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The first time Hunk had kissed Lance, it had been after a failed mission. It had started off fine, with Lance, Hunk, and Pidge heading to a planet that had seemingly been abandoned in hopes of finding some resources for the castle. The scans hadn’t shown anything particularly dangerous, but Lance had insisted on coming along as a bit of extra protection, And seeing as he is the team sharpshooter, Shiro and Allura had thought it was a great idea. The planet had definitely looked abandoned from where they had landed. It almost reminded Hunk of those illustrations adults would show them about ‘how the Earth will look in the future if you don’t shape up and start recycling’. There was little life, most of it being small insect or rodent looking things that popped up out of the ground every once in awhile and something that almost resembled dead trees, but seemed a lot sharper and more dangerous.Allura had told them that any former inhabitants of the planet would’ve been gone or dead a long time ago, so when the three paladins were suddenly ambushed by sentient boulders there had been a lot of panic. Lance’s gun hadn’t done much damage, other than maybe blast off parts and make the boulders more angry. He’d been shouting at the two others to get back to the lions as quickly as possible, telling them that he would protect them, but Pidge had been determined to get the parts needed to fix the castle’s main firearm. By the time Lance had gotten Pidge to start heading back towards the lions with Hunk, the aliens were angry as hell. As the trio attempted to get back to their lions, one of the creature had snuck past where Lance was trying to hold them off and took out Pidge, launching itself off a platform and right into her helmet. Pidge fell to the ground in a heap, and Lance screamed at Hunk to help her. Within seconds, Hunk had the smallest paladin in his arms and was making a bee-line for the lions. Lance followed soon after. Hunk had kept Pidge with him and he and Lance piloted their own lions back to the castle, the green lion following close behind. By the time all three lions were back in their respective bays, the others who had remained on the ship had gone to the yellow lion’s bay, Shiro immediately grabbing Pidge from Hunk and carried her off to the med bay. Hunk collected the bits and pieces he had picked up with Pidge, knowing she would’ve been upset if he had left them on the planet, and handed them off to Allura, who he had asked to stay behind. After watching the princess leave, he went off to change out of his armor and find Lance, who hadn’t said anything since he had climbed back into Blue on the planet. When Hunk had gotten to the hangar, Blue was there, but there had been no sign of Lance.Worried, Hunk began to search the castle for his best friend, checking Lance’s bedroom and the main common area first. When Hunk still couldn't find the boy he headed to look in the control room. It wasn't a far stretch that Lance was there; he probably thought everyone would be in the med bay with Pidge. It turned out Hunk had been right. Lance was sitting in his seat of the control room, knees tucked into his chest and his head pulled down. From where Hunk was standing in the doorway, he could see the slight shaking of Lance’s shoulders. Hunk quickly went over to Lance, who had already changed out of his armor as well, concern written all over his face. “Hey, hey buddy. What's wrong?” Hunk had asked. Lance jumped at the sound of his voice, obviously not having expected anyone to come for him. He wiped at his eyes, “Nothing, I’m fine,” he breathed out. “Lance,” Hunk knew the boy too well to be able to leave him to his own emotions, “Please tell me what's wrong. You and I both know that bottling up your feelings doesn't end well.”This had become a common conversation since they had left Earth, Lance often seeking comfort in his best friend when he was feeling homesick or just felt like shit in general. More often than not Lance would burst into tears as he talked with Hunk, letting him know exactly what was troubling him after his crying had calmed. “Really, it's no big deal, I’m being overdramatic,” Lance tried again to assure the larger teen that he was fine, but the tears still streaming down his told a different story. Hunk sighed, knowing that he would have to coax Lance’s true thoughts out. He sat down next to Lance’s chair and gently pulled him in so that they were both sitting on the floor, Lance on his lap with Hunk’s arms wrapped around his waist in a loving embrace. It wasn't long before Lance returned the gesture and wrapped his own arms around Hunk’s neck, burying his face into the other’s chest. His shoulders began shaking more violently as he cried harder, staining the front of Hunk’s t-shirt. Hunk rubbed Lance’s back in soft, slow circles, and whispered to him “Lance, it's okay. Everyone is safe, you're safe, there's nothing to be worried about.”Lance gasped out between sobs, “Hunk, she could've died.”“Pidge?” Hunk asked. “Yes!” Lace pulled back from Hunk’s chest without releasing his neck. “I told her to get out, I was trying so hard to hold off the stupid rock things! I didn't see the one that got past until it was too late.”