All ready to post another chapter of Home and Ao3 keeps crashing. It's been a day already and it's only just gone 10am. Wish me luck. Or send...idk, hydration? This heat is killing me and I'm already a fainting risk lol not to mention swollen ankles, heart racing, and no sleep...
Anyone who noticed that I'm posting Home Can Be A Person again, let me assure you that things are going well and I have four tabs open currently on the Voltron wiki, and the series set up on my other laptop for inspiration! I still even remember the long haul plot!!!!!
Character: Keith Kogane, Pidge Gunderson/Katie Holt
Pairings: Keith/Pidge
Warnings!: None, really. Confused Pidge? That's unusual enough to warrant a warning, right?
Summary: Pidge gets some misleading information which leads her to a complete conundrum!
A/N: this is what I was working on while I waited for the poll results! I can't remember the last time I was able to churn out this many one-shots!
‘What does that even mean?!’ Pidge paused the video yet again and referenced one of the many other tabs she had open. She was a genius, she knew what she knew, but she was at a complete loss. ‘Why can’t you all just get together and turn in some decent quiznaking research?!’
‘What are you looking at?’ Pidge turned as her boyfriend, Keith, came into her office, various shiny packages sitting around her desk that were, probably literally, alien to him, but he was used to that.
‘Nothing!’ She slammed the lid of her laptop closed, the floating screens disappearing a moment later.
‘Yeah, that’s totally not suspicious.’ He sat in the chair opposite her and gave her a lopsided smile. ‘So…what are you stuck on?’
‘If I wanted to tell you I wouldn’t have freaked out when you walked in.’ She wrinkled her nose indignantly. ‘Just leave me to it, okay?’
He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as his face slipped to one as serious as hers. ‘It’s not often you’re stumped on…well, anything, if I’m completely honest. Must be one doozy of a problem.’
‘Doozy?’ She looked up at him over her glasses. ‘You’ve been hanging with Space Dad too often. Or my dad.’ She started pulling the packages towards her. ‘Anyway, this isn’t techy stuff it’s…personal stuff. Techy stuff I can deal with.’
‘Now you’ve got me curious. Personal stuff you can’t tell me about then.’ He sat back, knowing this wasn’t as imperative as he had first worried it may be, which meant he might yet be able to get it out of her with a little gentle coaxing. ‘Is it a girl thing?’
She huffed out a sigh. ‘Yes, and no. I mean, yes it is a girl thing, but not a reproductive system thing.’ He chuckled to himself, making her frown again. ‘What’s so funny?’
‘You aren’t normally shy about this kind of thing. You’re practical, I love that about you. I also love the fact you can shut Lance up and make him clear a room by simply bringing up the topic. But, I don’t like when you have a personal issue that you don’t want to share because it means I can’t help you.’
She groaned and leant on her desk, giving him a serious look. ‘Okay. Do you know what a C12 eyelash is?’
He blinked twice. ‘A what?’
‘A C12 eyelash. Hard angled eyebrows? Heavy upper lip? Highlighting? Double flick, slept-in smudge, or classic bar eyeliner?’ She tipped out the little packages on the desktop to reveal various packages of makeup. ‘How about foundation shades? What type of skin do I have? Because I sweat a lot but does that mean my face is greasy? Because I didn’t think I had greasy skin but now I’m questioning everything!’
Keith was silent for a moment, unsure exactly of what had brought this on but certain he was missing something. ‘Why do you have so much makeup?’
‘Because we’re dating and Lance told me a girl should make an effort when she’s dating someone, and Allura agreed that appearance was important and that I should look after myself more and dress…better. Then Coran told me I’d be undesirable by Altean standards because I looked too much like the gender I’m dating and then I thought maybe I need a makeover or a complete overhaul because I have no idea what I’m doing and…’
Keith had by now got up and come around the desk to her side, spinning the chair so she faced him as he crouched. ‘Babe, slow down. Why does it matter what everyone else said?’
She looked into his violet eyes as her breathing started to slow after her outburst. ‘Because…because…’ She pulled a face. ‘Because they know more than me about this stuff. I don’t know about…relationships, or dating, or any of that stuff.’
