Mail Call
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Pairing: Keidge
Summary: A night away from his Blade responsibilities gives Keith the chance to think and make a purchase that he thinks will earn him some brownie points with a special someone.
Standard Disclaimer: If you read and enjoy this, please give it a like/ reblog so I know if I should write more.
AN: I said I was here for KidgeFest and I meant it! Hope you all enjoy it!
He’d been walking through an intergalactic swap meet with Nihaar and Adwru, two other younger Blade members, when he spotted them. It was a rare day off to the young recruits where they were allotted time to simply mill about off base. “I understand that you are all still relatively young,” Kolivan had said calmly, “and will still expect you to behave yourselves, as you’re all professional trained soldiers, but you should take a little time to unwind.” Adwru revealed that Princess Allura had been getting on Kolivan’s ass during their last meeting about how hard he rode them all once they were flying away from the base.
That had earned a laugh from Keith and Nihaar, the idea of their leader being intimidated by anyone, regardless of title, being too humorous to ignore.
They didn’t have a lot of money and Keith’s permanent ban from the space mall had prohibited any of them from going to the Space Mall, so Nihaar had insisted they go to a nearby swap meet instead. “It’s a pretty cool place; lots of rare goodies for pretty nice prices. Plus, they have some food carts that hang around with the best friend Gultuyar tail and I thikn Keith needs to try it!” She had insisted to Adwru, whom had been flying them. With an annoyed groan, the male Galra agreed and they headed out.
Keith had barely managed to swallow down the Gultuyar tail that Nihaar treated him too – it was a sweet meat that made his teeth hurt and his stomach roll – and then they started on their trek to see what their options were. He had been floored by getting a small pocket knife with five different exchangeable blades for what translated to only five bucks, but it had been the stunning, adorable matching letter writing sets he’d found a few spots down that really caught him off guard. Both were in small wooden boxes with little glass panel over the front to allow them to be seen, but were tied off with lacy ribbons.
He knelt down and indicated it to the alien settled in front of the wears – a four armed being with six eyes and pale orange flesh – whom tilted their head. “Is it okay if I open one of these to get a better look?” He asked, tapping the top of one with one finger lightly.
“Of course,” They agreed before turning their attention to someone else asking about a different item.
He smiled and picked on up, resting it on his knee as he carefully tugged the ribbon off. Adwru peeked over his shoulder curiously, ears perking to attention. “What’chu lookin’ at, pal o’ mine?” He drawled playfully, finishing off the last bite of some cotton candy-esque treat he’d gotten himself.
“It’s a stationary set,” He said calmly, popping open the lid to look at all the trappings inside better. He felt a paw land on his shoulder and someone else lean far too close into his personal space. “Nihaar, do you mind?” He asked, shifting his feet a bit to try and remain upright without dropping the wares in his hands.
“Not at all; you’re a very comfy perch,” She snarked back before reaching past him to indicate what Keith could only describe as a glass smoking pipe.
“What are you getting the stationary set for?” Adwru asked politely, his attention focused on a set of lovely scarves hanging with some other accessories at the top of the little area. Most likely looking for a gift for his moms, since Keith recalled him mentioning the anniversary of when they became bonded mates was coming up soon.
“Might be nice to have,” Keith answered, shrugging in response and also in an attempt to dislodge Nihaar. She retailiated by teasing at his shoulder with her claws, little pin-pricks touching his skin in warning. The set he was looking at was absolutely stunning, in vibrant shades of red and orange and yellow. The actual paper had a crisp and firm feel to it, with almost-smoke like wisps of all the colors bordering the writing space. The envelopes the letters could be put inside looked like the sky as the sun rose in the mornings, lovely waves of pinks and reds and oranges and yellows. There were six square cubes of what seemed to be some kind of wax – two were red, two orange, and two yellow – and a small stamp that was most likely meant to be used to seal the letters shut. There was also a small pot of ink and a lovely white feather quill for writing.
Adwru whistled lowly, leaning slightly over to see them. “Those look like the kinds of sets Altean aristocrats used to exchange as, like, weddings gifts and junk,” He pointed out, making sure to keep his voice low so they weren’t overheard. Thankfully, Nihaar had the stall-keeper busy in debating the price of that strange pipe she’d been so fixated on. “These things are ridiculously pricey for something you’re just buying for the sake of having it.”