“Lance,” Hunk said, desperate to calm down the still crying boy. “Lance it wasn't your fault. We should've left as soon as the first one attacked. You did everything you could and you helped so much. Who knows what would've happened if you hadn't been there to prot-” Lance cut him off with a cry, “If i wasn't there they wouldn't have attacked!”Hunk, caught off guard, stuttered out, “What? Lance how does that make any sense?”“I had been fighting with Keith before we left, he said that I mess around too much and that I was just going to put you in danger.” Hunk could see where this was going. “I told him i could do whatever I wanted and that we would all be safe.”Hunk vaguely recalled hearing Keith and Lance argue over the coms before the boulder things had attacked, but he had been distracted with helping Pidge and hadn't been paying attention, thinking it was just another petty fight. “He was telling me not to kick the pebbles, saying I might wake something up. I told him that there was nothing there, and to make a point I kicked one of the larger rocks.”“Lance,” Hunk tried to interrupt, but Lance wasn't having it. “It was one of the creatures and as soon as it woke up the rest of them did!” Lance quickly quieted down after that outburst and said in almost a whisper, “He was right, Hunk. I'm a danger to the team. I can’t do anything right.” “Lance, listen to me.” Hunk released his hold on Lance’s waist and moved up to gently grab his face, wiping away his tears and turning his face so that they were looking directly at each other. “No one thinks that, if you hadn't been there and one of us had done something to wake up the rocks, Pidge and I would most likely both be injured, and probably worse than a concussion.” Lance finally met his eyes and the tears slowed. He took a breath and nodded as well as he could with his face still in Hunk’s hands. “Thank you,” Lance said. “I know I’m not the best paladin, or the best friend, but I really do love you, Hunk.”Hunk knew that Lance wasn't fully convinced that he belonged on the team, or that what had happened hadn't been his fault, but he was willing to let this topic slide for the time being, because pushing Lance wouldn't be helpful. Instead he took the moment to look at the boy on his lap closely for the first time since they had come back from the mission. Lance’s blue eyes were still slightly watery from having just calmed his crying, and his tan skin had tear tracks running down his face and smeared over cheeks from where Hunk had rubbed at them. Hunk glanced down at Lance’s lips for a moment before forcing his eyes back up; now was not the time to let his crush on his friend get the best of him. Lance had noticed the glance, quick as it was, and bit his lip. This motion dragged Hunk’s eyes back down. He flushed a deep red, knowing he had been caught. Hunk quickly let go of Lance’s face and let out a quiet apology. But he didn't look away from Lance’s face. He was looking at his eyes, trying to work out what he was thinking, had he scared him off, was he weirded out? But all Hunk could see was a bit of determination, mixed with what seemed like forced courage. Before he could ask what was wrong, he felt something soft and smooth on his cheek. After a moment he realised Lance had kissed his cheek. This wasn't unusual, as the boy had done it many times after they talked about their feelings, but Hunk could tell that this was different.Hunk could still feel the self consciousness through the small contact. Lance wasn't feeling much better than when Hunk had first entered the room. Determined to show Lance just how important he was, not just to the team but also to him, Hunk made up his mind. Before he could chicken out Hunk looked at Lance to see him already glancing at him expectantly, and he quickly leaned in and placed a gentle yet meaningful kiss on the other’s mouth. Lance was still for a moment, more in shock than anything else, before he closed his eyes and responded to the kiss. He moved his mouth again Hunk’s, his head turning to be at a better angle so that the kiss was more comfortable. He tightened his hug around the darker boys neck, trying to pull them closer together. Soon enough, the boys separated to gather their breath. They looked at each other before simply continuing to sit there in the control room, wrapped in an air of innocent intimacy. Lance soon fell asleep, exhausted from the earlier fighting and the extensive crying. Huck quietly gathered him in his arms before slowly standing up and taking the boy to his room before anyone could come looking for them. They would talk about the kiss later, he was sure, but for now Hunk was content to be holding his crush and best friend in his arms.
