his dad, uneasy at the thought he’s missing anything he needed.

Akira chuckled. “You do.” He assured his son. “A soulmate, however, is someone who becomes a reason to live. They are the ones who bring out, understand, and experience the best and worst you can be.”

Soft, but longing eyes gazed at an unseen sight in the sky. “They are the equal you’ve always been waiting for.”

“Is that a good thing? Having a soulmate?” Keith asked.

“It’s...” Akira trailed off, eyes becoming shadowed. “Different for everyone. Sometimes, they meet in the wrong situation. Sometimes, someone walks away without a look backwards.”

His face lightened as he smiled warming at his young son. “But meeting your soulmate is one thing you will never regret, no matter what happens.”

Keith, unusually shy, barely looked at his father. “What if...” He glanced at his hands, tightly fisted in his lap. “...they don’t want me?”

“Well,” Akira rubbed Keith’s hair. “A Kogane doesn’t give up so easily, do they?”

Surprise filled Keith’s face before a determined grin took over. “No, we don’t!”

“Good.” The happy father grinned back. “That’s how I won over your mother, you know.”

And if his soulmate didn’t want to give him a chance...

Well, like his dad said, a Kogane didn’t give up easily.

[tear22voltronshipping]

Day 1 Pidgeshipweek: Trust

One step closer…. I have died everyday waiting for you Darling, don’t be afraid  I have loved you for a thousand years I’ll love you for a thousand more… 

[potentiala]

“I shouldn’t be so enamored with you, I know.” She tried to struggle out of his grip, to bite his hand, but his other hand was wrapped around her shoulder threateningly.

Claws sinking into the skin.

“Let go of me!” Pidge tried her best to spit in his face. To get him away from her. His claws grazed her mouth, as if he was trying to map their shape out. But he remained close.

Too close.

“But is it wrong that I want to keep you here, with me, forever?” He was warm, his hands and body so near her own, was almost gentle as he handled her. His eyes soft with…something.

Soft with a sort of madness.

[calligraphist-artemisia]

Day 1: Trust

For Pidge Ship Week 2017!

Summary: After spending weeks as a prisoner on a Galra ship, Pidge finds herself being rescued by the most unlikely of people. Pairing: Keith/Pidge (also featuring mentioned Hunk/Lance

Also on: AO3 and fanfiction.net

Day One: Trust

Pidge still wasn't sure how things had gone so awry on her mission. She and her team had planned everything out, down to the last detail. And even if things did start to go sideways, she could think fast enough to make it through.

Or so she thought.

The door slid open with a noisy hiss and Pidge scrambled to press her back against the wall. Her face morphed into an angry scowl as she defiantly met the eyes of one of her jailers. Nothing good ever came of one of Zarkon's officers paying her a visit, but she refused to back down.

She was so caught up in her act of stubborn rebellion, that it took her a moment to realize there was something different about the Galra soldier in front of her.

He was smaller than the others. Most of the Galra she'd met towered over her, making her feel like an insignificant child. He was still taller than her, but only in the same way that everyone was taller than her. And his eyes... she had started to grow used to the solid yellow-orange that all of the others sported, but his were different. He had violet irises set against the yellow. And they were focused on her face. Or, more specifically, on the light purple markings decorating her cheeks.

“So you're the Altean,” he remarked.

Pidge bristled and resorted to her usual defense: sarcasm. “No, clearly I'm Arusia. Maybe you should get your vision checked.”

The Galra didn't react to her statement. He just stood there, studying her.

“What do you want?” Pidge snapped. Her limited patience had already worn thin.

“I need you to trust me.”

Whatever Pidge had been expecting, it wasn't that. She gaped at him. “Excuse me?”

He glanced over his shoulder, one furry ear twitching as he listened out for something down the hall. Then he looked back at her and repeated his words a little more slowly. “I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”

What the quiznak was happening? Was he serious? He was Galra – the enemy – and he was asking her to trust him? It had to be a trap. Obviously it was a trap.

Still, there was some part of her whispering that he could be trusted. It went against everything her mind told her. It was entirely illogical.

“I can do that,” Pidge told him.

He raised an eyebrow in clear disbelief. “I know you're lying, but I appreciate the attempt. Follow me,” he said as he turned and walked out of her cell.

Pidge followed him, fully prepared for an ambush waiting on the other side. When she stepped through to find it was still just the two of them, she released a breath of air she didn't know she'd been holding.

The Galra chuckled in dry amusement.

Her face burned with embarrassment as she continued following him. She had to be smarter than that. If his plan was to betray her, he'd wait until her guard was down – or, until he thought her guard was down. Pidge just had to stay alert and ready to react to whatever he might throw her way.

