Chapter Text
If one thing was certain, it was that Pidge hated being late. Pidge stumbled through the parking lot of the Lion Daycare Center with paperwork of projects for the kids in her arms, and a tray of coffee for her and her coworkers. It wasn't an ideal job but it paid the bills.
Pidge just needed to hold out a little longer before she was financially stable enough to enter into the Garrison Engineering Cooperation. Her dream job since she was a kid and one that her parents used to fantasize about getting. Her mother held a job as a biologist and her father worked as a scientist. Both were professions that Pidge was exposed to, however she had grown more of an interest in computer programming and technical engineering.
The Garrison would able to allow Pidge to actually pursue that career and work with some of the most brilliant minds in engineering and science. However, getting into the Garrison was easier said than done. Despite Pidge’s degrees and work ethic, the Garrison’s evaluation was rigorous and one that Pidge needed to have a steady income to prepare for. The daycare was able to give Pidge a steady pay, whereas getting a job at any other engineering institution would keep her stuck in a job that would seemingly have no end and farther away from the Garrison, whereas Pidge knew she only needed a job for at least a year. Even though it was stressful, Pidge knew it would be worth the wait.
Pidge entered the Lion center relieved that she at least made it to work, even if she was 10 minutes late. The daycare center was a small building and resembled a tiny preschool. Decorated with the alphabet, cute pictures and art the children drew, and a plethora of toys and activities for the children could do. Pidge walked into the tiny classroom like area and set down her coffee at the main desk that was right next to her. Only to be bombarded by children hugging her short legs.
“Good morning Pidge!”
“I missed you!”
“I lost my tooth last night!”
“Your hair looks crazy! Did you stick your head out a window while driving?! My dog does that when we drive in the car! I want to do that but my mom said I would fall out the car.”
Pidge smiled at the children at her feet and quickly fixed her short and disheveled hair into a small ponytail. It didn't do much and her bands kept falling to frame her face and the round glasses that Pidge wore but it was enough.
Pidge loved her job working with kids. She found them a joy to be around despite herself never really seeing herself have her own in the future. The daycare was available for kids that ranged from 2 years old to 10 years old. Most of the older kids would come to the daycare after school if their parents weren't available to but since it was summer, school was out which meant more kids to care for.
“Alright children. It's time to leave Pidge alone and go to the rainbow mat for storytime with Shay and Romelle.” said a voice that belonged to none other than Allura. Pidge looked up and smiled at her co-worker.
Allura looked gorgeous as ever and the children stared up at her in amazement like she was a princess. Her long, flowing white hair complimented her dark skin. Pidge adored Allura. She was her closest friend here at the daycare center and was the closest thing Pidge had to a sister. It was surprising to Pidge to think that considering the fact she knew Shay longer than she had known Allura. They had both went to elementary school but Shay and her hadn't really gotten to know each other until Pidge had started her job at the daycare center.
The children ran off leaving the two co-workers alone. Pidge handed Allura her coffee and set her paperwork on the front desk.
“So is everyone here today?” Pidge asked Allura as she studied the sign in sheet.
“Yes.” Allura said. “Shay had to bring in Ariela this morning. Something about her father getting an early morning shift.”
Ariela was a four year old that had been with the center for about a year. A bubbly and sweet child that had grown quite fond of Pidge. Yet, Pidge had never met Ariela’s father. Pidge knew practically all of the parents but Ariela’s. All she knew was that Ariela was being raised by her single father and he was a close friend of Shay's boyfriend.
“Does this mean he’ll be able to pick her up in the afternoon or will Shay be taking her home again?” Pidge asked as she put away the sign in sheet and took a drink of her coffee.
“I’m not sure?” Allura said with a kind smile. “You know, if you came into work earlier, you probably be able to meet him.”
Pidge smirked at that comment. Allura, Shay, and Romelle knew Pidge wasn’t much of a morning person and they never held it against her that she was always late but it was a habit Pidge needed to break.
