#post vld s8

[plancinginthemoonlight]

The real reason Dreamworks couldn't give us another close up of adult Pidge is cause they knew the world wasn't ready for that much beauty in 10 seconds.

[lanceisgayking]

Keith and Lance in love and happy forever after

[bluelixn]

The Paladins are all in a room together when suddenly the lights go off.

Lance: “Don’t worry guys, I got this”

*stomps feet*

*Altean marks begin to glow*

[plancinginthemoonlight]

I guess I'll never know

The reason why

You love me as you do

That's the wonder

The wonder of you

(You’ll have to pry post s8 Plance from my cold dead hands.)

[plancinginthemoonlight]

You see these two idiots? I love them.💚💙

((I shouldn't be allowed to draw Plance it just comes out super cheesy))

[plancinginthemoonlight]

“She gave you a rose, but I’d plant you a garden.” OOFT 💚💙🌱🍃

((I tried not to draw something cheesy for once and instead we get this???))

[plancinginthemoonlight]

Me @ s8:

[plancinginthemoonlight]

Slow dances for Yellow.

Hunk and Shay's wedding turned out to be one of the most spectacular events that Pidge had even had the privilege of attending.

The ceremony took place in a large hall in Hunk's home town, phenomenally decorated to resemble a Balmeran cave. Blue crystals were strung across the room, flickering gently over draped Balmeran tapestries. The rest of the decor was subtle and rustic, perfectly capturing the joining of Hunk's love of home and Shay's Balmeran culture.

Pidge had gaped in awe at Shay's dress, unable to remove her gaze from the pristine silver outfit worn in Balmeran pairing ceremonies. Naturally, Shay had insisted that she be her maid of honour (once hunk had explained the concept to her).

Pidge was thrilled to accept, and spent the months counting down to the day she could celebrate with her friends. She loved the catch ups more than anything, always enthusiastic about learning of her fellow paladins adventures.

Hunk, she kept in regular contact with. He was often giving her advice on her latest scientific endeavour. Keith and Shiro were always sure to call her at least twice a month to check in on her.

But Lance never seemed to call.

Pidge often found herself sat staring at a screen, waiting for his name to reflect into her eyes. There were several occasions where she had called him to no prevail. By the time the wedding rolled around, she hadn't seen his face in over a year.

Upon seeing the Best man during the ceremony, Pidge has sworn her endocrine system had gone into over drive. It was like being 15 again. Lance made her chest flutter inexplicably and her heart unravelled any hope of rational thinking. She never could have predicted that being stood across from him for 30 minutes would require all of her concentration. In that time, Pidge became overwhelmed with a sense of guilt. Lance still wouldn't talk to her.

Had she done something wrong?

Now, the Maid of honour found herself sat alone at a table. The reception was decorated as intricately as the ceremony, even having tiny Balmeran crystals acting as a centre piece on each table. Pidge huffed aloud, fiddling with crystal in front of her. Her head rested in her free hand, eyes scanning the room studiously.

Keith was stood with his mother and several other coalition leaders. In the beginning, Pidge had teased him relentlessly for his ponytail, but now it was starting to grow on her. A light chuckle left her lungs as Pidge's gaze shifted across to Shiro. He was chatting with his husband and her father, clearly about something extremely amusing. Hunk and Shay were currently in the middle of photographs with Shay's family, a vast number of Balmerans gathered around the young couple.

Finally, Pidge let her eyes wander across to the Best man, who like her, was sat alone on a neighbouring table. He had a forlorn look inching it's way across his face. A face still branded with Altean markings. His hands clasped a glass, the contents of which she suspected was not a soft drink.

Pidge felt her head tilt to one side as she continued to study him. The tie of his suit was loose, and his jacket was flung gently over the back of his chair. His eyes were focused on his drink, hooded eyelids adding to his somber expression. Pidge felt the urge to sit with him sneak up on her, and with every sip of her drink, it became a more feasible idea. She was desparate to hear his voice.

"So how long have you been in love with him?"

A voice flooded Pidge's brain, startling her so much that she had to steady herself on her seat. Her head whipped around to the source of the sound. Pidge's eyes met the smiling face of Lance's sister, Rachel.

"What?! No I'm!.. I-I," Pidge spluttered, hearing her own fumbled words fall out of her mouth. A searing heat surged into Pidge's cheeks and made it's way up her brow, worsened only by Rachel's scanning eyes.

"You've been staring like a love struck puppy for 5 minutes."

Lance's sister raised a solitary eyebrow at her, leaning back into the seat she now occupied. Pidge inhaled sharply to compose herself, sitting up straight.

"I don't know what gave you that idea, but I'm certainly not in love with him."

Not anymore.

"Whatever you say," Rachel lifted her hands in surrender, the smug tone in her voice a clear indication that she didn't believe her in the slightest. Pidge swallowed in an attempt to wet her drying throat. If she didn't, her next words would be a creaking sound.

