#ily post-fall formal sunset

[shimmerclaws]

funny transmasc horse feels remorse for the first time in life

i cant stand his face 😭😭😭😭

[voyager-into-the-unknown]

This is Part 4 of my Plance fic series. You can read Part 3 here:

https://toocool2btrue.tumblr.com/post/188737473073/yes-of-course-you-should-continue-writing-this

Breakfast with Hunk

Lance woke up on Saturday morning hugging his pillow. He had dreamed of Pidge that night—dancing with her, kissing her, embracing her, and finally, falling asleep with her in his arms. He slid the pillow back beneath his head and then rubbed his eyes. Early morning light was just visible through his blinds, and he could hear the sound of the shower running. Hunk was up.

He checked his phone, and sadly, there were no new messages. He decided to text Pidge. He felt a little nervous about contacting her so early in the morning, but didn’t girls like it when the guy got in touch with them again, right after a date? He didn’t want to seem desperate, but he couldn’t wait any longer.

Lance: Good morning, pretty lady. Did you sleep well?

There was no reply. Maybe she was still asleep. Or maybe she was in the shower. No, he shouldn’t think about that. Well, just because he told himself not to think about that, he thought about it.

Rather than let his mind wander into some rather naughty places, he got up. The shower was separated from the sink and commode, so he could relieve himself, wash his hands, brush his teeth, wash his face, and shave without disturbing Hunk. He then went back to his room, knowing that Hunk would be done with his shower soon enough. His phone pinged. Nervously, he picked it up. It was Pidge!

Pidge: Good morning, Loverboy. 😉 I slept very well, indeed. Thanks for asking.

Loverboy? Lance blushed, remembering all of the times that they kissed yesterday. He was spending the day with her and her parents, but surely he could get her alone at some point and steal a few more kisses, right? He wanted to kiss her again right now.

Lance: I had the best night’s sleep ever. All of my dreams were about you, Pidgey.

Pidge: 😊 Pidgey? That’s cute. You must have had some really great dreams then, if you dreamed about me....I dreamed about you, too.

Lance: Oh, really? ✨😎✨Tell me more.

Pidge: No. That’s private. Of course, yesterday’s reality was like a dream come true.

Lance: Yes. It was the best day ever! I can’t wait to see you again.

Pidge: 😊 I am looking forward to seeing you, too.

Lance: You know that I love you, right? 💙💚

Pidge: I love you, too. 💚💙 I have loved you since arriving at the Garrison.

Lance: You mean, when we returned from space?

Pidge: No, since before we ever left. Before we were Paladins.

Lance: OMG! Pidge!!! 🥰 I had no idea. I am so sorry I didn’t notice. I mean, we were friends even back then, but...

Pidge: I was disguised as a boy. I didn’t want you to notice.

Lance: But after we became Paladins and you revealed that you are a girl, why did you keep your feelings a secret?

There was a long pause, and then she answered him.

Pidge: Allura. Nyma. Plaxum. And so many other girls. I didn’t think I had a chance with you. 😢

Lance: I am so sorry, Pidge. I was such an idiot. You mean so much more to me than any of those other girls, even Allura. I love you.

Pidge: I know.

Lance: Did you just “Han Solo” me?

Pidge: 😂 Yup.

Lance: I have been waiting for Hunk to get out of the bathroom so I can take a shower. I think he’s getting out now...

“Morning, Lance. Who are you texting this early? Is it your girlfriend?”

“Ugh, go put some clothes on, man. It’s too early in the morning to see that. My eyes!”

“I am decently covered by this towel. Tell Pidge I said hello.”

Lance: Hunk says hello. I just told him to put some clothes on.

Pidge: 😂 Tell him I said hello, too. He’s going to ask a million questions about us, but don’t tell him everything.

Lance: You know how nosy our best friend is. Anyway, no worries. A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell. 😉

Pidge: Thanks, Loverboy. Now go take your shower. We can talk later. ily. 😘

Lance: ily2. 😘

“Pidge says hello too. And also says that she loves me!” Lance called to Hunk through the open door.

“Ha! I knew it! She’s had a crush on you since forever.”