“How’s Matt doing?” Allura asked as her and Pidge sorted through the coloring book pages that Pidge brought in.
Pidge smiled at the thought of her older brother. He was Pidge’s best friend and they always kept in contact even though he lived practically two hours away.
“Matt is doing good. Shiro and him just celebrated their seven year anniversary.” Pidge stated fondly. “I’m surprised Matt hasn’t proposed yet. He claims, the timing isn’t right but I call bullshit.”
Allura giggled at that comment and took the pile of coloring book pages that the two had finished.
“You know Pidge, for someone who doesn’t date you seem to have a lot of opinions of how a relationship should work.” Allura commented playfully.
Pidge rolled her eyes in slight annoyance but she could never get upset when it came to Allura. “I’m 26 Allura, I have a lifetime to worry about dating. For now, I need to focus on getting into the Garrison Tech Program."
Allura gave Pidge a sympathetic look. Pidge was used to it though. Romelle, Shay, and Allura had been trying for almost a year now to set Pidge up on a date. While Pidge appreciated the thought from her friends, their choices never seemed to work out for Pidge and only lasted one date. They either were creepy, uninteresting, or they were jerks to her after she mentioned wanting to be a part of the Garrison Tech Program.
"Alright, children!" The cheery voice of Romelle announced, "We will now go outside for some play time. Everyone line up in your assigned group area and your group leader will guide you to the playground."
Pidge and Allura sighed as they gathered their things to take the kids outside for the morning before the summer heat kicked in. Pidge was in charge of the 4-6 year olds while Allura took the 2-3 year olds, Shay took the 9-10 year olds and Romelle took the 7-8 year olds. Pidge went to her assigned group and threw on her Voltron High baseball cap to protect her face from the sun. Today was going to be a long day.
"C'mon man. Just one date." Hunk groaned as he sat across from Lance in the restaurant break room.
Lance rolled his eyes as he took a bite of his sandwich. This had been the third attempt this week that Hunk had tried to persuade him into getting a girlfriend.
"For the last time Hunk, no." Lance said as he swallowed his food. "I need to spend time with Ariela. I haven't had some father-daughter time with her since my schedules been so fucked. Its a miracle Sal was able to get me to have an earlier shift so I could pick her up at 3 today from daycare. Also tell Shay that I'll be able to pay her this week for taking Ariela home and to daycare last week."
"I've already told you that you don't have to pay Shay!" Hunk exclaimed "She's more than willing to help out with Ariela. We both are. Which means we can watch her while you go on a date!"
Lance groaned at the fact that Hunk wasn't giving up. Hunk had been his best friend since middle school and they were practically inseparable. They even worked together at the same restaurant "Vrepit Sal's". Hunk was a head chef while Lance was a waiter. The pay was nice and Lance always charmed customers to get some extra tips. Plus Sal had always been sympathetic towards him for the past three years he had been working there.
He appreciated his life. Sure, being a single dad was hard but he had Hunk, Shay, and even his sister Veronica to help out. He wouldn't know where he'd be without them. Ever since his ex, Esme, died during childbirth, Lance worried that raising his daughter would be next to impossible but with the support system he had, things became easier. He loved Ariela. She was a spitting image of him and practically the light of his life. Yet, he felt bad that his work practically limited his time that he spent with his daughter. He had missed a few formative events in her life, mainly in her first year due to work, and even though it caused an ache in his chest, but Ariela loved him unconditionally and he knew working hard would give her a good life.
"Just think about it at least." Hunk pleaded with his best puppy dog eyes. "It would be good for you to go out every once in a while. Plus it would be nice for Ariela to have a mother figure in her life. You can't tell me you haven't at least thought about it?"
The truth was that Lance had thought about it. Many times. He'd imagine having back yard picnics with Ariela and another woman in his life. Maybe even a sibling that Ariela could spend time with. He'd imagine taking his new family to Cuba to visit his parents as well as his siblings who lived there. But Lance knew better to let his fantasy get the better of him. He was happy with Ariela and the life they had. A mother figure for Ariela was the last thing on Lance's mind. He was perfectly content on being both a mother and a father for his daughter.