She opened her mouth.

No sound.

Rachel shook her head at Pidge's silence and swung her head across at her younger brother. "He's not happy, I know that. No matter how many times he says he is. The only time I really see him smile is when he's on a call to you guys."

Pidge teased the material of her dress, casting a sideways glance across the Best man. "Actually, Lance has only called me once year. He's barely said a word to me today either. I'm a little worried I've done something wrong." Pidge admitted sheepishly. Rachel blinked a few times, her brows furrowing across at her brother.

"What?"

She stared for a second, before her frown blossomed into a grin. Without another word pidge watched the older woman disappear silently into the crowd on the dance floor. Two seconds later, she caught sight of her whispering to Hunk, both of which brandished a wide grin.

What was she up to?

Pidge felt her shoulders drop as she relaxed again, pushing her glasses onto her forehead to pinch the bridge of her nose. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she thought, Rachel's question running laps around her brain. "How long?" The words threaded their way into her Limbic system, and made her question every moment she had spent labelling her feelings as a school girl crush.

Love?-

"Okay, all you couples out there, Hunk and Shay require you to make your way to the d.ancefloor." The mic echoed throughout the building, interrupting her bittersweet reverie. Watching as a variety of couples took up their embrace, Pidge's heart sank to the bottom of her torso.

Even Matt was up there with N-7.

In an instant, music filled the air. Pidge's eyes shot open, blinking several times before looking across at the Best man.

She knew this song.

When her eyes focused, she saw that Lance had copied her movements exactly, gaze fixed into her own with a weak smile on his face.

Pidge's heart leapt into her mouth as she involuntarily got to her feet.

"It's Lance, right?" Pidge joked softly, tilting her head. Lance blinked up at her, his look of surprise slowly melting away to one of blissful content.

"What are you doing, Pidge?" He chuckled, lacing his arms across his chest. Pidge shrugged a little. Truth be told, she had no idea what she was doing. One minute she was sat alone wallowing in self pity, the next she found herself by Lance's side, outstretched hand accompanied by a sincere smile.

"Asking if you wanna dance with me I think," Pidge replied, avoiding direct eye contact as best she could. Lance let his eyes roam over the woman in front of him. Her hair was pinned back slightly, revealing her face perfectly. The summer sun had brought out her freckles, just as it usually did. Like all the other bridesmaids, she was wearing a pale yellow dress. The dress was made of soft material, hugging a figure Lance didn't know she had. When his eyes centred, he noticed her hand waiting impatiently.

"For old time's sake." He nodded, taking her hand and letting himself be led out to the crowd.

Moments later, Pidge had one hand rested on Lance's shoulder, fingers teasing the material of his shirt. Her other was held by Lance's. His other hand was placed gently onto her waist, just as cautiously as he had done when they had danced beneath the Red Lion to the very same song. Similarly, the hand on her hip guided Pidge as they began to sway in time to the familiar music.

Every breath that Pidge took made her chest shudder.

Being this close to Lance after all that time was making her head swim, exaggerated by the fact she could feel the heat of his body through his shirt. Pidge let her eyes fall onto Lance's face, drinking in all the details she could. A deep pain drove it's way through her chest once she noticed his Altean marks once again. A permanent reminder of his love for Allura.

A love that broke her heart every day.

"You can still dance pretty well," Lance teased, dragging Pidge back into reality. The woman's body jolted a little at the surprise, but soon enough a smile tugged at her lips.

"I learnt from the best," Pidge replied, letting her head sway to the music. "Besides, it's not like I could forget how to dance after the way you taught me." Pidge said softly, looking up into Lance's eyes.

"That seems like such a long time ago," Lance smiled, twirling Pidge around and catching her by her waist. Her long dress fluttered around her ankles, making her almost tumble back into his arms.

"It was 17 years ago Lance,"

The pair chuckled to themselves for a moment, Pidge letting her head rest against Lance's shoulder.

"Has it really been that long?" Lance replied, voice wavering at the back of his throat. Pidge lifted her head to look up at him, her brows creasing at the deadpan expression plastered on his face. Once Lance noticed her look of concern, a weak smile broke on his lips. "Sorry, I just..." he started, "I thought everything would be different for me at this age you know?"

Pidge stared breathlessly up at him, concern washing from her face to be replaced with a look of intrigue.

"I always thought by 34 I'd be happily married with kids, possibly be a commander or something like that." He continued, his brows fluctuating. Pidge replied almost too quickly.

"You can still have all those thing Lance," she said gently, exhaling as their eyes met once more. The man shook his head, gaze falling to the floor.

"I don't think so, Pidge. No woman will ever give me a second look once I explain these markings, even if I am devilishly handsome and hilarious," he joked.

