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Like most people he knew, Hunk had spent hours imagining what his soulmate mark would say when he finally received it. He could remember talking with his cousins and guessing, even trying dubious fortune telling techniques from a discount book downloaded to his brother’s tablet in the hopes of finding a clue. When that failed, Hunk settled for waiting, though he read enough to know his soulmate’s deepest fear would probably end up being pretty ordinary. If he had to guess, he’d say public speaking or heights or one of the other more common fears.
He never expected to see “being a seventh wheel” instead.
For a moment, he stared down at the script on his wrist, reading and rereading. What kind of fear was being a seventh wheel? Maybe it was a prank or a note that someone had scribbled down on him by mistake. With everything going on this morning, Hunk hadn’t taken the time to check before slipping on his gloves, which meant any of his family might have written it last night while he was sleeping.
Part of him, the hopeless romantic part of him, hoped it was real. Day one of a new school and he’d somehow managed to catch sight of his soulmate without even realizing it. Maybe he’d even shaken their hand. Maybe he could find them and spend his time at the Garrison knowing who he was meant to spend the rest of his life with.
When he finally worked up the courage to touch it, he could feel each individual letter raised from his skin, just enough that he could trace it with his eyes closed. Warmth filled his chest, and he grinned down at the words on his wrist. This was definitely a soulmate mark.
The door to his shared room whirred open, and a tall, lanky boy walked in, looking around until he spotted Hunk. “Hey! Hunk, right?” He dropped his bags by the door and grinned. “I saw you this morning.”
Hunk nodded and tugged his glove back down to cover his newly acquired mark. “Yeah.” He stood up to offer his hand. “You said your name’s Lance?”
“Yep!” Lance grinned and shook his hand. “Looks like we’re roommates.”
Hunk nodded, an easy smile lighting his expression. “Looks like.” He gestured to the bunk behind him. “Did you want top or bottom bunk?”
Lance shrugged, eyeing them both. “Do you care?”
“Not really.”
“I’ll take top, then.” Lance doubled back to grab his bags and toss them onto the top bunk. “So, you’re an engineer, huh?”
Hunk smiled, some of the thrill of being accepted into the Garrison returning at the thought. “That’s right.”
“You know, we could totally work together!” Lance beamed up at him, obviously just as excited as Hunk had been before the sight of his new mark distracted him.
“You think so?” Hunk brightened, some of his new roommate’s energy rubbing off on him. “I’ve always wanted to work with the new cargo ships they’ve been building here.”
Lance slung an arm over Hunk’s shoulders. “Hey, if you work with me, you’ll be in a fighter jet!”
Hunk’s brows furrowed, already feeling queasy at the thought of riding in one. “I get really motion sick when I fly too fast.”
“Don’t worry. I’m the smoothest flyer around. You’ll be-” Lance’s eyes widened as he caught sight of his own right wrist while he gestured. “Wait…” He held it up at eye level and stared. “Whoa…”
“New soulmate mark?” Hunk asked.
“Yeah, man! Look!” He showed the writing to Hunk. “Awww… She’s afraid I won’t like her.”
Sure enough, “disappointing my soulmate” was scrawled over Lance’s wrist.
Lance grinned up at Hunk. “Do you know what this means?”
“Um…” Hunk could only guess. “Your soulmate’s a little insecure?”
“No! Well…” Lance considered for a moment. “Maybe. But, I got it today, which means my soulmate is here!”
“I bet a lot of people did, since there’s so many people here.” Hunk examined Lance’s mark with a smile of his own.
“Yeah, but now I know she’s nearby! All I have to do is make a list of everyone I met today, and then I need to see if they got their marks today.” Lance stepped on the bottom rung of the ladder to his bunk so he could rummage around in his bag for his tablet. “What about you?”
“I got mine, too.” Hunk chuckled.
“What’s it say?”
“It’s kind of a weird one. Something about being an extra wheel?” Hunk glanced down at the words again to make sure they hadn’t changed. “I guess maybe they’re afraid of not being wanted.” How else was he supposed to interpret being the seventh wheel?