"I don't have time to discuss this Hunk." Lance said in a tired voice. "I have to clock back in in like five minutes."
All Hunk could do was nod. He knew deep down that Lance was hurting. Despite the facade that his friend tried to display, he was a never the same after Esme died. He remembered all the times him and Veronica had to watch Ariela while Lance would grieve and sometimes he would get drunk and have a breakdown.
Sure the drinking and breakdowns ended but there was still a fear in Hunk and Veronica would worry that Lance would have a relapse. He knew his friend was lonely and yet would constantly do anything not to get to close to the women he tried to date after Esme, if that didn't stop them, then the sheer weight of having to become a mother to a young girl did.
For now, all Hunk could do was keep pushing. He knew Lance would eventually cave in and try going out every once in a while. If not for himself then at least for Ariela.
It was 2 o'clock and Pidge stood behind a long table with a bunch of desks neatly displayed around the table. The desks were occupied with the eager 4-6 year olds. the rest of the kids were off doing their own thing. The toddlers were taking a nap in a smaller room that was in the building while the older kids were doing arts and crafts with Shay.
Monday through Friday when Pidge worked, she would have a fun little activity of science experiments for the kids. The days would switch between the 4 to 10 year olds and she would take care of a specific group. Today she was demonstrating an experiment which involved raisins and club soda to the 4 and 6 year olds.
"Alright kids." Pidge announced in her best pay attention voice. "Today you are in for a treat. This experiment is called "Dancing Raisins"."
The kids giggled at the name and eagerly looked at Pidge in excitement. It was a reaction that Pidge found great joy in. She loved how much the kids enjoyed her showing off cool experiments and getting them interested in science.
"In front of me I have a clear cup and I am going to pour this club soda in it." Pidge said as she gestured to the clear cup and liter of soda that was on the table.
Pidge slowly poured the soda in and put the cap in the liter before moving onto the next task by opening a small container of raisins.
"Now I am going to pour a handful of raisins in." Pidge continued and plopped in a few raisins. "Now everyone gather around as we wait for them to work."
The group of children rushed forward and surrounded Pidge and the desk in pure amazement. Within a minute the raisins began to jump up and down in the water and the kids all oohed and awed at the sight in front of them.
"Pretty cool right!" Pidge exclaimed.
"Yeah!" all the children shouted.
After a little while of the kids trying out the experiment in their own cups. Pidge started to cleanup and the kids moved on for another story time but this time it was with Allura. Pidge dumped all the cups and threw them away. She then snacked on the remaining raisins as she waited for the next task. It was now 3 and that meant some of the kids would be heading home. The daycare center closed around 5:30 and all of the kids would be gone by then.
Pidge pondered at what she could do after work. She had to go to the store and pick up some food for her dog Bae Bae. Maybe some actual food for herself as well and not a microwaved dinner. She also had to call Keith back for their weekly catch up. She needed to fill him in on Matt not proposing to Shiro, once again. The two of them had placed bets and by the looks of it, Pidge was losing.
As Pidge was lost in thought, she had realized that she had forgotten to take care of the now half empty liter of club soda. Pidge grabbed the soda and began to walk to the kitchen area in the building. The kitchen building was directed at a hallway near the front so Pidge tried to be careful as some of the children ran to their cubbies to gather their things before their parents arrived.
Suddenly Pidge found herself stumbling slightly as she tried to avoid bumping into any kids. As Pidge tried to make her self not fall, she felt her entire body collide with a hard object. Pidge felt herself fall to the ground with object and the cap from the liter pop off causing soda to splatter all over her, the object, and the floor. Pidge focused her attention on what she slammed into only to find it to be a person.
This person was tall and lanky, he had tanned skin, blue eyes, dark hair, and he was someone Pidge did not at all recognize. The only thing Pidge knew was this man was handsome and here she was, after being clumsy had gotten them both wet with the club soda she was holding.