“We can talk about that later. I’m gonna hit the shower.”

“Well, in the meantime, I am going to make us a breakfast fit for kings, so don’t take all day in there.”

Lance went to his bureau, and selected clean socks and underwear. Then he went to his closet, choosing a light blue button down shirt, grey trousers, and a darker blue sweater. She would like these colors on him, he thought. They would bring out the color of his eyes.

Lance went into the bathroom and stripped off his pajamas, then turned the hot water on. Naked, he climbed into the stall and let the spray of hot water relax him. He lathered up with his favorite body wash and sang to himself a song he had been working on for the past week, even before he asked Pidge to go the ball with him. It was a love song, and he had the guitar chords and the melody that he wanted. It was the lyrics that needed work. Maybe she could help him with that. Right then, it occurred to him that girls really loved sappy romantic stuff like that. He should definitely bring his guitar over to the Holts, along with dessert, which he hadn’t actually thought much about yet.

When he was done showering, Lance dried off, combed his hair, and put on some extra strength deodorant and a bit of his favorite cologne. He wanted to smell nice for her, especially since he intended to spend the afternoon dancing with her in her parents living room. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he left the bathroom and went back to his room to get dressed.

He shut the door and dropped his towel. He put on his shorts first, having selected a pair of white boxer briefs for support and freedom of movement that were nearly as comfortable as Paladin underwear, and then a white T-shirt made of a stretchy, absorbent material, which, like his shorts, was meant to wick perspiration from his body. (He hoped he didn’t sweat too much. He didn’t want to reek of nervous perspiration around Pidge.) The socks were chosen to coordinate with dress shoes, rather than his usual sneakers or uniform boots. Next, he buttoned up the light blue dress shirt, which was a bit more formal than the long sleeved T-shirts he usually wore. Grey trousers were next, and a belt, followed by the darker blue sweater. Lastly, his shoes, which were formal, but comfortable, and perfect for dancing. He put his wallet and his phone in his pockets.

“You about done in there, Loverboy? Admiring yourself in the mirror, right now, am I right?”

“No!” Lance said unconvincingly. In truth, he had been admiring his reflection and wondering if Pidge would like his attire. “Breakfast smells great. I’ll be there in a second.”

Hunk had indeed made a breakfast fit for kings: ham and cheese omelettes, crispy bacon, hot buttery biscuits, and hash browns with cold milk and hot coffee. Everything looked and smelled delicious.

“What did I ever do to deserve all of this? Hunk, you’re the best!”

“I know. Now give me details.”

Lance sat down to eat breakfast with Hunk and told him briefly about what had happened between himself and Pidge yesterday, saying nothing too personal, just a general summary of their day. He told him how nervous he was when he asked her out, and how she kissed him in the hydroponics garden. He told him about their trip to the mall and what they purchased there. “We even ate at Vrepit Sal’s! The food was great, but not as great as this breakfast, made by the master chef himself.”

“Aw, Thanks, man.” Hunk ate another forkful of omelette. “So what happened when you got back home? Did you kiss her goodnight?”

“Of course! But she asked me to keep our private stuff private.”

“It was pretty hot, though, wasn’t it?”

Lance’s face was all the answer Hunk needed. He was blushing like a desert sunset and grinning shyly. “Let’s just say for a girl who has never had a boyfriend before, she’s really good at kissing. I am not going to give a detailed description, just a statement of fact: Pidge is a genius in everything that she does.” Lance sighed, and grinned goofily.

Hunk laughed at him. “Well, I hope that you know how happy I am for both of you. Just be careful with her heart, Lance.” He sipped his coffee.

Lance put his fork down. “What do you mean? I just told her that I love her, like, three times just this morning!”

“She’s had a crush on you since she was fifteen. She’s watched you flirt with every attractive girl that has crossed your path since then. She’s had to endure your unrequited love for Allura, and she’s had to watch you ogle any humanoid female with curves in the right places. Dude, she’s cried herself to sleep over you a thousand times. You can’t do stuff like that anymore.”

