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 couldnât keep his mouth shut about one little comment about Keithâs hair? He had to immediately go blab to Hunk? She was never talking to him about anything personal again. Not ever.
âYouâre a dead man, McClain!â she called over to him.
Lance looked back at her, startled. âWhat did I do?!â
Pidge didnât answer. She didnât 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. âNow, now, paladins! Thereâs no need to fight each other. Save all of that for the Galra and the fight ahead!â He paused, apparently just realizing that it wasnât Keith arguing with Lance for once, but Pidge.Â
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 âteam attacksâ.
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 wasnât a secret, per say, but she didnât 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 heâd 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.
âYou, uh, look nice today?â
Pidge raised an eyebrow at the out-of-place compliment. âThanks?â
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.
âForget it,â 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 sheâd want someone to do for her. She gave Lance a cold look.
âWeâre going to talk about this later,â she warned him, before turning and quickly following after Keith.
It didnât 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.
âIâm sorry about Lance,â she said after a few minutes. âI didnât think⌠How much did you hear, before I make myself look stupid?â
âYou could never make yourself look stupid,â Keith replied.
âYouâd be surprised.â
Keith glanced over at her. âI feel like Iâm the one whoâs 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 didnât stick around long after that. It felt wrong.â
âIs that all you heard?â Pidge asked.
âYeah, but it made me think about a few things. Like us. Our⌠relationship, I guess?â Keith sounded confused, like he still wasnât sure what was going on or what he was trying to say. âI never told you how glad I am that you changed your mind about leaving.â
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 didnât need to hear the words; she saw his relief in his expression and in what he didnât say.
There were a lot of things he didnât 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 wasnât 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?
âIâm glad I stayed too,â she said, voicing it aloud for the first time. âListen, about what you heard from LanceâŚâ
âNo, itâs okay. I get it,â Keith interrupted while she was picking her next few words. âHe was just blowing things out of proportion like he always does. I shouldnât have taken it seriously.â
âIt was true. I do find you attractive.â
Not for one second did Pidge consider taking the easy out. She let her statement hang between them, hoping it wouldnât hurt their friendship, but she wouldnât take it back.
Even if Keithâs silence did hurt.
Pidge stared down at her lap. âYou donât have to force yourself to give compliments, you know? This doesnât have to change anything. Youâre my friend, my partner, and thatâs the most important thing. And Iâll talk to Lance about all of this, so donât 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. Youâll love it. Or at least youâll be amused by it, I think. Though, uh, it may not be so great with all of the diplomatic stuff weâre doing lately, so Allura wonât be happy, but I think Iâm 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-â
She abruptly stopped when Keith placed his hand over hers and gently squeezed it.
âI like you too, Pidge. Youâre important to me, in ways I donât know how to explain. It goes beyond our bond as paladins. I didnât 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 weâre meant to figure it out together,â Keith said.
Pidge lifted her eyes to meet Keithâs as a smile bloomed across her face. âTogether,â she agreed softly. And then, a bit more mischievous, said: âDo you want to help me prank Lance first?â
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 Keithâs mullet would have led to that?