Shit! Pidge thought to herself as the man looked at her with slight concern.
"Quiznack!" Pidge exclaimed "I am so sorry sir!"
The man slightly smirked at the words that came out of Pidge's mouth. “Quiznack”, he hadn't heard that one before. Probably a “curse” word that she used around the kids so they wouldn't pick up on an actual curse and repeat it. He stared at her with kind eyes.
"It's okay." He said. "I'm just glad you and the kids weren't hurt."
The fact he included her in the sentiment made Pidge’s heart do a flip flop that she immediately snapped out of. Romelle arrived with some towels for Pidge and the man after walking out a perfect time to catch the unfortunate collision. The man slowly got up and accepted the towel and he held out a hand to help Pidge up.
"I'm Lance." The man said "I'm Ariela's father. I don't believe we've met."
Well, so much for first impressions. Pidge thought to herself.
Pidge took his hand and slightly felt like an idiot. If only she had been paying better attention.
"I'm Pidge and no we haven't met." Pidge said "I usually arrive to work after Ariela arrives."
Lance began to wipe off some soda off his shirt. Pidge began to notice that he was wearing a uniform. A waiter's uniform. Shay did mention that Hunk and Ariela's dad worked at a restaurant together. The two of them stepped aside as Romelle mopped up the spilt soda on the ground.
"Well Pidge, it's a pleasure to meet you." Lance said happily. "I hope Ariela has been a good girl while she's here."
"Oh yeah. She's great." Pidge said enthusiastically as she dried herself up. "She's very talkative and a joy to be around."
For Pidge, Ariela was an absolute joy to be near. She seemed the most excited when Pidge did experiments and always had many science-related questions.
Lance smiled at the comment Pidge made. He couldn't help but stare at Pidge. She had big golden brown eyes, short, messy, boyish yet still feminine, light tawny brown hair, and freckles that danced around her cheeks. She wore a green tank top, white shorts, and faded brown sneakers. She was honestly very cute in Lance's eyes and she smelled like only what he can describe as a mix of Crayola paint and...roses? Yes. The unmistakable smell of yellow roses that bloom in the summer.
"Yeah." Lance said in agreement. "You know she gets that from me."
Pidge giggled softly at his comment and Lance laughed along.
"Somehow I don't doubt that." Pidge said
The two were then interrupted by none other than Ariela herself. Pidge had then realized how much Ariela resembled her father. They had the same face shape, smile, and hair. The only difference was the eyes. Ariela's eyes were brown.
"Hi papa!" Ariela exclaimed as she hugged Lance's leg. She had her backpack and was all ready to go home. "How come you're all wet?"
Lance's eyes lit up at the sight of his daughter and he scooped her up into his arms.
"Had a bit of an accident with Pidge here, princess." He explained “But it's all better now that you are here.”
“Yay!” Ariela cheered. Which causes Pidge and Lance to giggle at the happy 4 year old. “I’m so happy you finally met Pidgey. Isn’t she the best?!”
“Yeah.” Lance said as he tried to amuse his daughter. “She’s awesome.”
Despite the fact the Lance had barely met this woman, he could tell that his daughter had grown quite fond of her. She had no problem giving her a nickname and being affectionate, which even for an outgoing kid like Ariela, took some time.
”Well it was nice to meet you, Lance.” Pidge stated not wanting to keep Ariela and her father from going home. “I should probably finish cleaning up before anymore accidents happen. I’ll see you tomorrow Ariela.”
“Bye Pidgey!” Ariela exclaimed.
Lance nodded and watch as Pidge walked away. He then realized how wet his clothes were and how uncomfortable he was starting to get. He then adjusted himself a little before starting a walk out to the car with Ariela in his arms.
”Alright mi preciosa. What do you say we go home and change and then we’ll go out for ice cream with Tia Veronica after dinner.” Lance said as he began to walk out of the daycare center.
Ariela squealed in agreement and with that. The two of them braced the hot beating sun outside to venture on to an afternoon of fun. Little did Lance know that Pidge had been staring and smiling at him as he walked out of the daycare center with Ariela attached to his hip.