They walked for what felt like hours, through halls that all looked exactly the same to her. A few times, he had her duck out of sight of passing sentries. Pidge didn't think much of it until the fourth time he hid alongside her and was forced to press close so they would both be hidden in the shallow alcove.

“Damn. Didn't think there would be so many,” he muttered to himself.

The whisper of doubt about him having bad intentions returned, a little stronger than before. Her friends would have referred to it as “gut instinct” and she knew it was something they relied on more frequently than she liked. Pidge preferred listening to the more logical, (and reasonably) paranoid part of her mind, which refused to trust any strangers, but especially an unfamiliar Galra soldier.

His hand found hers as he tugged her back into the hall and set off at a near sprint around the corner, where they soon had to take cover once more.

He cursed again, that time in the language that never failed to strike a chord of fear in her heart. Pidge reflexively flinched away from him, ripping her hand from his grasp.

The Galra looked down at her, at first to see what she was doing, but then a look of unmistakable concern appeared on his face. “Are you okay?” he quietly asked.

Pidge shakily nodded, not trusting herself to keep her volume in check.

He eyed her for a moment longer and then leaned forward to get a quick look at the hall. He pulled back with a frustrated sigh. With a fluid motion, he unsheathed the dagger strapped to his belt. “There are more sentries than I expected. I didn't want to fight our way out of here, but I may have to. Just stick close and I'll keep you safe, okay?”

In any other circumstance, Pidge would have been furious by the insinuation that she couldn't protect herself, but in that moment, she found herself rendered speechless at the sight of the blade in his hands.

The glowing violet of the insignia on the hilt gave away his true affiliation.

Pidge reached out and grabbed his arm, her eyes wide. “You're with the Blade?”

His brow furrowed in confusion. “Uh, yeah? Wait, you didn't know? And you still trusted me? How st-”

A sudden shot against the archway of their hiding spot had the Galra cutting himself off mid-sentence to instead growl darkly in frustration. “Stay here!” he ordered, yanking his arm from her grip and charging into the hall.

Pidge stamped down the impulse to follow him anyway. She'd only be a liability in the middle of a fight, especially without any kind of weapon to use. What she wouldn't give to have her bayard with her.

She closed her eyes and focused, wondering if she could somehow summon it to her hand, despite the massive distance between them. All she felt was the heartbreaking ache of separation between herself and her team.

“Hey.”

Pidge shrieked as the Galra suddenly appeared in front of her again. He glared at her for the high-pitched sound, his ears flicking back in agitation, and she quickly apologized.

“We have to go. More guards will be on their way soon,” he informed her. “Follow me.”

Pidge found herself struggling to keep up with him as he quickly led the way toward what she really hoped was the ship's hangar. By the way he kept shooting looked at her over his shoulder, he was equally as annoyed by her inability to keep up.

Around them, alarms began to screech.

The doors noisily slid open behind them and Pidge wished desperately that she had any kind of weapon in her hand. She didn't need to hear her rescuer's demand for her to run, she was already moving, her survival instinct kicking into high gear. She sped past him, but didn't have time to notice the surprised expression on his face even as he matched her speed.

Shots rang out, clipping at their heels and the wall around them.

“Hangar's the to the left!” he shouted as they neared the end of the hall.

There was no time to slow down.

Pidge slid as she tried to round the corner as quickly as possible, nearly smashing her right shoulder into the wall in the process. Her right hand tingled as they neared the hangar doors.

The closed hangar doors.

Which could only be opened by a Galra.

Quiznak.

Her companion realized the problem at the same time she did. They didn't have time to get the door open before the guards and sentries reached them. He couldn't go try and hold them off either, because Pidge couldn't access the doors on her own. And without a weapon, she couldn't try and hold them back for him either.

Unless...

Pidge looked down at her empty hand and concentrated. She knew the feeling of calling her bayard, if she could only reach it...

A pulse of green light and the weight of her small weapon in her hand had Pidge grinning triumphantly. She met the Galra's surprised violet eyes and issued her first command to him. “Get that door open! I'll handle them!”

Then she was sprinting forward to take out the first wave of sentries as they marched around the corner. Before they could begin to take aim, she lifted her bayard and shot it at the legs of one in the back so she could yank it forward and knock down all of the sentries in front of it. With some glee, she unleashed an electrical shock through the cable, rendering the robots immobile.

Without wasting time, she recalled her weapon and prepared for the next group, which was as easily taken out as the first.

“Altean!”

Pidge looked back to find he'd gotten the door open. She retracted her bayard and turned to run just as a pair of guards began to climb over the unmoving forms of the robotic sentries. One of them fell with a shout of alarm.