Pidge swallowed hard, trying to keep her feelings in her throat. Unfortunately, she failed and the words that had been bubbling up spilled out of her lips.

"Maybe you just need to find a woman who understands them, and can look past them because she knows the man underneath." she blurted, inhaling sharply as a frown rolled over Lance's face.

"And where am I supposed to find a woman like that?"

An awkward silence dusted over the pair as Lance looked down at their embrace. Pidge chewed on the inside of her lip, her eyes slowly scanning the surrounding couples in an attempt to hide her redening cheeks. Shiro and his husband were dancing across from them, and Hunk spun Shay around before catching her gently.

To lift the awkwardness, Pidge's mouth decided to function without input from her brain.

"Can I ask you something?" Pidge said tentatively, keeping her gaze focused on their surroundings. Lance nodded, leaning his head in to catch her gaze again. Pidge steadied her breathing, "Why have you barely spoken to me this year?"

Lance's brows furrowed slightly, blue eyes scanning across her face. Pidge could practically see the coggs turning. Several silent moments dragged past, before Lance eventually opened his mouth.

"I'm so sorry Pidge," he murmured, avoiding eye contact for a few ticks. "I should have called you. There's not a single excuse that would make up for this. I should have appreciated everyone more, especially you. It's just..." Lance moved his hand further up Pidge's waist, pulling her a little bit further into his personal space.

"It's just what?" Pidge pushed, leaning her head back to look into his eyes once more.

There was a pause.

"It's just... conversations can be hard for me sometimes." Lance admitted. Pidge sighed heavily, giving him the most pitiful look she could muster without chuckling.

""It's only a conversation Lance, it's not rocket science."

Pidge watched Lance's face split into a wide grin, soon followed by his signature eyebrow lift, "With you... it sometimes is."

A warm feeling bloomed inside Pidge's chest as she watched the man in her arms laugh along with her. She hadn't seen Lance laugh in so long, it made her eyes haze over. With a gentle sigh, Pidge rested her head back against Lance's chest as they swayed.

I've missed this so much.

"I have to admit, I was a little shocked that you asked me to dance," Lance continued to speak, moving the pair in a slow circle as they danced. Pidge kept her head pressed against Lance's chest, taking in every minute detail. The smell of his cologne, the feel of his shirt, the sound of his heart beat. She was so lost in thought, she'd almost missed what he'd said.

"Why?"

Lance tilted his head as he caught Hunk's eye. The groom had an enormous smile splitting his face, and if possible, it grew even wider when he noticed his dancing friends. He mouthed something inaudible across at Lance, who rolled his eyes lazily in reply before turning his attention back to Pidge.

"I thought you would have asked your date." At this, Pidge reluctantly lifted her head, a slight frown on her brow.

"I didn't come with a date..." She answered, peering up at the man in bewilderment.

Lance blinked back at her, "What happened to the Olkari guy you were dating? I thought it was going well..." Lance leant forward, pressing their bodies flush together for a moment. Pidge teased the hair on the back of her neck, grimacing somewhat.

"It was, but he..." she seemed to struggle with the words that rolled around in her head. "We weren't as good together as I thought. Besides, he didn't even like Playing Killbot phantasm 26 with me." She laughed at herself, glancing up at her friend. The pitiful look on Lance's face made her gut twist.

"He must be mad not to. I always loved that face you made when you concentrated." Lance smiled to himself. Pidge's cheeks flushed immediately, making her run her tongue across her bottom lip. Then, as if it was some involuntary response, Pidge mimicked the face he was referring to. Her brows were scrunched as low as her muscles would allow, and her tongue poked out the corner of her mouth.

Lance's eyes widened along with the grin on his face, which soon cracked open as a hearty chuckle erupted from his mouth. He felt a light heat dust over his cheeks as he continued to laugh, worsened only when Pidge too began to laugh at herself. It started off as a chuckle, her forehead pressed onto his shoulder, but soon grew louder. As the music drew to a close, they became the only ones on the dancefloor, laughing at one another as they often did as teenagers.

They had missed this.

Pidge wasn't sure if it was pride or bile that she swallowed, either way it made her stomach churn. She filled her lungs with a deep breath, fighting against the quiver in her lips.

"Lance..." She started, hearing the waver in her own voice. The man peered down at her, his lips still holding the remnants of his smile. "Would it be completely out of line to ask if you wanna grab a coffee some time?"

Lance's face gradually became a perfect mix of shock and intrigue, processing his friend's request. His stomach filled to the brim with nervous butterflies, all of which seemed to be trying to climb up his throat. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, yet stopped when he shifted his sight onto Pidge's eyes.

The amber gaze melted so easily into his own, her eyes twinkling in the crystal light. He was sure he felt his heart skip several beats. Without a second thought, his answer left his mouth.

"Pidge..."

Breathe.

"I'd love to."