Pidge flopped on her couch as she had finished putting groceries away. It was already 5:00 and she was exhausted from work. Shortly after Lance and Ariela had left, Allura insisted that Pidge head home for the day since she was all wet and sticky from the soda. Pidge wasn’t complaining though. She still needed to go shopping so Allura letting her off early allowed her have enough time to plan a decent dinner for once.
Pidge lived in a tiny apartment in the center of the downtown area of the city. It had it's issues. For example, a tiny bathroom and the ac unit made a loud creaking noise when she turned it on but it was perfect in Pidge's eyes. It was a roof over her head so she couldn't complain too much about that.
Pidge dialed Keith and decided to talk on the phone with him while she made herself some chicken stir fry for dinner. Keith and her caught up on their days. Keith discussed his work at his martial arts studio and that he was excited for the upcoming tournament in two months.
Pidge, of course, spilled the more mundane details about her day like being late, the hot weather she had to endure, and the science project she did for the kids, but it wasn't until she got to the point where she met Lance the Keith seemed to really have interest.
"You did what?!" Keith exclaimed over the phone as Pidge told him about the soda incident.
"Ugh! I know!" Pidge sighed as she stirred her vegetables and pieces of chicken in a pan. "I knew it was a bad idea worrying about the soda, but I didn't want the kids to somehow knock it over if I left it alone!"
“Was he cute at least?” Keith teased. Pidge rolled her eyes.
"Not the point Keith!” Pidge exclaimed "But yes, he's very attractive."
Keith's chuckle over the phone relieved the tension that Pidge was starting to feel. No matter how close they were, talking about men was not Pidge’s forte.
"Well the good thing is that he didn't get upset." Keith said "Anyway, how did Matt and Shiro's anniversary go? Do we need to add more money to the wager."
"Yep!" Pidge stated "I now am placing $100 to the wager. I'm saying that he won't ask until six months from now. Are you still sticking with three?"
"Definitely." Keith said "If there's anything I know about Matt is that he will cave eventually."
Pidge snickered at that comment. "I don't know. He's had a ring for almost a year and still hasn't done anything yet."
"True." Keith stated "Alright I have to get going. Kosmo needs a bath. But before I go I have to ask, are we still in for our monthly trip to the bar next week. I was thinking Saturday. Friday is Krolia's birthday and I know she wants to go out to eat."
"Yeah." Pidge said "Saturday should be good. I don't have work. Matt said him and Shiro are down to tag along. At least now I have someone else to worry about holding your mullet back when you throw up."
"That was one time!" Keith said defensively while Pidge laughed at her comment.
"Alright. Night Keith. I'll see you next Saturday." Pidge said
"Night Pidge." Keith said and with that, Pidge hung up the phone and finished up cooking her food.
After eating, Pidge mindlessly paced around her apartment completely bored out of her mind. She could watch tv but there was nothing good on that caught her attention. She could tinker a little more with fixing up her old computer, but she didn't feel like getting pricks or accidentally shocking herself in the process. Pidge then noticed Bae Bae laying by the front door. It usually meant Bae Bae had to go to the bathroom. It was still light outside and there was a park nearby her apartment that Bae Bae loved going to. Pidge figured a walk could simultaneously kill her boredom, tire her, and Bae Bae out for the night.
"You want to go for a walk Bae Bae?" Pidge asked
Bae Bae perked up from her spot and began to wag her tail furiously. Pidge smiled and gathered a jacket just in case they stayed out late, Bae Bae's leash, and her shoes. At least she had Bae Bae to always keep her company.
"Can we go to the park Papa?" Ariela asked as she ate her ice cream with pleading eyes.
Lance and Veronica wondered around aimlessly through the streets of downtown. It was almost time for the sun to set but it was still very warm for a summer evening.
"Sure princess!" Lance said "I think I saw one about a block away from here. What do you say Veronica?"