Keith laughed softly as he reached up and caressed her cheek. ‘Katie, I don’t want you to listen to a single word anyone else tells you about our relationship, because it’s just that; ours. I don’t care if you’re wearing makeup, or fancy clothes, and I wouldn’t have asked you to be with me if I didn’t find you attractive, and I do. You’re beautiful to me. Just the way you are.’
Pidge closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. She hadn’t realised that such simple words from the right person could mean so much or have such a positive effect on her. She sighed heavily before raising her lids and looking at Keith once again. ‘Thank you.’ She murmured. ‘Because I could not guarantee what the hell I would have looked like for our date later if I’d been let loose on my face with this stuff.’
‘Speaking of the date,’ Keith gave her a raised eyebrow. ‘How about we extend our date to more than dinner?’
She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘What did you have in mind?’
‘Teaching Lance to keep his opinions to himself. Once he’s asleep, I suggest we give him an impromptu makeover, Pidge and Keith style.’
Pidge’s face lit up in a grin before throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. ‘This is going to be the best date ever!’
Character: Keith Kogane, Pidge Gunderson/Katie Holt
Pairings: Keith/Pidge
Warnings!: Drunken shenanigans. Keith's lips had a workout!
Summary: When Pidge is woken by a very drunk Keith at 3am, she gets a very confusing confession!
A/N: thank you for being patient with me waiting for this today! I don't feel much better than I did earlier but I have had a little nap so here you go!
It was almost 3am when Pidge was roused from a deep sleep. She had only been in bed for maybe an hour, having got engrossed in some new tech they had discovered on the latest planet they had liberated. From what she understood, or could hear from her lab, the celebrations had gone on almost as long as her research, passing several locals leaving as she returned to her room. She had assumed, from the peace that reigned, that everyone had retired for the evening. She realised she was wrong when a rhythmic banging started up on her door and didn’t stop no matter how much she tried to ignore it. Throwing her pillow off her head she dragged her weary body out of bed and slouched her way to the door. Hitting the button it slid open and she barely dodged being punched in the face.
‘Whoa, what the hell, Keith?’ She instinctively grabbed his arm and tucked it under her own and bending his elbow backwards, her other hand holding her bayard ready. ‘I nearly electrocuted you!’
‘Why are you here?’ He demanded, the smell of Dukhivian alcohol rolling off him in waves.
‘Uh, it’s my room.’ She waved behind her as she dismissed her bayard and released his arm. ‘It’s 3am. Where else would I be?’
‘Part the aty.’ He waved, muddling his words comically and she pressed her lips together to hide her smile. She had never seen him drunk before, let alone this drunk.
‘And why would I go to the party when I had so much new tech to go over?’ She asked rhetorically, not expecting an answer but getting one anyway.
‘Mith we at the Duckhaven, Dickhoovia,’
‘Dukhivian?’ She suggested and he nodded emphatically.
‘That! You were supposed to be there.’
She was relieved he seemed to have sorted his words out for at least one sentence so far, and shrugged. ‘You know I’m not a fan of those things, and I’d rather be off in my lab. If you needed me you could have called over the intercom or come and got me.’
‘Nope. No. I needed you. There right there. With me.’
‘If you’d let me know I’d have come along, but I figured this was like all the other meet and greets; wall to wall boredom.’
His hands clamped down on her shoulders, making her jump, as he leaned down into her eye line. ‘Do you know what Dukebeehives end of a toast looks like?’
‘Like a crust?’ She wrinkled her nose in confusion.
‘No!’ He shook his head vehemently. ‘A drinky toast! Cheers!’ He demonstrated before returning his hand to her shoulder. ‘It. Looks. Like. This.’ He ducked his head and pecked her rapidly on the lips, leaving her wide eyed stunned. Well, that was her first kiss, from her crush no less, and she barely had time to enjoy it.
‘Um…what just happened?’
‘The Dackholes! They kiss the person next to them before they drink!’
‘Ohhh.’ She said in realisation. ‘Who were you sat next to?’