“So basically you’re saying that they’re of a quiality that warrants the price,” He said simply while carefully placing everything back inside and closing the lid.
“Well, yeah, but it’ll just be a decorative piece to sit around in your room! I mean, we have advanced communicate technology if you wanted to talk to someone! Letters are a little… Archaic, to say the least,” He argued with a small frown, one ear staying cocked upwards while the other drooped a little bit. His ears always did that when he was confused.
“Well, maybe I just like the idea of being able to actually write on some really nice paper with some ink, for a change,” He said.
“You’re such an old man,” Nihaar laughed, finally pushing off his shoulder to swap the alien in charge of the booth some coins for the pipe.
He rolled his eyes a bit, having learned to be patient with Nihaar’s teasing after so long working with her, and carefully put the ribbon back over the box. He left it in his lap and indicated the other one. “Does that one look just like this one, just in green, blue and purple?” He asked.
“Yes, it is,” They answered, dropping what Nihaar had just given them into a small steel box and then offering her some change in exchange.
“How much for both of them?”
“Ah, here’s a man that knows quality when he sees it!” The stall-keeper beamed. They then tapped their chin in thought before smiling, picking up the second set, and placing it on top of the first one on Keith’s lap. “They were originally 45 Turlupa coins each, since they’re pretty high quality, as you can see, but since you’re taking both… I’ll knock the price down to 72 Turlupa coins for the both of them. Sound fair?” Adwru stared down with wide eyes while Nihaar swore under her breath in surprise. Keith pulled out his small coin pouch and fished around, producing the needed funds and handing them over. The alien beamed and revealed a mouth with only four long, protruding fangs and forked snake tongue. “Excellent! Would you like a sack to carry those in while you continue walking around?” They offered.
“Yes, please. Thank you,” Keith said, watching as they reached intoa large tub beside them and started rummaging through for the bag. He looked up to see both his teammates still staring at him in awe. “What?”
“Dude,” Nihaar breathed quietly.
“Do… Do you realize what just happened? You basically just committed a fucking robbery on this more guy! This guy is undercharging you so bad it’s making me sick that you’re just rolling with it!” Adwru blurted frantically, indicating the two sets and then the stall-keep in question.
“Dude,” Nihaar drawled out again, a small bubbling laugh escaping her.
“What? What do you mean?” Keith snapped back, glaring back at Adwru. There were times that the other Blade members forgot about the cultural difference between them and Keith. Most of the time it was little things that were easily overlooked or corrected. A reaction such as this, however, seemed a little above the norm.
“These things were worth 75 Sumtarali stones for one back when Altea was still an actual fucking planet! Their even higher in price now that they’re crazy rare!” Keith still wasn’t an expert at alien currency, but even he knew that was significantly more than he’d just been charged; something akin to only being charged fourty bucks for something worth over 500, if he remembered those specific currencies values correctly.
The stall-keep huffed and jabbed Adwru once in the chest firmly with a cane before offering the bag to Keith. “How I pedal my wares is my own business; I don’t need some Galran kitten hissing and snarling at me about my prices,” They sneered flatly, firmly pushing enough to send Adwru stumbling back a few paces. They then gestured around them with the cane. “Now, if all you’re gonna do is make a fuss, you’re more than welcome to keep moving. I have actual customers to talk with.”
Adwru’s ears tipped back and he grumbled bitterly, but turned and stomped off. “Oh geez,” Nihaar said with a roll of her eyes, “now he’s all grumpy. I’ll go see if I can get him to cheer up; catch up with us when you’re done here, Keith!” With that, she waggled her cat-like fingers at him and darted after their other teammate. Keith watched as she jumped on his back, sending them tumbling face-first into the dirt a few feet ahead of them.
He turned back to the alien and looked from the bag, the sets, then back to them. “If these are worth more, I’d rather pay you the correct amount,” He said sternly, choosing to ignore the fact that he didn’t even have that much money on him to offer.
They laughed and waved one hand. “Like I told your friend, I charge what I want to for my goods. You can argue about paying a steeper price all you want but I won’t accept a smeckle more. Now, If I were you, I’d bag those up before anyone else notices. Someone who knows what those are worth might try and mug you for them if you aren’t careful,” They said, their voice polite but carrying an air of finality to it.