Lance finally tugged out his tablet and plopped down on the edge of Hunk’s bed. “Sounds like we both need to find our soulmates fast, then.” He pulled up a memo screen. “Okay, who’s the first person I met today?”
Hunk chuckled and watched as Lance systematically listed every person he could think of, all while encouraging Hunk to make a list of his own.
“Maybe they’ll be roommates, too,” Lance mused as he scribbled down another name. “Wouldn’t that be cool?”
“Oh, totally.” Hunk tapped the edge of Lance’s screen. “Don’t forget Alex.”
“Thanks, man.”
Despite knowing very little about Lance, Hunk could already tell they’d be fast friends. Lance was easy to like, and Hunk was glad to be sharing a room with someone so pleasant. So far, this year was turning out even better than he’d imagined.
Unfortunately, the universe had to balance all of this positivity somehow. Hunk had expected the Garrison to push him to his limits academically, but he hadn’t counted on just how much they would expect from him. The teachers held nothing back as they laid out their high expectations for every student that set foot in their classes. The schedules began early and ended with a strict curfew, which left little time for anything outside of studying and school. Grades had to be kept up to the Garrison’s standard or the student would be kicked out, no questions asked. After his second class, Hunk was so stressed he could hardly breathe, horrible images of himself failing out burning in the back of his mind.
When he returned to his room, Lance was already there, sprawled across Hunk’s bed and kicking his feet as he read something on the screen in his hand.
“Rough day?” Lance asked as Hunk sank into his chair.
“Yeah, you could say that.”
Lance sprang to his feet. “Day one and they’re already trying to scare us off.” Lance clapped a hand on Hunk’s shoulder with a bright smile. “Like that’s gonna happen. You’re a genius, and I’m the best pilot around.”
Hunk chuckled, surprising even himself, before he straightened. “I think they’re serious, man. If we’re not careful, we could-”
Lance held up a hand. “The only place we’re going is space. Trust me. I’m never wrong.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Hunk murmured.
“You need to relax!” Lance leaned back against Hunk’s desk to smile down at him. “And I know exactly how.”
“How did I let you talk me into this?” Hunk whispered as they crept down the hallway. “We could get in trouble.”
“Only if we get caught,” Lance hissed under his breath. “I told you. I never get caught.”
“Really?” Hunk’s eyes narrowed. “Never?”
“Never.” Lance smirked. “How do you think I ended up here?”
“I thought you said you were the best pilot.”
Lance lowered his voice and peeked around a corner. “I am.”
“But you said-”
“Shh! I see someone!”
Hunk squeezed his eyes shut and tried to flatten himself against the wall as much as possible, all the while internally screaming at himself that he knew something like this would happen and this was a huge mistake.
Instead, Lance reached out to grab his hand and tug him into a hidden corner while the teacher walked by. They held their breath, each watching the shadow pass by from the corners of their eyes, pressed too close together to do more than silently hope they weren’t discovered.
“I think they’re gone,” Lance finally murmured.
“Me, too.” Hunk slipped out to peek around the corner. “It’s clear.”
Lance grinned. “See, I told you I never get caught.”
Hunk shot him a glare.
Hunk and Lance ended up stealing half a batch of brownies, along with the recipe, and snuck over to share them with a couple girls Lance met during his afternoon classes. Hunk wasn’t entirely thrilled with the idea of staying out longer, but Lance kept insisting it would help him calm down, and by the time they finished arguing, they were already at the girls’ room.
“So, I don’t suppose either of you have a soulmate mark, do you?” Lance asked, all charm now that he had an audience to impress.
Hunk chewed idly at his brownie as one girl nodded and the other shook her head.
“Do you?” the girl, Hunk thought he heard Lance call her Jessica, asked.
“Yeah! So does my best buddy here.” Lance indicated Hunk with a flourish. “What’s yours say?”
Jessica grinned. “Why don’t you tell me yours first?”
Lance showed the words to her with a smile. “It’s a shame, too, cause I bet my soulmate’s the best one out there.”
Jessica and her friend giggled. “So, if you were my soulmate, what would my wrist say?”