‘Oh, we sidn’t dit.’ He shook his head again. ‘We were jingling!’
‘Mingling?’
‘That!’ He gave her a gentle shake as she got it. ‘They made so much toast that my lips are sore and that’s not even the worst part!’
Pidge rested her hands on his wrists, gently moving his arms back down to his sides. ‘This is all great, Keith, but I’m sure you can tell me the worst part tomorrow. When you sober up. You should get to bed.’
‘Good idea.’ He pushed past her into her room and started taking off his boots.
‘Your bed! Not my bed!’ She hurried after him, the door sliding closed behind her.
‘So, the worst wort.’ He continued as he pulled off his jacket. ‘I kissed Lance.’
She pulled on his arm, it wasn’t that she hadn’t ever considered Keith taking his clothes off in her room, but it certainly wasn’t in these circumstances. ‘Stop taking your clothes…you kissed Lance?!’
‘And Hunk. And Allura. And Shiro. And Coran. His moustache is rougher than it looks. And so many Dollhousians. Did you know they have four lips?!’ Despite her best efforts he had managed to get his jeans down to his knees and he sat on the bed to shove them off the rest of the way. ‘But if you’d been there it would have been fine!’ He bounced himself back into the crumpled bedcovers before flopping onto his back with his arms out.
‘I’m going to get Shiro.’ She said uncertainly, starting to back away from the bed where the beginning of her favourite dream of Keith in just his t-shirt and underwear was laying in her bed, but he moved faster than she thought he ought to be able to, given how alcoholically impaired he was.
‘No, don’t leave me again!’ He pulled her towards him until her knees hit the mattress, preventing her from going any further. ‘You can’t leave me again.’ He said the latter quietly, as though he were truly afraid for her to go, and it made her protestations die in her throat.
‘Okay, I’ll stay.’ She sat down on the side of the bed. ‘But you know when someone makes a toast you don’t have to drink the entire glass, right? They’re not shots.’
‘If you had to kiss Lance you’d drink it like shots too.’ He grumbled, pulling on her arm to try and get her onto the bed. ‘Come on, you sleeped we have to sleep.’
‘I said you have to sleep.’ She tried to resist his pull, as tempting as it was. ‘And I still don’t get how me being there would make things any better.’
‘Because,’ he gave her serious eyes, as serious as they could get given how glassy they were, and doubled his effort to try and get her onto the bed. ‘If you had been there,’
She allowed him to pull her to him, going onto her knees before sitting back on her feet in front of him. ‘If I had been there?’ She prompted him as he seemed to have lost his train of thought, his eyes darting over her face as though looking for something.
‘If you had been there I could have stayed by your side.’ He said without hesitation, his voice low and reverberating in the close quarters they found themselves in.
‘That would just have given you one more person to kiss.’ She gave him a sideway smile, realising the flaw in his logic.
‘Not one more. Just one. Just the one I always want to kiss.’
Pidge frowned, confused as to whether what she was hearing was what she thought he was implying. ‘You’re going to need to be clearer on that, Keith.’
He didn’t reply, not with words anyway. He pulled her to him and pressed his lips to hers, a simple kiss but Pidge’s eyebrows shot up as her eyelids lowered, a soft murmur emitting from her throat. He pulled away just far enough to see her as clearly as he could manage. Her cheeks had turned a glorious pink colour that reached all the way to her ears, her eyes were still closed, her lashes resting on her cheeks, and a sigh slipping through her slightly parted lips. ‘Clear enough?’
‘Not really.’ She fluttered her eyes open. ‘All I hear is you saying you’d rather I’d been there because you think I’m the lesser of a lot of evils.’
He closed his eyes and shook his head then thought better of it as a spell of dizziness came over him. ‘No, that’s not it.’
‘Please, Keith. Just sleep.’ She whispered, her voice choked with emotion. ‘Because I can’t deal with you doing this, not when it’s just to make you feel better about what happened tonight.’
‘Not that either.’ He took a deep breath, hoping it would clear his head, but it failed miserably. ‘It’s because you’re you that I wish you’d been there tonight. That I wish you were with me every night. All the time. That I could do this any time.’ He kissed her again, still just their lips against one another but this time he lingered, his hands releasing her so he could wrap his arms around her and pull her closer.