“Why are you charging me so little for something so valuable? I mean, you could turn a huge profit off this if you sold it to anyone else here,” He pointed out gently, shifting to carefully but quickly put the two stationary sets away. Thankfully the bag they’d given him was made of a dark fabric, so it wasn’t see through, and also had a zipper between the two handles.
“Because I can see you have a lovely plan in mind for how to make use of them. I’d rather sell them to a lovestruck kid planning to make actual use of them than make a huge profit off them for them to just sit on a shelf for the highest bidder to brag about,” They explained, setting their cane back down beside them as they settled back into their seated position form before. They then tapped a small photo beside them, a picture of an alien that looked very similar to them. “That’s what my beloved Stru’latel would want me to do, too.”
He blushed a bit but smiled and waved before heading off to catch up with his friends.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
She was awoken by a loud pounding on her bedroom door. She tried pulling her pillow back over her head and block the noise out, but it just continued on. She groaned, pushing herself upright, and marched right over to the door. It slid open to reveal Lance. “You better have a damn good reason for waking me up,” She snarled.
He blinked then pouted at her response, one hand on his hip and the other tucked behind his back. “Well good morning to you, too, Pidge!”
“Lance,” She drawled out, rubbing at her face with one hand. She’d been up late that night working on decrypting some secret messages they’d been able to infiltrate between two Galra hubs. She wasn’t in the mood for games and just really wanted to go back to sleep.
He huffed before pulling the other arm from behind his back and offering a small box wrapped in gift paper to her. There was also a small green envelope on the top. “This came in the mail for you today,” He said with a small sniff, clearly insulted by her attitude. She took it from him and tilted her head, turning the package over in her hands before looking at the card on top.
She recognized the lovely cursive her name was written in immediately and smiled.
“Thanks, Lance,” She said, giving his shoulder a quick pat before retreating to her room. She heard him call something back in response – either a you’re welcome or other teasing remark, she didn’t particularly care – as she flopped on to her bed. She plucked the card off and set the gift beside her, turning it around. “Oh, fancy,” She giggled to herself at the light purple wax seal keeping the letter closed. The seal resembled what she recalled being an Altean bird called the Hildrugal. Being careful to not rip the actual envelope or break the seal itself, she popped it out and pulled out the little card inside.
Dear Pidge,
Sorry I haven’t been able to schedule a proper date with you in so long; Kolivan’s been even more demanding than usual, if that’s possible. I remembered that you mentioned before that you always wanted to have a penpal to give your collection of aethetically pleasing stationary sets purpose, so I was thinking we could maybe do just that. And, I know your actual collection is back on Earth, so I decided to get you a jump start on a new one for space. Hope to hear from you again soon.
Yours Truly,
Keith Kogane
She blinked, re-reading it twice, before she giggled and pressed the letter to her chest and flopping back against her bed. “He’s such a sap,” She mused to herself, turning on to her side so she could start tearing into the wrapping paper, “and I’m an even bigger sap for loving it.”
Summary: If there was one day of the year Pidge hated more than any other, it was Valentines Day. Too bad Keith didn’t get that memo until too late.
Part 1 - Part 2
Also posted on AO3 and fanfiction.net
I stayed up later than I should have to get this finished, but it's finally done!
It's late, I know.
@kidgefest
3. Love Song
Keith slowly walked through the halls. The image of Pidge staring at him, her big brown eyes filled with tears, was seared into his brain.
He had to do something to make it right. He couldn't let her go on believing that there was no one who could fall in love with her. It was time to stop allowing his fears to rule him. He had to tell her the truth, even if it meant she never wanted to see or speak to him again. (The thought of that happening made his chest tighten as though something had reached inside and tightly squeezed.)
He just had to figure out how.
Keith was going to need a little help with that, which meant swallowing his pride and asking for it. And unfortunately, he knew just who would be the best person to help him.
He found Lance lounging on one of the cheap but comfortable couches with his head resting in Hunk's lap. The two were quietly talking as Keith approached and he cleared his throat to get their attention.
Lance peered up at him curiously, one eyebrow raised. “Something we can help you with, Mullet?”