Lance leaned in. “Probably ‘being too amazing’.”
The other girl snorted. “The deepest fear you’ll ever experience is really ‘being too amazing’?”
Lance chuckled. “Well, when you’re as awesome as I am, it’s a risk.”
Hunk snorted and almost choked on his brownie, ignoring the look Lance sent his way. As much as he liked his new roommate, Hunk had a feeling Lance could use some pointers when it came to women.
“Mine says ‘spiders’,” Jessica said, showing Lance her wrist. “I don’t blame him, honestly. I hate them.”
Hunk frowned. “Spiders are harmless. My mom kept a pet spider when I was a kid.”
“Spiders are a menace,” Jessica’s friend insisted.
Lance shrugged, stepping in to defuse the situation. “Guess Hunk’s not your soulmate.”
“Well, what about you?” Jessica asked.
“I don’t know.” Lance said, lowering his voice as he did. “Are you scared of disappointing me?”
As it turned out, she wasn’t, but that didn’t stop the two from flirting while Hunk and Jessica’s roommate made faces at each other behind their backs. Finally, it was time to sneak back to their rooms.
Unfortunately, Lance was wrong about one thing. Hunk wasn’t any more relaxed when they returned and slipped into bed. If anything, he was more worried, thoughts racing as he tossed and turned.
“You okay?” Lance asked from the top bunk.
“Yeah.” Hunk grimaced. “Am I keeping you up?”
“No. I can’t sleep either.”
That was when it finally dawned on him that Lance, for all his confidence, was scared, too. Sneaking out had been Lance’s attempt to calm both of them down. As it turned out, it didn’t work. “Really?”
“Too quiet.”
Hunk nodded, momentarily forgetting Lance couldn’t see it. “It’s not home.”
“Yeah.” Lance sighed, loud enough for Hunk to hear it. “I’ve been sleeping in my older brother’s room for the past week. Coming here was terrifying, and classes just made it worse.”
“You could sleep down here if you wanted,” Hunk offered without even thinking. After all, he was used to sharing, and maybe some warmth beside him would be comforting.
“Seriously?”
“Sure.”
Lance clambered down the ladder and slipped in beside him. “I promise I don’t kick in my sleep or anything. And it’s just for tonight.”
“As long as you don’t bite, we’re good,” Hunk said, chuckling to himself.
“Let me guess…” Lance flopped back beside him. “Younger sister?”
“Baby cousin.”
Lance nodded. “I’ve been there.”
Hunk fell asleep to the sound of Lance talking about his family, managing about five hours of sleep before the morning alarms woke them both.
A few days into their courses, Hunk was finally beginning to settle in. The workload was intense, but Lance helped balance out his stress with jokes and silly contests to see who could build a better paper airplane when studying was taking its toll.
Then came the day of their first test, and Hunk first heard the name that would haunt Lance’s nightmares over the course of their first year.
“I can’t believe it! Keith got the highest score out of everyone!” Lance threw himself onto Hunk’s bed with an irritated huff. “I swear that guy slept through every class! We all thought he’d flunk out. I just lost a week’s worth of dessert betting he’d get the lowest grade out of all of us!”
“Aw, man.” Hunk frowned. “That’s the worst.”
“I know!” Lance sat up. “And then when we asked how, get this. He said, and I quote, it wasn’t that hard.” Lance even employed finger quotes to further emphasize his point.
“Wow, he sounds awful.”
“Thank you! That’s exactly what I said!” Lance scowled. “But, I’m gonna beat him next time, just wait.”
“You can probably start by studying,” Hunk suggested, indicating the open book on Lance’s desk.
“Wanna sneak out?” Lance grinned. “I hear there’s a party in the girl’s wing.”
Hunk shot him a look. “Didn’t you just say you want to beat Keith?”
“Yeah, but our next test isn’t for a week. There’s plenty of time.”
Hunk wasn’t sure how Lance managed to convince him to break curfew again, especially with unfinished work still waiting for him on his desk, but somehow Lance had persuaded him out of their dorm. Now, Hunk was sneaking down the hall, heart in his throat, hoping they didn’t get caught.