Pidge could taste the alcohol on his lips, the fervour of his actions making her resolve melt. She bunched his shirt up in her hands, not knowing what else to do, as so many new feelings and emotions scorched through her. His fingers slid into her hair, tilting her head to one side and the new angle had her stomach and lower things clench. She could never have guessed that such a simple kiss could have this affect on her.
Keith continued to kiss Pidge for some time, allowing her to catch her breath before going in again, kissing her senseless. Eventually, even through her scrambled synapses, common sense reared its ugly head. She tapped his chest and leaned back, staring at him in disbelief as he tried to get back to her lips.
‘You gotta hold your horses for a minute there, Keith.’ She managed, trying to ignore the way his fingers were stroking through her hair and trailing up and down her spine. ‘I don’t know what’s going on here.’
He huffed out a huge sigh, as though he were frustrated with her confusion. ‘What’s going on is you ruined what could have been a perfectly good evening of me kissing the girl of my dreams and now we’re making up for it.’ He leaned in but she put her hand over his mouth.
‘Just pretend I’m, like, Lance level intelligence when it comes to this kind of thing. Spell it out.’ She removed her hand slowly, giving him raised eyebrows of encouragement.
‘I,’ he kissed her beside her lips, ‘am,’ her cheek, ‘madly,’ by her ear, ‘deeply,’ her jaw, ‘in love,’ moving back towards her lips, ‘with you.’ He fit his lips to hers as he said the last and she let him, allowing herself to enjoy this, even if it was just for the moment and through drunk ramblings.
The thing that brought Pidge back to reality with a bump was when Keith’s tongue brushed against her lips and she knew she had to stop. She didn’t want either of them to regret this, and if he were serious they could talk once he sobered up, but this had to stop.
‘Keith?’
‘Mmm?’ He kissed at her lips again and when they didn’t respond how he wanted he moved to kiss across her jaw towards her neck.
‘Can we just leave this until morning? If you still feel the same in the cold light of day we can work things out then?’
He stopped his path across her skin and leaned away from her, giving her a considering look. ‘If we sleep you’ll let me kiss you all I want?’ He asked, his eyes pleading for her to say yes.
‘If that’s what you really want, then yeah.’ She nodded, certain he would change his mind. ‘But I have to say this once. I love you too but if you wake up and want this to just be something that happened that we both move past, then that’s fine too. No regrets.’
‘No regrets.’ He agreed with a smile and a nod before pulling her down with him into the covers and settling her against him. ‘And I’m going to tell you that I love you again in the morning, but you have to stay right here to sleep.’
‘Deal.’ She sighed, knowing this might be the closest she ever got to Keith being her own and that she doubted that confession would ever come. It didn’t take long for them both to fall asleep, cosy in one another's arms.
Character: Keith Kogane, Pidge Gunderson/Katie Holt
Pairings: Keith/Pidge
Warnings!: None, really. Some tears. Happy ending.
Summary: Post Season 8 off on a tangent, Keith is leaving to join the Blades while the rest of the Paladins stay on Earth. Pidge, with her feelings for Keith, tries to tell him how she feels...
A/N: I am not dead! I am back on my bullshit! Feeling emotional about my ship and had to write this!
All You Have To Do Is Ask
‘You’re really leaving?’
Keith turned as he shoved the final t-shirt into his bag to find Pidge standing in the doorway. She was wearing her new lab coat rather than her garrison uniform, and it suited her. ‘Well, yeah. Kolivan and Krolia need help distributing aid to all the planets in the alliance. Without Voltron, I’m not needed here. At least I can do some good out in…’
‘Who says you’re not needed here?’ She interrupted.
‘I’ll do better out in space.’ He slid the zipper closed. ‘I’ll be much more useful.’
She folded her arms stubbornly. ‘We need you here, Keith, there’s plenty to be done on Earth. The garrison…’
‘Has enough heroes. I won’t be missed.’