Veronica looked at her brother with amusement. Veronica loved spending time with Lance and Ariela and she loved to see how caring Lance was as a father. She still remembered the day Lance told her he was going to be a father. He was so scared and she worried that he would faint every time he talked about it. He had grown so much since. When Ariela was born he never wanted to stop holding her or interacting with her and as much as Veronica knew it was because he loved Ariela, it was also because he feared of losing her after losing Esme.
"Sounds good to me." Veronica said.
Ariela finished her ice cream and Lance gave her a piggy back ride to the park while Veronica followed them. The park was small but it had a big open grass field and and a bunch of concrete walking paths which was used for those who liked to jog or take endurance walks. Ariela rushed to the playground and Veronica and Lance sat at a nearby bench watching her.
"So what's this Ariela told me about an accident?" Veronica asked.
Lance playfully rolled his eyes. Of course Ariela said something. "It was nothing. I accidentally knocked into one of her daycare advisors and we got wet because she was carrying a liter of soda. Ariela said it was for a science experiment."
"Ah I see." Veronica said as she teasingly smiled at her younger brother. "Have you heard from Mama and Papi? They said that they wanted to come for Ariela's birthday in three months."
Lance's parents lived in Cuba as well as his brothers, Marco and Luis, Luis's wife Lisa, his niece and nephew Nadia and Silvio and his other sister Rachel. They used to live in the U.S. but they missed Cuba so much that they moved back to be with Lance's grandparents. Lance and Veronica missed their parents and siblings but they had already built content lives in the U.S.
"Yeah." Lance said "Mom kept talking to me about all the ways she would spoil Ariela once she gets here. I figured her and Papi could stay at my place, I have a couple spare rooms so if anyone else comes then they can stay as well."
Veronica nodded at his answer and quickly changed the subject.
"How's Hunk?" Veronica asked
"He's doing good." Lance said "He keeps convincing me to go out and try to find someone to date."
"So what's stopping you?" Veronica asked "He means well Lance. Dating could be good for you. It'd be nice to see you find someone."
"Veronica, please." Lance pleaded, slightly disappointed that his sister agreed with Hunk. "I don't need to think about that right now. Ariela is my priority, not a girlfriend."
"I'm just saying Lance." Veronica stated. Trying to be sympathetic towards his feelings. "You've been single for a while and I know you're too much of a flirt to not feel lonely. You used to be so happy. I'm not saying that Ariela doesn't make you happy but it would be nice to see you smile again."
Lance didn't say anything. He just watched Ariela as she played on the playground. Suddenly he noticed that something caught Ariela's attention. She quickly stopped playing and stared off at the field that was near the playground.
Lance stood up and tried to see what she was staring at. Veronica then noticed and began to do the same. It was a dog. A short haired, light bull terrier. It was off a leash and playing with a ball. Ariela then ran towards the dog very eager. Alarms went off in his head and he began to chase after his daughter.
"Ariela!" He called but Ariela didn't listen. Suddenly he noticed that Ariela wasn't running towards the dog but the owner.
The owner that was none other than Pidge. She wore different clothes. She wore jeans, her brown sneakers from earlier, a white blouse with tiny flower decals and a brown belt was tied around her waist. Ariela cheerfully squealed at the sight of Pidge and hugged her leg.
"Pidgey!" Ariela exclaimed.
Pidge was taken a back by the four year old. Out of all of the people she could run into, it had to be Ariela. Pidge wasn't complaining though, considering how happy the child was to see her, but the child hugging her leg did make her stumble a little.
"Oh. Hi Ariela." Pidge said
Pidge then noticed Lance who was calling Ariela's name, behind him was a woman. She had short dark hair, red lips, and she wore thin, rectangular glasses. She looked a lot like Lance so she could only assume it was someone he was related to. Lance approached them, out of breath.
"Ariela! You know better than to run off like that!" Lance exclaimed as he tried to catch his breath
"Sorry papa." Ariela said as she feared that she was in big trouble.
"Just tell me next time. Please." Lance said. He then looked at Pidge. "Nice to see you again Pidge."