Keith swallowed thickly, ignoring the part of him that wanted to do nothing more than turn tail and run. He had to be strong for Pidge's sake.
And for his own.
Drawing on every ounce of courage he had, Keith began to explain the whole situation to Lance and Hunk, starting with the letter he wrote for her.
Pidge felt like she woke up once every hour that night, her restless brain unable to relax for a single minute. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see the earnest expression on Keith's face as he held her hand and told her she was incredible. And in the little bit of time when she was able to sleep, she dreamed that she hadn't run away. That she'd stayed and somehow ended up wrapped in his arms, warm and safe, almost as though they were more than just friends.
She wanted to cry when her alarm cut on, signaling loud and clear that it was time for her to get up and get ready for the day. She moved sluggishly, her whole body heavy as she went about her morning routine. She brushed aside Matt's concern for her, leaving the house before he could start to really worry and ask questions.
The rest of her day went about the same. Time dragged on, she ignored her friends' worried looks, only answered questions from her teachers when they were directed her way, and ate the bare minimum of food to keep her going. All she wanted to do was go back home and collapse in her bed, hopefully to get some actual sleep. Pidge didn't want to think about the fake love letter or about what Keith said to her anymore.
She just wanted to move on.
She sent off a quick text message to Lance, letting him know she was going home for the day so he wouldn't waste time searching for her, and then she began the long walk to her car, which she'd purposefully parked in a different place in hopes of throwing off her newest tormentor.
Pidge's kept her head bowed, her senses stretched thin as she listened for noisy chatter and footsteps and watched for approaching shadows in order to avoid bumping into anyone. It was only when she got near where she parked that she looked up.
Keith was there, hands shoved in his pockets, looking thoroughly uncomfortable as he stood there. His hair was down and was mussed at the back of his neck, as if he'd spent a lot of time tugging his fingers through the longer strands, a nervous habit Pidge knew very well from their study sessions together. He raised his eyes as she slowly approached, but said nothing until she was standing right in front of him.
“Keith?” she asked, unable to keep her exhaustion from coloring her voice. “Is something wrong?”
“I'm sorry,” he blurted out. He visibly winced, closed his eyes, and breathed out before opening them again. “What I said yesterday, I meant it. You're one of the most amazing people I've ever known and not just because of how smart you are. You're kind too. And patient. And...” Keith clenched his hands at his sides, struggling to get the words out. “I'm the one who wrote the letter.”
Pidge felt the world tilt around her.
Keith had written the letter.
Keith, her friend, had written a love letter and left it for her to find.
Keith, who she'd developed a tiny, miniscule crush on, liked her back.
It wasn't something she'd prepared for. She wasn't ready. Every part of her screamed to run away, to collect her thoughts, and then respond to what was going on, but there was that one little voice that held her steady.
Running away never helped, it only hurt people.
“Pidge, please say something?” Keith's voice was soft, as if he was afraid speaking any louder would cause her to bolt.
She planted her feet firmly on the ground. “You wrote the letter?” she asked for confirmation, raising her eyes to meet his. “You like me?”
“I did. I do,” Keith stumbled over his words. “I like you, Katie. I have for a while. I just didn't know how to tell you and thought writing it down would help, but it didn't. And then I thought... I thought giving you the letter was the right way, but what if it ruined things between us? I'd rather have you as a friend than nothing. So that's why... I'm sorry. I didn't know.”
Pidge was at a loss for what to do. She'd never dared to fantasize that he would return her feelings. Was she supposed to admit that she liked him back? Should she hug him? How did other people handle situations like that?
And then she heard it. A quiet melody, slowly growing louder. A very distinctive and familiar love song.
Keith frowned and looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. If he strained his ears, he could make out the sound of a heated argument between Hunk and Lance as they continued their debate over the proper music to use, even after he'd turned down their offer of playing “mood music” during his confession.
Pidge couldn't help it. She giggled at the cross expression on Keith's face, the tension inside of her snapping at long last. She recognized that song at once. It was the same one Lance spent nights playing outside of Hunk's bedroom window, serenading the boy until he laughingly agreed to go on a date. She understood immediately what was happening.
Poor Keith.
Lance really didn't have as great of a grasp on romance as he thought.