When they arrived, a giggling engineer let them in. She waved them over to a small area where a group of cadets were sitting and laughing together. Lance immediately joined in, all smiles and bad jokes as the cadets talked about their first days of the program. Hunk lamented the impossible expectations of his least favorite instructor while Lance broke off to speak to others in the pilot track. Their conversation remained quiet enough to be ignored until Lance’s voice cut through the buzz of other voices, “What? You mean Shiro is actually in your class?”
Hunk glanced over, along with most of the others near him. The boy Lance had been speaking to nodded slowly. “Yeah, he’s helping out for some extra credit, it sounds like.”
“That’s amazing!” Lance breathed. “Can I trade classes with you?”
The small group laughed, knowing it was impossible, but they could understand why Lance would want to. The student pilot was something of a legend for new cadets, and Lance had been fascinated by him ever since he’d first heard of Shiro.
“Sorry, man. Maybe you can stop by and visit after class.”
“Maybe he’ll visit our class, too,” one of the girls sitting beside them reassured him.
Lance sighed. “Yeah, maybe.”
All too soon, the topic in their small group shifted to soulmates, as it always seemed to with such a concentrated number of people who hadn’t found theirs yet. Hunk, meanwhile, was chatting with one of the older engineering students, asking for advice and study tips. Maybe he could get something out of this, because he desperately needed some kind of assurance that he could actually handle this workload.
“Yeah, my soulmate’s basically amazing.” Lance smirked as he said it, “She’ll probably be brilliant and gorgeous. She’d have to be, to keep up with me.”
One of the girls nearby rolled her eyes. “Really? What exactly do you bring to the table?”
“Hey, I’m a catch,” he replied.
“Hey, Hunk, don’t you room with this guy?”
Hunk turned back to look at the small group. “Yeah.”
“Do you think he’s as great as he thinks he is?”
Hunk met Lance’s eyes for a moment, and despite the fact that Lance had dragged him away from his work, he couldn’t help the rush of fondness that hit him when he looked at Lance. He talked a lot, and honestly, he wasn’t the most ideal guy around a group of girls, but Hunk had seen enough of him to know the answer. “Yeah, definitely.”
Lance grinned. “See? I told you!”
“So, was all that true?”
Lance looked over at Hunk. “Huh?”
“I mean, you basically spent an hour talking about how perfect your soulmate’s gonna be.” Hunk shrugged. “Do you really think that?”
“Well, yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”
“I dunno, man, you get kind of weird when you’re trying to impress girls.”
“Weird?” Lance turned in his seat to look at Hunk. “I don’t act weird. Do I?”
“Well, maybe a little.” Hunk offered a reassuring smile.
“Oh, man.” Lance sighed dramatically. “I knew it.”
“Just don’t try so hard, you know? Relax. You just come on a little strong.”
Lance slumped back in his chair. “Think I’ll ever find my soulmate?”
Hunk reached over to pat his shoulder. “Yeah, man. And when you do, she’ll love you.”
“Thanks, buddy.” Lance chuckled. “I bet your soulmate’s gonna love you, too.”
Hunk chuckled. “Yeah, well, once I figure out who it is.”
“You should do what I’m doing.” Lance smiled. “Ask around, look at people’s marks. Yours is kind of weird, but maybe your fear will be easy to figure out.”
“I guess.” Hunk sighed. “There’s just so much work here. I don’t know if I have time for a soulmate.”
“Well, if they’re your soulmate, they’d understand, right?” Lance propped his elbows up on the back of his chair. “What kind of person do you think your soulmate is, anyway?”
Hunk considered his answer for a moment. “I don’t know. I just hope they make me happy, and that I can do the same for them. Beyond that, it doesn’t really matter.” He shrugged, having wondered this sort of thing himself often enough to have an answer. “Besides, soulmates are destined for each other, so I figure as long as we’re compatible-”
“No, I mean, what does your soulmate look like? What’s your type?”
Hunk tapped the table a few times. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know.” Lance repeated with a frown. “Okay, what about what color their hair is? Or how tall you want them to be.”
