The Mullet (Part 3 - Final)
Pidge did not like the look Hunk gave her when she walked onto the bridge. That sort of wide-eyed, anxious, hand-caught-in-the-cookie-jar expression that could only mean one thing.
Seriously? He couldn’t keep his mouth shut about one little comment about Keith’s hair? He had to immediately go blab to Hunk? She was never talking to him about anything personal again. Not ever.
“You’re a dead man, McClain!” she called over to him.
Lance looked back at her, startled. “What did I do?!”
Pidge didn’t answer. She didn’t think she could talk to him without yelling. Nor did she want anyone else to get involved and Shiro already looked like he was a few ticks from stepping in to settle things.
Coran clapped his hands together. “Now, now, paladins! There’s no need to fight each other. Save all of that for the Galra and the fight ahead!” He paused, apparently just realizing that it wasn’t Keith arguing with Lance for once, but Pidge.
It was at that moment that Keith arrived, quietly entering the room and coming to a stop next to Pidge, completely oblivious to what was happening. His arrival triggered the start of the meeting.
Allura and Shiro tag-teamed the explanation of their plans for the next week. Barring any unforeseen attacks, they would have a few peaceful days of travel, which meant extra time for training, coming up with new battle strategies, and practicing what Lance had taken to calling “team attacks”.
Pidge half payed attention, too busy thinking of ways to get her revenge on Lance for spilling her secret crush to Hunk. (Okay, maybe it wasn’t a secret, per say, but she didn’t want everyone to know that she thought Keith was exceptionally good looking!) At the top of her list was sneaking some kind of dye into his lotions so that he’d have to spend a few days with his skin an unusual color. It seemed like a fitting punishment - temporary but embarrassing.
All too soon, Allura and Shiro were done talking and dismissed them from the bridge so they could get back to their own strategizing with Coran. Pidge turned to Keith to ask when they were expected on the training deck, as she had completely missed that part, only to find him avoiding her gaze and instead staring off at an empty corner.
“You, uh, look nice today?”
Pidge raised an eyebrow at the out-of-place compliment. “Thanks?”
A muffled squeak from the direction of Hunk and Lance drew her attention and she turned her eyes to them, not in the least surprised to find them staring back. Lance was grinning as he watched the two of them, while Hunk looked noticeably worried about something.
Which was weird, because why would Hunk be worried when he was usually right there along with Lance, ready to tease her.
Pidge whipped her head back to Keith, who was scowling at the pair across the room.
“Forget it,” he snapped, his cheeks turning red as he made an abrupt turn for the door.
Pidge watched him go, frozen in uncertainty. Her mind raced through different scenarios before settling on what she’d want someone to do for her. She gave Lance a cold look.
“We’re going to talk about this later,” she warned him, before turning and quickly following after Keith.
It didn’t take her long to find him, sitting by himself in one of the many rooms in the Castle of Lions. She quietly sat down next to him, giving him time to move or talk first if he wanted.
“I’m sorry about Lance,” she said after a few minutes. “I didn’t think… How much did you hear, before I make myself look stupid?”
“You could never make yourself look stupid,” Keith replied.
Keith glanced over at her. “I feel like I’m the one who’s going to look like an idiot. I just… Lance and Hunk were talking in the kitchen about my hair, so I stopped to listen, and then I heard your name and something about my hair being attractive? I didn’t stick around long after that. It felt wrong.”
“Is that all you heard?” Pidge asked.
“Yeah, but it made me think about a few things. Like us. Our… relationship, I guess?” Keith sounded confused, like he still wasn’t sure what was going on or what he was trying to say. “I never told you how glad I am that you changed your mind about leaving.”
To anyone else, it may have sounded like a non sequitur, but Pidge understood just fine. That moment - their first and only disagreement - could have ripped apart everything, but instead served to make their bond even stronger. It built up the foundation of their partnership.
Pidge didn’t need to hear the words; she saw his relief in his expression and in what he didn’t say.
There were a lot of things he didn’t need to say. Pidge figured out early on that the way to read Keith was through his actions and in how he fought to protect and hold the team together.
But Keith wasn’t the same way. There was a sort of disconnect, where he would broadcast his own feelings through his actions, but required words from others to understand how they felt. How many misunderstandings had their been because of that? Was that why he sounded so unsure of where they stood?
“I’m glad I stayed too,” she said, voicing it aloud for the first time. “Listen, about what you heard from Lance…”
“No, it’s okay. I get it,” Keith interrupted while she was picking her next few words. “He was just blowing things out of proportion like he always does. I shouldn’t have taken it seriously.”
“It was true. I do find you attractive.”
Not for one second did Pidge consider taking the easy out. She let her statement hang between them, hoping it wouldn’t hurt their friendship, but she wouldn’t take it back.
Even if Keith’s silence did hurt.
Pidge stared down at her lap. “You don’t have to force yourself to give compliments, you know? This doesn’t have to change anything. You’re my friend, my partner, and that’s the most important thing. And I’ll talk to Lance about all of this, so don’t worry about that. Actually, I have some pretty good revenge in mind, since he went and blabbed to Hunk where anyone could have heard him. You’ll love it. Or at least you’ll be amused by it, I think. Though, uh, it may not be so great with all of the diplomatic stuff we’re doing lately, so Allura won’t be happy, but I think I’m going to do it anyway. Oh, and that means Shiro will have to act disappointed in me, which means I have to deal with that Look, you know the one, and-”
She abruptly stopped when Keith placed his hand over hers and gently squeezed it.
“I like you too, Pidge. You’re important to me, in ways I don’t know how to explain. It goes beyond our bond as paladins. I didn’t know what to think when I heard Lance talking, and I should have taken more time to figure it out, but… but maybe this is better. Maybe we’re meant to figure it out together,” Keith said.
Pidge lifted her eyes to meet Keith’s as a smile bloomed across her face. “Together,” she agreed softly. And then, a bit more mischievous, said: “Do you want to help me prank Lance first?”
Keith laughed and agreed.
And to think, Lance was the reason for the shift in their relationship. Who would have thought that one of his rants about Keith’s mullet would have led to that?