She darted past her Galra rescuer and took refuge in the hangar. He followed seconds later and effortlessly closed the door in the guards faces before smashing a fist into the console, effectively locking the door. The only way anyone was getting in, was through force.

“What the hell was that?” he demanded, rounding on her the moment it was clear they were face. “You could have gotten yourself killed!”

“Hey, I got us in here without getting shot at! The least you could do is thank me!” Pidge snapped right back.

“I'm supposed to be rescuing you, not putting you in more danger!” He responded hotly. “Where did you get that thing anyway? It doesn't look like Galra tech.”

“It's not. It's Altean,” she replied shortly. She crossed her arms over her chest, but kept a firm grasp of her bayard, not quite willing to let it go. She wasn't sure if it was just a fluke that she'd been able to call it the first time and she wasn't willing to risk not being able to do it a second.

Panicked shouting erupted on the other side of the door. The broken console sparked ominously and the door itself groaned, as if in protest of something.

Both of them turned to it in alarm.

That was all the warning they got before a blast shook the hangar.

Pidge screamed as she felt her feet lift off of the floor and she began flying backwards through the air. She flailed, trying to right herself enough to see what was happening, and caught sight of her unnamed companion as he went soaring in the air next to her.

The blast hadn't come from the door, which remained firmly shut. It came from outside the ship.

Pidge reached out and tightly grabbed the Galra by the arm before aiming her bayard at a stable-looking pole near one of the walls. She only had one shot at keeping them from being sucked out into space.

The blade of her weapon wrapped neatly around the pole, circling around to catch on the glowing green cable. The pair jerked to a stop, suspending in the air.

“We have to get to a ship!” he shouted at her.

Pidge bit back a sarcastic reply, instead taking a moment to look around the hangar. There was only one ship close enough that they stood a chance of reaching.

Movement at the gaping hole in the hull had her forming a new plan on the spot. She turned her head to her new friend, meeting his violet eyes with her steady amber ones. “I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”

His expression was puzzled, but he nodded in agreement.

Pidge let go and they were both sucked out into the void of space.

But only for a second.

They landed, hard, on cool metal. Pidge felt warm arms wrap around her middle right before impact, which took away some of the roughness of her landing. As they caught their breath, darkness briefly closed around them and they felt the ship they were in shift as it began to move.

Blue light soon lit up around them as a new door slid open and a figure in white-and-blue armor stepped through. He raised an eyebrow and let out a low whistle at the sight of them.

“Whoa, Pigeon, you sure move fast! Though, I have to admit, I never would have expected your tastes to run purple and furry. Guess that explains all the time's you turned me down, huh?”

Pidge could recognize the teasing in his voice even on her most oblivious days, but she was too relieved to see her friend to take the bait he was so enticingly dangling in front of her. “Lance!” she choked out, her voice giving way to a happy sob.

Lance smiled softly. “Hey, there. Happy reunion later, alright? Wanna join me up front so I can pilot Blue back to the Castle? I've got Shiro and Hunk screaming at me to get my ass in gear.” He tapped the side of his helmet, indicating the comm system. And then his gaze fell on the disgruntled Galra next to Pidge and he let out a sigh. “Keith can come too, I guess.”

“Keith?” Pidge repeated, taken aback by the very human sounding name. She looked to the Galra next to her, who was carefully avoiding her gaze. “What kind of name is that?”

“What kind of name is Pidge?” he asked in response.

“A nickname,” she said defensively. “My name is Katie.”

Lance looked between them for a moment longer and then threw up his hands in disbelief. “Yup. I'm so not listening to this lovers' spat. I'm not talking to you, Hunk!”

“That's an Earth name,” Keith noted with some confusion. “But they said you're Altean. And your markings...”

Pidge reached up to brush her fingertips against the pale purple crescent decorating her right cheek. “I'm not even half. Someone in my family was, once, and that bloodline got passed down to me. The only reason I look like this is because of my exposure to Altean tech and magic over the past three years. I grew up on Earth. Same as you, I'm guessing.”

“For a while,” Keith reluctantly explained. “One of the Blade found me on Earth when I was eight. He brought me back with him and I've been training ever since.”

Silence stretched between them. It was more awkward than uncomfortable. Pidge was dying to pry more into his life. After all, it wasn't often that she met someone who was part alien like she was. (Actually, she'd never met anyone else like her. Shiro and his prosthetic arm did not count, even if it was alien technology.)

Before she had a chance to try and ask more, the ship jostled to the side, throwing Pidge over on top of Keith as they slid into the wall.

“Sorry!” Lance's voice reached them, slightly muffled. “I've just got to – Hunk! They're on your tail!”

Keith groaned and rubbed his head. “I see his piloting skills are as bad as his pick-up lines.”