“I mean, isn’t it pointless to put all these expectations on someone? If we’re soulmates, I’ll love them.”
Lance raised a brow. “I mean, that’s great and all, but you never imagined what your soulmate looks like?”
“Not really.” Hunk considered for a moment. “I mean, maybe, but just because I was curious. I’d be happy with anyone.”
“Hmm… I bet my soulmate’s tall,” Lance mused to himself. “Probably has pretty eyes and dark hair.”
Hunk chuckled. “Think she’ll be taller than you?” It was almost fun to indulge him.
“If she was, I’d still love her,” Lance said, a decisive note to his voice. “I bet she’s totally gorgeous.”
“Is she smart?” Hunk teased.
“Brilliant. And a great cook, too. That way we can make each other romantic meals.”
Hunk chuckled. “Hey, that sounds fun.”
“And stargazing!” Lance grinned, waving a hand overhead. “If she’s here, she loves space, too. It’s perfect.”
“I can’t wait to meet her.”
Lance was quiet for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. Finally, he made a face and turned to look at Hunk. “Hey, I know I said it was only one night the other week, but we have a huge exam tomorrow, and-”
Hunk grinned. “I don’t mind. I slept pretty well that night, too, you know.”
Lance relaxed and sent him a dazzling smile. “Thanks. I won’t ask again.”
Sure enough, he never had to. Every tense night, every exam, every difficult training exercise, Lance would simply grab his pillow and settle in beside Hunk, easing closer and closer until they were sprawled across each other almost every night. There was something comforting about sleeping beside Lance, and the routine helped the cold Garrison dorm room feel more like home.
Lance spent his afternoons training and his evenings convincing Hunk to join him for parties or brief excursions to break curfew, even for a few moments. Hunk lost track of the number of times they were almost caught. The one time they were, Lance managed to talk them out of anything worse than extra cleanup duty for a week.
“So much for never getting caught,” Hunk hissed while they walked back to their room, still frustrated to have a mark on his otherwise pristine record.
“I may have exaggerated that a little,” Lance murmured.
“I knew it.” Hunk grimaced.
“I’m sorry.”
Hunk looked over, surprised to see that Lance certainly looked like he meant it, like he might even be angry with himself for putting Hunk in this situation. Hunk sighed and reached over to pat Lance’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. We didn’t really get into that much trouble.”
Lance brightened. “Thanks.”
Despite his best efforts, Lance struggled to find a match for his soulmate mark. He checked and double checked his list each night, even adding a name or two when he thought of one, but his options were dwindling with each passing day. Hunk did make more of an effort to check marks as people passed, but he never caught sight of anything that would fit him or Lance.
As the months went by, Hunk became more comfortable with his professors and his work. Lance was doing well enough, but he expended so much energy on meeting others in the Garrison and trying to compete with Keith that his scores weren’t as high as they needed to be.
The day Lance found out he didn’t make the fighter pilot track, he returned to their room, unusually quiet, and Hunk immediately knew something was wrong.
Class results had been posted today, which could really only mean one thing. Lance hadn’t made it. Hunk’s heart sank. Without a word, he moved to sit beside Lance and drape an arm over Lance’s shoulders, ready to listen.
“I can’t believe it,” Lance finally murmured, his voice hoarse. “I was so close. One away.”
Hunk frowned. “I’m so sorry.”
“If I’d just tried a little harder…” He slumped forward. “I’m gonna be a cargo pilot.”
“Hey, at least you’re in space.” Hunk said, hoping to brighten up Lance’s mood somewhat. “And if you’re at the top, all you need is someone to drop out.”
Lance sighed, his head dropping into his hands. "What am I gonna tell my mom?"
Hunk watched him for a moment, then gently pulled Lance to his side, rubbing a hand over his arm. "Hey, you did your best."
"Yeah, but it wasn't good enough."
"Doesn't mean you aren't, though,” Hunk said almost before he could consider whether or not it was a good idea to say out loud.
Lance looked up at him, momentarily caught off guard and speechless. Then, he chuckled. "Thanks." He settled his head on Hunk's shoulder, the sensation as natural as any that Hunk could remember. "You’re pretty great, too.”