‘Says who?’ Pidge spat. She has been wrestling with her feelings for the paladin before her for well over a year and realised, as much as she hated to admit it, she was deeply, irrevocably, head-over-heels in love with him. It was embarrassing. Her heart raced when she thought of him, not to mention clammy palms and her stomach having what could only be described as some sort of gastrointestinal distress. She had tried to hide what she felt in the hope it would pass, but much to her dismay, she found herself in the situation she was now. Facing a personal ultimatum that this was her last chance, the one opportunity she had to take to tell him the truth. Even if nothing came from it she had tried, and that was what mattered.
‘No one said it, but I know it’s the case. I am needed up there. Not here.’
‘You are needed here, more than you know!’ Pidge took two steps towards him. ‘If you’re not here…when you left for The Blades before, that was bad enough, but now…now…’
He looked at her, her cheeks flushed, eyes blazing, her bottom lip trembling. She was so passionate about what mattered to her, easily elated by the smallest breakthrough, or riled to anger when it counted. But he didn’t remember seeing her like this before. This was a different kind of passion, and it intrigued him. Not that he had time to consider it. He had places to be. ‘You’ll get over it. I need to go where people need me the most.’
‘I need you the most! I mean, we! We need you most!’ She rapidly corrected herself as tears began to prick at the corners of her eyes. ‘And I don’t want you to go.’ She murmured the last quietly.
He sighed. She hated goodbyes, he knew that, and she had been forced to say it so many times to people she cared for, but she survived every time. This was no different. He came to her, stopping less than an arm’s length away, and looked down at her, not comprehending why she was this upset. ‘You’ll be fine.’ He rested his hand on her shoulder. ‘And I’ll still come and visit.’ He could admit, if only to himself, that he wished she meant this in the way he had wanted for some time, on a personal level. He was struggling to keep his relationship with the youngest paladin that of friends and colleagues, having started to notice every little thing about her and how it made him feel…more than he did for the others. He knew leaving was the only way to set this right and avoid what could only be a one sided disaster. He could dream, though.
She swallowed hard, she realised she was about to break her promise to herself. ‘Right. Well, have a safe trip.’ And she turned, leaving his room as she gritted her teeth, letting her tears run free as she bit back her sobs.
‘Hey, Pidge…what happened?’ Lance walked past her, noticing her tears as he levelled with her, but she just waved her hand at him and hurried away. He frowned, having noticed the youngest paladin’s longing looks at Keith, and though he really couldn’t see why, he did recognise it. Something must have happened. ‘Mullet, what did you do?’ Lance marched straight into his room where Keith was putting his bag by the door, ready for the off.
‘Good to see you too.’ Keith replied at Lance’s indignant snapping.
‘What did you say to Pidge?’ He poked at his shoulder as Hunk walked in.
‘What happened to Pidge?’ He hooked his thumb over his shoulder.
‘I didn’t do anything.’ Keith pushed Lance’s finger away. ‘We were just saying goodbye. You know she hates them.’
‘What did she say, exactly?’
Pidge slammed into the lab, kicking a trash can across the room out of sheer frustration.
‘Couldn’t do it, huh?’ Matt called from their adjoining offices.
‘Not even close.’ She sat down hard on the swivel stool, making it spin. As she turned by the bench she grabbed a spanner before stopping herself on the next pass and smashing the circuit board sitting there for all she was worth.
‘That isn’t going to fix things!’
‘No, but it might make me feel better!’
‘Pidge?’
She froze with her arm in the air as Keith’s voice came from the door she had entered through. Her tears had mostly dried up by now but that didn’t mean her heart was ready to see him again. She had been prepared to possibly never see him again. ‘We said our goodbyes, Keith. What more is there?’
‘Lance and Hunk said you were upset.’
She spun on the chair, still brandishing her spanner. ‘Is that that this is about? The fact I got a bit teary?’
Her eyes were no longer the watery amber pools then had been just minutes ago, now they blazed with a fire he was more used to seeing in battle. ‘I just…uh…I wasn’t sure if I said something or…’
‘I wasn’t kidding, Keith. I will miss you. But you’re determined to do this so get gone, go. I’m not doing another goodbye just to soothe your ego.’ She spun back to the table and started smashing the circuit board some more.