“Keith,” she murmured, stepping closer to him. She reached out and took his hand. And maybe it was because of the music playing in the background or maybe it was because she was already sure of Keith's feelings, but suddenly she didn't feel so afraid of her own. “I'm glad it's you. I've, um, had a crush on you for a while too.”
He stood there, frozen in front of her in wake of her own confession, and then gave her a dazzling smile. His fingers laced together with hers, warm and comfortable.
And for a moment, everything was perfect.
(And then Lance and Hunk fell out of their hiding place, arguing loudly with each other and effectively ruining the mood they'd hoped to cultivate.)
Kids Again
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Pairing: Keidge
Summary: And when I’m feeling small,
You help me through it all. [link]
Standard Disclaimer: If you read and enjoy this, please give it a like/ reblog so I know if I should write more.
AN: Day 3 of KidgeFest fill! I just want to say that I have associated this song with Kidge since the first time I heard it and I am so grateful to have an excuse to advertise that fact!
He grew sick of the constant lectures he got from Kolivan pretty quick and simply adjusted to taking it in stride.
He knew he wasn’t supposed to go sticking his neck out to save other Blade members on missions. “We may work with Voltron,” Kolivan had said, sounding tired from having the conversation for yet another time, “but we are not them. The Blade has other priorities. Knowledge or death, Keith; that is what it means to be a member of the Blade.” He hated having to hear that phrase over and over again. It just reminded him that he didn’t belong there, with the rest of them. Sure, he was half-Galra like a good chunk of the other members, but he was like them. He didn’t bear any hint of his Galran heritage physically – due to never being injected with small doses of quintessenses as a child, he later learned – and he had spend so many years of his life participating in things that required teamwork that he wasn’t so good at that.
Pidge had once teasingly called him the lone wolf that actually looked out for an entire pack but it was more accurate than he’d like to admit.
He headed back to his own room in their headquarters and slumped against the small cot-like bed there. He’d just been reamed into because Nihaar had gone ahead and saved another member of the Blade while retreating from a Galra-hub with a device full of secret, coded files. It hadn’t been hard for them to figure out where she’d picked that habit up from, all things considered. The other Blade that she’d saved was furious when she woke up – actually tried to attack Nihaar for denying her the glory of death on the battlefield – and Kolivan warned that they would be permenantly kept from working together if the problem persisted.
Nihaar was one of the few Blade members that was good to Keith. She was more a friend than a comrade and he hated the idea of never getting to work with her again. He trusted Nihaar and knew she had his back in a way that only two other people in Keith’s life ever had. She was a great support and had taught him a lot about his Galran heritage that he never would have known otherwise. The older members of the Blade had no patience for his questions and curiosity, while Nihaar was always eager to tell him what she knew as long as he shared the Earth snacks he kept stashed in his room with her. There was only one other place in the galaxy that he felt comfortable being himself without fear of reprecussions.
“Geez, these windows are really easy to open, aren’t they?” An all too familiar voice goaded from the other side of his room.
Speaking of Keith’s limited safe places to fall.
He jerked upright and looked over, needing to verify that his ears had been right. There, with a small stereo playing quiet music, was none other than Pidge, sitting cross-legged in the slightly ajar mouth of the Green Lion. “What are you doing in my neck of the woods?” He asked, skeptical that she was actually here. Pidge had been on the Blade’s main base before – she was a Paladin of Voltron and his girlfriend, after all – but to see her here on personal business without him knowing was strange.
She shrugged, adjusting the boombox in her lap, and the little spurs on the leather jacket she was wearing clinked together softly. “I was just in the neighborhood… Figured I’d see if I could convince a pretty little thank like you to sneak out for a night on the town,” She said, winking playfully.
He snickered a bit and shook his head. “Kolivan would kill me if I did. I’m already in enough trouble with him as it is,” He said, shoulders sagging a bit as he remembered the previous conversation.
“What was he getting on you about this time?” Pidge asked, rolling her eyes a bit. She was probably the only other person as sick of Kolivan’s treatment of Keith than Keith himself, if he was honest.
“I guess Nihaar saved another blade from getting blown up after an intel gather went south. Now he’s threatening to break us up on missions if I don’t stop exhibiting behaviors that directly conflict with the initiative of the Blade,” He explained, keeping his gaze casted to the floor. Not too long ago, he would have gotten defensive or shut down at a question like that. Well, admittedly, he still tended to get a bit aggressive when he was pestered about what was wrong with him.