Lance did adjust, despite the fact that he stared wistfully at the classroom where his former classmates studied the aircraft he'd always dreamed of learning about. Hunk caught him a few times and gently steered him away to chat up another group nearby or to catch a glimpse of Lance's idol in the training room.
It was the perfect chance for Lance to actually meet Shiro, but at the last minute, he chickened out and ran back to their room without saying a word.
"You're not gonna have a lot of chances to meet him, you know." Hunk sat beside Lance, who was currently sprawled out on Hunk's bed. "He's leaving soon."
"Yeah, I know. Two more months till Kerberos."
"A month and a half."
Lance groaned and covered his face with Hunk's pillow. "I know! I just-" He paused and pulled the pillow away to stare at it. "Whoa. What kind of shampoo do you use? This smells really good."
Hunk raised a brow. "Just... the stuff my mom sent me. I think it's coconut scented?"
"Nice." Lance set it back down at the top of Hunk's bed. "Think he'll be in the training room again tomorrow?"
"I don't know. We can check, though."
Unfortunately for Lance, they never did have the chance to catch Shiro again before he was departing for Kerberos. Hunk and Lance took a study break, along with nearly every other cadet, and watched the lift-off on the common area's large screen.
They cheered when the craft cleared the atmosphere. Sure, it was somewhat routine by this point, but so many of them looked up to Shiro, it felt a little magical to watch it happen under his piloting. Lance frowned at one corner, glaring at someone Hunk didn't recognize.
Once they were back in their room, Hunk finally asked, "Okay, who was that?"
"Who was what?" Lance asked petulantly as he clambered into his bunk.
"The guy you were shooting daggers at with your eyes."
Lance rolled his eyes. "Keith."
"That was Keith?"
"Yeah, you can tell because he's the only one who's still wearing a mullet unironically."
Hunk let out a burst of laughter. "You know, it did kind of look like he had a mullet."
"And those stupid gloves? They look so stupid, I mean-"
Hunk raised a brow, suddenly conscious of his own gloved hands.
Lance paused and looked over the edge of his bunk down at Hunk. "Okay, they look cool when you wear them."
Hunk shook his head. "It's okay."
Lance sighed and rolled back onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "What if Shiro was my soulmate?"
Hunk looked up at him. "I thought you weren't interested in guys."
"Well, I've always liked cute girls. I sort of assumed my soulmate would be one." Lance shrugged. "But I've talked to every girl who was here during orientation with a soulmate mark, and none of them are my soulmate."
"You're sure?"
"Yep." Lance grimaced. "Man, I hope it's not Keith."
"Don't worry," Hunk reassured him as he flipped off the lights and settled into bed. "You have to actually like your soulmate."
Lance laughed. "You're right." After a moment of silence, he spoke again, "You know, Shiro's tall. He has dark hair and pretty eyes. Plus, he's smart and he likes space. We could be perfect for each other."
Hunk smiled. "Did you see Shiro on orientation day?"
Lance sighed loudly. "Why do you have to be so logical?"
Hunk grinned. "Sorry."
Three weeks later, Lance and Hunk were staring up at the screen in their dorm's common area in absolute shock and horror. By now, everyone knew about the Kerberos mission's tragic end. Pilot error, they'd said. Everyone was presumed dead.
"Holy crow..." Lance murmured, reaching out to grip Hunk's arm. "He's gone."
Hunk could feel his heart sink straight through the soles of his feet. "I can't believe it."
They spent the next few days in relative silence. The administration chose to give everyone a day off to grieve the loss, especially since so many of the cadets had met one or all of those involved with the mission.
A few days later, they caught sight of a young girl being dragged out of the facility, kicking and screaming about how something was wrong and they were lying.
Two weeks later, Lance was bumped up to the fighter track when Keith failed out of the program. Sure, it was more difficult, and sure Hunk struggled with the new interface for their flying practice, but overall, he was just happy Lance was finally smiling again.
Besides, it was nice to share the same class with his roommate. They could actually work on things together, which was a nice change from him simply trying to get Lance to focus while also completing his own projects.