Pidge nodded. Bae Bae then approached the group and began to sniff both Lance and Ariela. Lance was a little startled by the dog.
"It's all right." Pidge explained "Bae Bae is very friendly."
The woman that Lance was with began to speak.
"Hi! I'm Veronica, Lance's sister." She said as she extended to her hand for Pidge to shake.
Pidge smiled at her and shook Veronica's hand. "Hi. I'm Pidge Holt. I work at Ariela's daycare."
"Can I pet your dog Pidgey?!" Ariela asked, completely ignoring the conversation that Pidge was having.
"Ariela, manners." Lance reminded his daughter, slightly embarrassed by his daughter's outburst."You need to say excuse me when people are taking."
Pidge chuckled as she looked down at Ariela.
"Of course you can." Pidge said "You can even play fetch with her if you'd like. Just make sure to stay here where your father can see you. Bae Bae will bring you back the ball."
Ariela's eyes grew with excitement and she grabbed Bae Bae's ball and wandered a foot away from the group to play fetch with Bae Bae. Lance stared at his daughter with slight concern. He knew he could trust Pidge considering the fact he practically trusted her with this daughter almost everyday but he still worried about her.
"Don't worry." Pidge said "Bae Bae loves kids. She's very gentle with them."
Lance smiled slightly as Pidge stared at him in reassurance.
"I'll keep an eye on her." Veronica said, obviously wanting to leave the two of them alone to talk.
She walked off to where Ariela was and stayed by her while Pidge and Lance awkwardly stood across from each other. As she did show, she flashed Lance a subtle wink to tease her brother. It was rare at this point to see him with a woman or let alone talking to one who wasn't a customer
"So Pidge?" Lance began as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Is that a nickname or is that your actual name?
Pidge snorted at his question. "Pidge is my nickname. My actual name is Katie but I prefer to be called Pidge. It's just a something I've always preferred."
“Katie’s a lovely name” Lance smiled “I mean both are lovely and I think they suit you well.”
Red flushed rapidly at Pidges cheeks. Usually if Keith or one of her guy friends made a comment like that she would give them a snarky reply or punch them, but Lance wasn't either one of them. He was a man who had a daughter, a daughter she watched 5 times a week.
"Thank you" Pidge replied as casually as she could muster "I'd like to think so"
They stood in silence for a moment, watching Ariela and Veronica run and play with Bae Bae. It was a cute sight to see, especially when Ariela tackled the dog with affection and tried to get it to listen to her commands. Pidge was the first to speak.
“Ariela is a cute kid. She's got a great imagination. I remember one time she got me in princess crown so she could be the knight fighting the dragon”
Lance laughed at the thought of Ariela wielding a fake sword while Pidge was pretending to be helpless in a tiara.
“She probably got that from being with me” Lance chuckled “Ariela always wants me to dress up like a princess for her”
“Oh really?” Pidge smirked “like the whole thing? With a crown and dress?”
“And makeup!” Lance added “i swear I had red lipstick and blue eyeshadow in my hair for a week after that”
The two laughed. Pidge could tell Lance adored Ariela and it warmed her heart that he was so interactive with her. She figured being a single father wasn't easy, but they way Lance talked about it, seemed like the best job in the world. The two went back and forth discussing Ariela’s artwork and general interests she seemed to be having. The conversation cut off when Pidge saw the time and the sky getting darker. She whistled for Bae Bae who ran right over to her immediately.
“I need to get going” Pidge started apologetically she secured Bae Bae's leash “tell Ariela I said goodbye and I’ll see her later”
“Will do.” Lance smirked “It was a pleasure to see you again”
Pidge smiled before giving a final wave and walking off with her dog in tow. Veronica held a sleepy-looking Ariela as they watched Pidge walk further and further. Lance got lost almost in a trance. His chest felt warm and fuzzy and his stomach started to flutter at the thought of Pidges warm smile and rose scent. And that's when it hit and all Lance could think was
Fuck.