Unless the person asking was Pidge, that is.
“Are you kidding me?” She sputtered indignantly. She huffed and changed the tracks on her boombox to something a bit more intense to match her mood. “That’s absolutely stupid! The Blade numbers are already kinda pathetic compared to any other group we’re allied with! You’d think that maintaining what little they have would be a huge benefit! Want me to Allura on him? I know she’s having another meeting with all the groups in the coalition soon. I’m sure she’d have a field day dressing him down in front of a bunch of other leader-types.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “For as much as I appreciate that offer, I shouldn’t. The fact remains that I shouldn’t be doing things against Blade regulations,”
“You’ll never be able to fit in with them the way things are, Keith. You’re too genuinely loving and compassionate to abandon someone on the battlefield; consequences be damned,” She said in a gentle but serious tone. He paused and stared at her, meeting her blazing gaze. “That’s why you’re still doing it, even after all this time you’ve been working with the, and it’s honestly one of the reasons I love you so much. You’re a real softie underneath that edgelord exterior, and you won’t stop doing something when you know that you’re right, and I sincerely hope that you never do. The galaxy would be a lot better with more people that think like you in it.”
He opened his mouth to say something then closed it again, unsure of how to respond. He learned that, when Pidge was allowed to be honest, she could say things that were sincerely sweet. She – much like him – had a bad habit of shoving her foot in her mouth and being misinterpretted. He had dealt with that a lot growing up, too, and had been so relieved as he got closer to her and found it wasn’t like that. For the longest time they’d both apologize right after saying something that might be seen as harsh or rude, but the other would wave it off, completely unperturbed and understanding.
He knew what she was saying, both what the words meant at face value and the other message attached.
“Now, given that, it sounds like you absolutely need a night out. Get changed and get in the Lion,” She hummed with a small click of her tongue, setting the bookbox off to the side and crawling to the edge of Green’s mouth. If not for the fact the mechanical feline was nearly pressed right up against the building itself, he’d have panicked about her falling out.
“And where, exactly, are you planning to take me?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
She beamed at him, smug and proud. “We – Lance, Matt and I – may have found an illegal spaceship racing derby not too far off from here. Lance is planning to enter the race with Red. The rest of us – Matt, Hunk, Allura and the two of us – are going along for moral support. And to, you know, maybe do some gambling,” She explained, her tone completely casual.
Keith hummed then glanced back at the door to his room. “If Kolivan finds out I bailed -!”
“If Kolivan gets huffy, I’ll lie and tell him that it’s an Earthling courtship ritual or something. I always have a contingency plan, and if I don’t, I can cook one up like that,” She said, snapping her fingers for emphasis. She then clearled her throat and patted one of Green’s large metal fangs. “Now why don’t you get all dolled up for a trip on the space equivalent of a magic carpet?”
“I’ve flown a Lion before, you know,” He laughed, but he turned and headed towards the small closet regardless.
“Hey, I am being suave here. Don’t spoil my fun,” She tsked back at him.
“Have you been getting advice for Lance?”
“Rude. I haven’t gotten that desperate yet,”
“Not yet?” He teased back, disappearing into his closet to actuall change. He left the door cracked a bit so that he could keep talking to her.
“Give me some credit. I came here because I just had a feeling you were gonna need me, so I may not have figured this whole thing out ahead of time. Well, that I thought you’d enjoy going to the race. I know how much you like checking out the craftsmanship behind some of the self-built ships other non-Galran factions use,” She commented.
He smiled as he tugged up his jeans and slipped a belt through the loops. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little interested,” He agreed.
“Damn right you would be!” She laughed lightly.
“You know,” He called, tugging a shirt over his head, “isn’t this situation supposed to be the other way around? Like, you know, the guy coerces the girl to sneak out while Daddy isn’t looking to go to some risky event?”
“Have we ever followed the norms of a situation in our relationship?” She retorted as he opened the door, grabbing his jacket and shoving it on as he crossed the room to her. She stood up, one hand holding the handle of the boombox and the other extended to him.