‘Okay, then. See you, I guess.’ He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how he was supposed to react or respond.
Pidge listened as he left before whacking what was left of the circuit board three times in quick succession before throwing the spanner onto the table. He was actually going and she still hadn’t been able to tell him how she felt. She was an idiot and had no one to blame but herself. Maybe it was for the best, but right now she didn’t know how that could be possible.
Matt waited a full three minutes of Pidge sitting with her head in her hands before he spoke, coming to the adjoining door between the lab and office. ‘So, you’re just going to let him go?’
‘Yeah, Matt, I’m just going to let him go.’ She sniffed loudly. ‘He wants to go and I’m not enough to keep him here. Happy?’
‘Of course I’m not happy. I don’t like seeing you like this. I just don’t want you to have any regrets.’
‘Too late.’ She dropped her arms onto the bench and rested her chin on them, staring at nothing as reality beat down on her.
‘How hard could it be to tell him the truth?’ Matt pushed.
‘Too hard.’ She mumbled. ‘I just don’t do good with feelings.’
‘You do, just not these ones.’ He finally crossed the room and rubbed her back soothingly. ‘If you could have, what would you have told him?’
She sighed heavily, her breath shuddering through her petite frame in a way that had Matt hurt for her. ‘I guess…I’d ask him to stay. Not for the garrison, not for the rest of the paladins. For me. Because I’ve loved him so long I don’t know how…’ She paused as a small sob wracked her body. ‘I don’t know how to carry on if he leaves again.’
‘Why couldn’t you tell me?’
Pidge’s head shot around at the sound of his voice, this time coming from the office doorway. Her cheeks flamed as Matt took a step back, allowing her space. She wasn’t sure if it was to put him out of striking distance, as she really felt like punching him out right now because he had obviously set her up, or just to give her space, but she couldn’t consider that right now. Her mouth worked a few times, but nothing came out, unable to form any words after unknowingly confessing to the man she loved.
‘Why couldn’t you just tell me?’ He repeated as he came forward, allowing Matt the chance to slip away and out of the door. ‘I just don’t get it, I thought we were close, that you could tell me anything.’
‘We were, are.’ She corrected herself, getting to her feet and backing up two steps, hoping to keep some distance between them so she could continue to think clearly, but the hurt and confusion in his eyes threatened to addle her further. ‘And that’s exactly why I couldn’t.’
‘I don’t understand that.’ He shook his head. ‘Shouldn’t stronger feelings make it easier to talk to me?’
‘No!’ She threw her arms up in the air. ‘Not in the slightest! You’re leaving and I might never see you again, even if you do say you’re going to visit, but if I had told you, if you knew, like you know now, you might avoid Earth all together just to save us having another awkward conversation like this one!’
‘I still don’t understand why this has to be awkward.’ He took another step towards her as her back bumped into a rack of spare parts. He was still some way away but she couldn’t help feeling cornered, even if she could easily have escaped. ‘Why would telling me you love me be so hard?’
‘Because…’ She started as he got ever closer.
‘I’m listening.’
‘Because…’
‘Yeah?’
‘Because nothing I say could make you feel the same way!’ She blurted as he reached her, one hand coming up to rest on the shelf beside her head. ‘And nothing I say could make you stay.’ She murmured.
He sighed, lowering his gaze as he did so before speaking in an equally hushed tone. ‘Quiznak, Katie. How did you never realise that I’d stay…but only for you?’
‘You’dwhatnow?’ She garbled as he suddenly looked up at her through his eyelashes, a small smile on his lips.
‘Ask me to stay. Not because the team need me, not because the garrison needs me, but because you need me.’
She took a shuddering breath before letting it out, her voice coming in little more than a whisper. ‘Stay, Keith, please? For me?’
His free hand came up to cup her cheek, angling her face towards him as his lips approached hers. ‘For you? Anything. All you have to do is ask.’
Note: No trash cans, spanners, or circuit boards were harmed in the writing of this one-shot.