Lance became very quiet, his expression serious. He was hurt by the truth of Hunk’s words, and angry at himself for being so blind and self-centered for so long. “I know,” he said softly. “I won’t. There were quite a few attractive single ladies around the base dropping hints that if I needed a date to the Garrison Ball, they were interested. I didn’t even consider asking any of them. All I could think of was how to summon up enough courage to ask Pidge to go with me. And at the mall there were lots of cute girls checking me out. I used to be flattered by stuff like that, but now I just ignore them. Pidge is the only girl for me, Hunk.”

“I’m glad to hear that, buddy.” Hunk looked apologetic. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings just now.”

“Don’t be. It’s the truth, and I needed to hear it.” Lance began to enjoy his meal again. They talked about the new engineering project Hunk was working on, and Lance’s work with the new pilots, Paladin training, and the rest of the team. Keith wanted everyone on the Paladins’ training deck at oh-eight-hundred on Monday morning.

“He thinks we’re getting out of shape,” said Hunk.

“Well, I will be if you keep feeding me like this. Not that I’m complaining. This is the best breakfast I have had in ages, Hunk. Thank you.”

Hunk grinned. “You’re welcome, but you know that I had an ulterior motive.”

“Of course. You just wanted to hear about my love life.”

“Ew! No, not really. I just wanted you to know that Pidge is my best friend, too, Lance. She told me that she was bullied all through school for being so smart. The boys were the worst—they called her names and stole her stuff. None of the girls would talk to her either. She was a very lonely kid whose only friend was her older brother, mainly because because Matt was the only one smart enough to really understand and appreciate her, besides her parents. When he and Sam disappeared, she was devastated.”

“I know. She was desperate enough to hack into the Garrison computer network to find out what happened to them. Iverson banned her from the Garrison for life. That’s why she cut off her hair and pretended to be a boy named Pidge Gunderson.”

“And then she was assigned to our cadet training group. We became the first real friends she’s ever had outside of the Holt family. Lance, we are two of the first guys she’s ever been able to trust. Be gentle with her. No matter how much you want her, the female should be the one to determine how far things go and how fast, not the male. And if she wants to wait—“

“I already intend to wait for her, Hunk. He family is very conservative and very protective of her, especially Sam. She’s the girl I want to marry. I want to wait for her. I want her family to like me, too.”

“Well, from what you told me of your little romantic adventures yesterday, Colleen already likes you.”

“Yeah. It’s Sam that I worry about. He’s brilliant, and kind of intimidating.”

“Intimidating? Sam?” Hunk smiled. “He’s an old softie.”

“That’s because he likes you, Hunk. You’re a genius. I’m not, and I can’t help wondering if Sam thinks that I am just not smart enough for his daughter. He probably wonders what she sees in me.”

“We all wonder about that, dude.”

“Thanks,” Lance said sarcastically. “That does wonders for my anxiety.”

“I was just joking! Seriously, you have got to go in with an action plan. Play to your strengths. Impress them with your talents.”

“Sarcasm, puns, and general goofiness?”

“Well, your sense of humor is one. Um, you have good manners, and there’s your skills as a Paladin...”

“I don’t think sharpshooting and flying are going to be enough.”

“You were singing in the shower again this morning. You have a great voice, Lance. Maybe you should bring your guitar and sing for them.”

“I was actually just thinking about that just now. I’ve been working on a new song lately, but I am having a bit of trouble with the lyrics. I was thinking that maybe Pidge could help me with that.”

“Is it a love song?”

“Of course. And it’s about her, well, both of us really.”

“That’s brilliant! You should definitely sing it for her.”

“Do you think that will be enough?”

Hunk got up from the table. “Well, if it isn’t, there’s this secret weapon.” He held up a white paper bag that was on the counter.

“Are those—?”

“Peanut butter cookies, baked especially for her. They are so good, she will definitely want to marry you, whether her father likes you or not.”

Lance laughed. “Hunk, you are the best!”

They cleared the table and Lance insisted on cleaning the kitchen, since Hunk had done all the cooking. Lance sang to himself while he worked, and Hunk watched from a distance, smiling at his friend’s happiness.