“No, we haven’t. And I hope we never do; I like the surprise you bring to my life,” He said, smile wide and sincere and warm.
“Right back at you, Kogane,” She mused back, leaning up to give him a quick kiss. He tried to chase after her but she stepped back. “Ah, ah. You gotta wait until we get their if you want more.”
He chuckled and followed her into the cockpit, making a note to remind Pidge to leave hickies in less obvious places this time around. The hour-long conversation hed had with Zartula, another Blade general that was working with Kolivan, about the Galran equivalent of safe sex had been humiliating – hilarious to Pidge when she told him – and was something he’d like to avoid again.
Summary: If there was one day of the year Pidge hated more than any other, it was Valentines Day. Too bad Keith didn’t get that memo until too late.
Also on AO3 and fanfiction.net
For the Kidge Valentines Event 2018! So normally I write individual one-shot for events, but this time it’s 3 chapters to a mini-fic. Updates may be a little late (like this one), since I’m at a convention right now and didn’t write them ahead of time like I planned to.
1. Yours Truly
Pidge glared at the letter in her hands, as if willing it to spontaneously combust from the heat of her eyes alone. Lance wearily watched her from the other side of the table they'd commandeered for lunch, unsure if he should ask her what was wrong, or just wait until she told him. One would lead to her yelling at him and the other... would probably also lead to her yelling at him.
He slowly leaned back to sneakily take a look around, praying Hunk would show up with their food soon and save him from death by tiny, angry friend.
Lance would really like to live, please and thank you.
He fought not to smile and wave his arms when he spotted his boyfriend making his way towards them, carrying two trays of food. Any sudden movement could be the thing that made Pidge snap. Unless, of course, you were Hunk, who was the only person in the universe who was immune to her fury. (Probably because it was impossible to be mean to him without feeling like a horrible human being immediately afterward.)
Hunk slowed down as he approached and when he reached them, he gently put down one tray and then the other before sitting down next to Lance. “Is Pidge okay?” he quietly asked.
Lance shrugged. “I haven't asked yet,” he whispered back.
“I can hear you,” Pidge grumbled, tossing the letter down on the table for her friends to see.
Hunk peered at it closely. “Is that...”
“A love letter?” Lance finished, looking to Pidge in concern. All at once, her anger made sense to him.
While he hadn't met her until their final year of high school and had never seen first hand the sort of torment her classmates put her through, he'd heard stories of the young girl genius who didn't quite fit in and the “pranks” her peers had played on her.
“You can read it. I don't care,” Pidge muttered, reaching for the food Hunk brought for her. “It's just another stupid joke. Someone left it on the windshield of my car.”
Lance carefully picked up the letter, scanning over it quickly. It seemed like a pretty standard love note. Maybe not as flowery as some of the ones he'd exchanged with Hunk, but it was sweet. The end was simply signed:
Yours Truly,
K
“Aww, that's cute!” Hunk said, leaning over to read along with Lance. “You've got a secret admirer, Pidge!”
“It's not cute,” Pidge snapped, jerking the letter out of Lance's hand. “Some jackass found out what car I drive and wrote this stupid letter, just to mess with me on Valentines Day. It's nothing more than a joke.”
Hunk watched, stricken, as she crumbled up the paper and stuffed it deep into her bag, where it was likely to be fully destroyed later. “Pidge...”
She refused to say anything more on the subject, focusing on her food instead. Lance picked up on her less-than-subtle cue and changed the topic to classes, nudging Hunk into going along with it. He'd explain what he knew later.
Writing that letter had been one of the most nerve-wracking things he'd ever done. He'd spent weeks agonizing over the exact wording and then discovered he had a bigger dilemma: how to give her the letter.
He could have asked someone to deliver it to her or sent it through the mail, but that felt... wrong. And he didn't really want anyone else involved. The very thought of personally handing it to her made him want to call the whole thing off, as it made his heart race in a way that was unfamiliar and uncomfortable to him.
In the end, the best way Keith could think of was to tuck it under a windshield wiper on her car, where she would be sure to see it.
He knew it was cowardly.
He knew it could go utterly, horribly not in his favor.
But it felt... safe.
Confessing to her in person would mean that she would know how he felt about her. It could ruin their friendship. The letter gave him a safety net. If she rejected it, she wasn't rejecting him. He could live with only being friends.