Pidge grinned at the comment. “Believe it or not, he used to be worse.”

“Are which one? The piloting or the cheesy lines?”

Pidge outright laughed as she crawled off of him and stood up. “Both, if I'm being honest. Dating Hunk has mellowed him out a bit.” She held out a hand to hep him up and was pleased when he actually accepted it. “We should get up there before he starts doing barrel rolls.”

Keith winced at the thought of it. “That sounds unpleasant.”

“Oh, it is,” Pidge assured him, walking over to the door. She pressed a panel on the side, which lit up blue before the door slid open.

“Hey, lovebirds, you're just in time!” Lance called back to them. “Hold onto something and prepare to have your minds blown by the greatest piloting the universe has ever seen!”

Pidge groaned and grabbed the back of Lance's seat, planting her feet firmly on the floor. Keith quickly copied her motions.

“Remind me to tell Shiro he needs to have a talk with him about this. Again,” she muttered to her fellow half-alien.

“Will do.”

“Seriously? I'm not that bad,” Lance said, a little wounded.

Pidge exchanged a smile with Keith and then braced herself for whatever came next.

[dragbunart]

0Day 4: Selfishness

@lotidge  I blame you

He doesn’t remember the exact battle but he can remember the moment when he found the photo. He clearly remembers bending down to examine the piece of paper in the mass of tech and rubble. Lotor remembers love at first sight when he saw her: Lovely brunette locks, golden brown eyes, and the most adorable smile he had ever seen, all wrapped up in a purple dress. He needed her in his life. He wanted to know her, talk to her, teach her everything he knew, and learn all about her.

He did what creep anyone who was crazy in love would do ran the photo through his systems to see if there were any matches. And there was a match to the Photo! But the wrong person in the photo. Instead of finding his future empress, he found the boy in the photo (And oh boy did he pray that this was a relative). He also noticed there were other searches for the match on the male, done by a hacker. 

The green paladin was searching for this male. Not only that but the green paladin had fallen in the spot Lotor had picked the photo from.

Crazily he pulled up footage of the Green Paladin from the Galra Space Mall. This was his first time seeing the Paladins outside of battle but he could tell who was who by height and posture. And there she was.

Her lovely long locks were cut shorter seemingly giving her a more boy-ish appearance. She wore baggy boys clothes that did nothing (though green was a great color on her he’d have to remember that). Her eyes were filled with knowledge but hidden behind glasses (he couldn’t decide whether she looked cuter with or without them).

He was so happy when someone finally fulfilled his request: Capture the Green Paladin ALIVE and turn them over to Lotor.

Now there she stood: shaking with fear from the cold of the ship in a lovely purple dress and handcuffs but we’ll ignore that. Tomorrow perhaps he’d mix in some green. 

“We finally meet face to face.” Lotor smirked.

“What do you want?” Her voice was harsh and filled with anger and worry.

“I wanted to return this.” He pulled out the photo. 

“WHERE DID YOU GET THAT!?” Lotor nodded to the Galra general (wasn’t one of his privet team) who was keeping her back to release her. Lotor stood from his throne and walked down a few steps.

“Found it.” Lotor shrugged and held it out to her. He froze the moment Pidge’s hands brushed his own to reclaim the picture. “Who's the boy?”

“None of your business.” She’s a fighter, he already knew that, but defensive was a wonderful new bit of information.

“I’ll find out on my own. Hunt him down if I have to.”

“Don’t!”

“I want to know what I’m up against.” 

“He’s got nothing to do with Voltron.”

“Right now I don’t care about that!” Lotor laughed. “WIth you in front of me, Voltron is basically useless anyway. Anyone with a brain could see you're the intelligence of that team.” She was so close. If he truly wanted her could grab her and feel her body against his.

“If this isn’t about Voltron, whats it about?” Lotor nodded at the General to leave.

“Narti, give the man his reward.” Pidge stared at the Prince confused as Narti led the general out and the rest of Lotor’s generals giggled and returned to working on the monitors. 

“This...” Lotor stepped closer. “Is about...” He grabbed her cuffed wrists and kissed the back of her hands. “You, my dear.”

“W-what?” PIdge tried to back up.

“All I need to know is if he’s after your affections, love.”

“I-I-”

“Keep in mind: I found you. I know you are searching for him. I want to know why and if he’s in my way.”

“Don’t hurt him!” 

“Why?”

“He’s my brother!" 

“I didn’t know you had a brother. Good to know. I can’t wait to learn more about you, love.” Lotor smiled and dragged Pidge to his chair and sat down. “One thing you should learn about me, I can be a selfish man: especially if I want something.” He pulled her to him. “Sit with me, we have a lot to talk about.”