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The second time Hunk had kissed Lance, it was in celebration.The two boys had talked about what had happened the other night, deciding that they both wanted a relationship. They just weren’t too sure how to break the news to the rest of the team. They were afraid that Allura would decide that they couldn’t be together, that it would put Voltron at risk. Lance and Hunk couldn’t risk that.Lance had decided to ask Coran about it next time they went around the castle cleaning, which just so happened to be a few days after the boys got together.Lance finally decided to ask while they were clearing out an old storage closet. “Hey, Coran?” the young man asked, putting down the box he had carried out into the hallway.“Yes, my boy?”“Have two paladins ever been in a relationship?” Lance glanced over his shoulder to see the ginger putting down his own box and wiping his forehead of sweat.“No, I don’t believe so.” Coran looked to Lance. “The paladins often had relationships with others outside of Voltron, but not with other paladins.”Lance looked down at the ground, disappointment sinking in his stomach. That doesn’t fix Hunk and his problem at all.“Would-” Lance took a breath before continuing with his questions; this answer could make or break his relationship. “Would two paladins be allowed to see each other? Romantically?”Coran though for a moment before answering, “I don’t see why not. As long as the relationship is healthy and doesn’t affect the formation of Voltron.”Lance visibly brightened at this response. This meant he and Hunk could tell the others about them. This meant Lance could kiss Hunk during training when they were both all sweaty and tired and Hunk looked hot as hell. This meant they could cuddle on the couch during movie nights. This meant they could be together!Coran moved to pick up another box from the closet, glancing at Lance out of the corner of his eye. “This wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with a certain yellow paladin, would it now?”Lance felt his face heat up. “What are you talking about?” Lance laughed nervously and began to ring his hands “I was just asking for future reference. Ya know, in case we get any cute aliens joining Voltron one day.”The older man laughed a little at Lance’s flustered state. “Of course. I must’ve taken that hug I saw you and number two share out of context.”Lance smiled a bit to himself at the moment Coran was referring to. He opened one of the boxes near his and began to look for old parts while replaying the memory. It had been this morning before breakfast. Lance and Hunk had decided to wake up early to get to the kitchen before Coran could, hoping to make something that's flavor resembled that of french toast. (They failed at this) Hunk had been laughing at a joke Lance and made and in that moment he looked so perfect. He had his headband higher up so that his bangs weren’t in his face at all, and he had random bits of food goo all over. The fluorescent lighting shouldn’t have been in any way flattering, but somehow it was. Hunk smiled at Lance, humor still shining in his eyes, and Lance couldn’t help himself. “You look beautiful,” he burst out before he could think about his words. Blood immediately rushed to his cheeks, turning him a dark red as he averted his eyes and bit his lip.Hunk, not having expected the sudden declaration, was sporting a matching, lighter flush. “Nowhere near as gorgeous as you, though.”Lance looked up at these words to see his boyfriend smiling at him. Lance melted into his own matching smile. He got up then and walked around the counter he’d been sitting at to stand in front of Hunk. He grabbed the bigger boy’s hand and ran his thumb along the knuckles. With a small smile on his face, Hunk moved to hug Lance. Lance melted into the hug immediately and returned the gesture with just as much love. They stood like that, wrapped in each other, for gosh knows how long. Both boys were just happy to be with the other. Lance and Coran finished clearing out the closet quickly, most likely due to a certain someone looking forward to sharing some good news. He had to check a few spots but eventually, Lance found Hunk working with Pidge in the hangar by Yellow. Lance approached the pair quietly from behind and peered over their shoulders at the screens in front of them. “Oh? What’s this?” Lance suddenly asked, startling the teens in front of him. “Lance,” Pidge spoke, hand placed over her heart to steady it. “What the fuck.”“Tsk tsk tsk, Pidgeon. Imagine if Shiro heard those words coming out of your mouth.” Lance shook his head as he said this, a playful smile pulling at his lips. Pidge glared at the older boy, though it held no real aggression. She turned back to the screens in front of her as Hunk kept his gaze on Lance. The question in his eyes was obvious, but Lance didn’t answer right away. Lance hugged the small girl from behind and placed his chin on her shoulder. “Sorry Pidge, but I’m going to have to steal Hunk away for a bit.” She just hummed in acknowledgment and continued working on her project. Lance and Hunk walked out of the hangar together and stopped in the hallway once they were sure Pidge wouldn’t be able to hear them. Hunk asked immediately, “Did you talk to Coran?”Lance nodded his head, hope and excitement brimming up in his chest. He couldn’t wait to celebrate with his boyfriend. “Well?” Hunk was practically shaking at this point. “Coran says he can’t see why it would be a problem,” Lance took each of Hunk’s hands in his own, “Hunk we can tell the others!”Both boys broke out into wide grins, clearly relieved that they didn’t have to hide this from their team- no, their family. “We should tell them at dinner, I’ll make something worth eating,” Hunk proposed. Lance nodded and jumped up to hug around the bigger boy’s neck. By the time dinner was ready and everyone was sat down, the excitement had faded away into a pounding anxiety. Lance couldn’t help but think the worst. That Shiro and Allura thought different that Coran and that they were a danger. Or Keith and Pidge wouldn’t support the relationship. Or worse, someone was homophobic. Lance was tapping his fingers against the top of the table as he bounced his leg underneath. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see a concerned Shiro. “Lance, are you alright?” the older man asked. Within seconds Lance’s trademark smile was back on his face. “Of course,” was his simple response. Shiro didn’t look fully convinced, but he let it drop and walked off to his own seat. Keith and Pidge had also sat down and Allura was near the kitchen talking with Hunk. It was almost time. After a few moments Hunk, Coran, and Allura came out together and took their individual seats, Coran opting to stand behind the princess. Hunk served dinner, which was basically food goo, except it almost tasted like pasta. Lance had never seen Pidge light up at food goo the way she did that night. After everyone had eaten most of their food Hunk and Lance made eye contact from where they were seated across from each other. Hunk cleared his throat to get the table’s attention and Lance swore he saw Coran smile in his direction before he focused on Hunk. “So,” Hunk began, nudging Lance’s leg with his own under the table. “Lance and I have something to tell you all. We weren’t sure if we should at first, but we feel like keeping this would not only allude to us not trusting you guys but quite possibly could affect forming Voltron if you didn’t know.”Lance looked around at his team to gauge their reactions. Shiro and Allura have both put on similar serious faces, Coran really was smiling at the boys knowingly, and Pidge and Keith each looked equally confused. He took a shaky breath and got ready to continue where the other had left off. “It’s really nothing bad,” Lance assured everyone, “It’s just very important to us and we don’t want to have to hide it. I guess we were afraid you’d decide it wasn’t allowed so we waited a few days.”Hunk reached over the table to grab onto Lance’s hand. All eyes immediately shot to where they touched and then looked back up to them. “We’re dating,” Hunk said. Well, no point sugar coating. When no one had said anything for a moment or two, Lance let out a small, “Surprise!” which seemed to snap the others out of their thoughts. Pidge was the first to speak, slamming her hands down on the table and yelling. “I fucking called it! You owe me 100 gac, asshole!” she looked pointedly at Keith, who crossed his arms and huffed. Shiro was the next to say anything, giving Pidge a stern look and telling her to mind her language before addressing Lance and Hunk. “As happy as I am for you two, are you sure this is a good thing?” he asked. It was obvious he didn’t mean to hurt the younger paladins and was only concerned, but Lance felt his stomach drop at the comment.“Absolutely,” Hunk told the leader with complete confidence. “Being together and open about our feelings will probably help us, in fact. We have nothing to hide.”Allura response before Shiro could. “Of course. Paladin should be open with their thoughts and desires.”Lance didn’t look away from Shiro and Allura but squeezed Hunk’s hand in his. “So this is fine? We can date?” He couldn’t keep the hope out of his voice. Shiro and Allura looked to each other and smiled before looking back. “Of course,” Shiro looked at both boys before he got serious. “But it affects Voltron at any point we may have to think again.”Lance just nodded his head enthusiastically as he looked back at his boyfriend with the biggest smile he had probably ever worn. Hunk was no different, his own face practically splitting from his own grin. Everyone finished up their meals, pretending not to notice the utter joy radiating off the yellow and blue paladins next to them. They were all happy for them as well; seeing them like this was worth a little risk. Finally, everyone was finished and Lance and Hunk cleaned up the table and set off to the kitchen. There, Hunk took what Lance had in his arms and put them on the counter. Lance opened his mouth to complain but before he could-Hunk kissed his boyfriend so suddenly Lance almost choked in shock. He quickly recovered, though, and returned the kiss just as eagerly as Hunk. Hunk had grabbed Lance’s hips when he kissed him and when Lance kissed back, his grip tightened almost possessively. Lance was quick to throw his own arms around Hunk’s neck and work his fingers into the hair around his neck. The kiss didn’t last very long in reality, but to them, it seemed to last a lifetime. When they parted for air they didn’t meet back in the middle again. They stood there in the middle of the kitchen holding each other, forehead to forehead, their breath mixing together and eyes shut. Lance’s heart was almost beating out of his chest and he didn’t doubt that Hunk felt the same. Slowly they released each other and shared a smile. Soon enough they were back to their chores. And if they stood a little closer together then necessary while washing the dishes, well, what harm could it do?
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okay so it’s been about a month short of being a year since i updated this and i’m officially pulling the plug on it. don’t get me wrong i actually really like the way i wrote this but it’s so far from current cannon and i just can’t really write that far back in the story anymore. i might start up a new one but no promises. sorry my dudes.