Summary: If there was one day of the year Pidge hated more than any other, it was Valentines Day. Too bad Keith didn’t get that memo until too late.
Part 1
Also on AO3 and fanfiction.net
@kidgefest
It’s a little late, but here’s the second part! I’ll get part three written tomorrow!
2. Candy
The longer the day went on, the more tense Pidge got. She couldn't focus on anything except that stupid letter, no matter how much she swore she wouldn't let it get to her. She could feel Lance's worried gaze on her whenever they were in the same room together and knew he wanted to talk, but she couldn't.
Lance wouldn't understand.
No one did.
She never thought she'd find herself reliving her nightmares. She thought for sure that moving on to college meant not having to deal with juvenile pranks on a regular basis.
Pidge struggled through her classes, unable to focus, and found herself eager to reach the end of each one. She just needed to get away. She needed time to think. To be by herself. But as much as she wanted to flee the campus the moment she got out of her last class, there was one more thing she needed to do.
She hurried to the library, seeking out a particular table tucked away in the back corner near a window overlooking the campus arboretum. Sitting at the table, head bowed as he poured over a textbook, was her friend and favorite study-buddy, Keith. She slowed as she approached, taking a moment to appreciate the way the sunlight hit his black hair, which was pulled back into a stubby ponytail at the base of his neck. His mouth was twisted down into a frown as he tried to understand whatever it was he was reading.
He groaned and lifted his head up, taking a quick glance around. When he spotted her, his frown melted away, replaced by a sweet smile.
Pidge tried to ignore the way her heart seemed to skip a beat.
Maybe she would stay for a little while.
“Hey,” he greeted as she walked closer.
Pidge swung her bag down from one shoulder, preparing to set it next to her usual chair. “Hi,” she replied, offering him her own smile as she sat down.
From there, their study session proceeded as usual, with Keith asking her to explain a technical detail every now and then and Pidge requesting help with proofreading on her current essay. With him, it was easy to forget about the letter. They were immersed in their own world; nothing outside of their corner of the library existed to them so long as they were there together.
Until Keith bent down and took a small box of Valentines candy from his bag and put it on the table for them to share.
Pidge stared at it, feeling as though she'd been doused with freezing water. All of her stresses of the day came rushing back, the memory of the letter crushed at the bottom of her bag screaming for her attention. She clutched her pencil hard.
“Pidge?” Keith asked, concerned. He glanced from the candy on the table, to the pinched expression on her face and wondered if there was something he'd forgotten. Was she allergic? Had she expressed her hatred of the candies to him before and he'd somehow forgotten? Did-?
“I got a love letter today.”
Keith went still, all of the air knocked from his lungs.
How did she find out it was me?
Pidge breathed in shakily, staring down at her clenched hands as she rested them on the tabletop. “You know in all of those stupid teenage movies, the ones where the so-called ugly nerd girl likes the pretty popular boy and gets a makeover for the school dance and is suddenly desirable? And he does everything he can, like leaving 'romantic' notes in her locker or whatever until she decides he isn't such a bad guy and then they date? That... was never my high school experience. I was the nerd girl who was teased for being too smart and I did get love letters left for me, but they were all part of a joke. A joke I stupidly believed for three months until I learned the truth.”
Keith's gut twisted guiltily as he watched a single tear slide down her cheek. If he'd known the misery he'd cause her from his letter, he never would have written it. He never would have left it for her to find. (He never would have confessed his feelings, period, keeping them bottled up deep deep inside forever.)
“I'm sorry,” Pidge apologized, standing up. Her hands trembled as she gathered her things. “I can't. I-”
Without realizing what he was doing, Keith reached out and gently grabbed her hand, steadying her and keeping her from running away. “Whoever did that to you is an idiot. You're an incredible person, Katie. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their girlfriend.” He could feel his cheeks heating up as his brain caught up with his mouth, but the damage was done.
Pidge blinked back more tears, tugging her hand from his grasp.
Soo~ I wanted to draw a background like the Disney-Pixar™ movie “Coco" and somehow ended in those romantic island🌴 Inspired a lot by the Sungha Jung songs while drawing it (also those from WINNER like "island” & “love me love me”)