When Pidge Gunderson joined them, their performance improved. It hadn't exactly been the best in the class before, and sure they still crashed most of their missions, but Hunk could actually communicate with Pidge. They both had a more engineering-friendly mind. Unfortunately, Lance didn't listen to either of them when he was in the mood to show off.
Hunk was really starting to hate the training simulator.
"Come on. We should go find Pidge and sneak out.”
“That’s a terrible idea,” Hunk replied without so much as looking up from his work.
“Hey, we’re supposed to bond. How can we bond if we don’t spend time with the guy?” Lance asked, already using the tone that could convince Hunk to agree to almost anything.
“We could study together before lights out,” Hunk suggested. “Or we could have lunch together. Or train together. Basically anything that doesn’t involve sneaking out and breaking curfew.”
Lance finally bent down to look at him. “The team that breaks curfew together, grows together. You want us to get better, right?”
Hunk frowned. “I want to get a good grade on this assignment.”
“Just one hour. Please?” Lance looked up at him, and Hunk really should have looked away, because that expression got him every time.
Hunk sighed and closed his book. “Fine.”
Except it wasn’t fine, and it definitely wasn’t just an hour.
To Lance’s credit, it wasn’t exactly his fault that they somehow managed to fly to another part of the universe in a robotic space lion, but Hunk was still planning to blame him anyway. Saving the universe really wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, and Hunk was already exhausted at just the thought of doing this every day.
He stared up at the metal over his bed, trying to imagine it was Lance’s bunk overhead. It wasn’t quite the same, though, because there was always ambient noise at the Garrison, always footsteps down the hall and Lance’s music playing through his headphones. There was always Lance beside him, and that familiar warmth was missing now.
How was he supposed to sleep like this?
A soft knock interrupted Hunk’s wandering thoughts. He stood and walked to the door, still processing everything they’d gone through in just one day’s time.
It opened to reveal Lance, already dressed in his pajamas with his face mask on and a pillow tucked under one arm. Hunk raised a brow. “Couldn’t sleep?”
Lance shook his head and stepped inside. “Too quiet.”
Hunk nodded. “Yeah, I never thought I’d miss our stupid loud neighbors.”
That earned him a small chuckle before Lance walked over to Hunk’s bed and sat, just as he always had at the Garrison. He flopped back to stare up at the metallic cover for the small sleeping space for a moment. “It’s weird.”
Hunk settled beside him, laying on his back just inches away. “Yeah, it happened pretty fast.”
“I mean…” Lance waved a hand. “Shiro’s alive. And Keith, man, stupid Keith…”
Hunk chuckled. “Can’t let him get to you, Lance.”
“Yeah, I know.” Lance pouted up at the ceiling. “He doesn’t have to be such a jerk about everything, though.”
“You weren’t exactly Mr. Sunshine and Rainbows.”
“Yeah, well, Mr. Dark and Broody didn’t help.”
“Lance…” Hunk chided gently.
Lance frowned, staring up at his wrist. “You know, I didn’t even think about it, but… I just left her.”
“Your soulmate?”
“Yeah.” Lance closed his eyes and let his hand drop to the bed beside him. “What if I never meet her?”
Hunk reached over to pat Lance’s shoulder. “Come on, once we beat Zarkon, we’ll be heroes. She’s gonna have the best soulmate in the universe.”
Lance smiled, fondly tracing the letters on his wrist. “Yeah.” He turned to look up at Hunk. “You really think we can beat Zarkon?”
Hunk glanced over at him. “I mean, we have a pretty good team.”
“Yeah, but seven people and some space mice against a giant army?” Lance sighed and looked back up at the ceiling. “Even with Voltron, it seems iffy.”
Hunk opened his mouth to respond, but something about what Lance just said bothered him. Seven people...
“Plus, I don’t know about you, but I don’t really know what I’m doing out there.”
Seventh wheel.
Hunk stared at the ceiling, the letters on his wrist almost searing into him now. He’d always wondered why his soulmate would be so scared of being a seventh wheel, always hoped it would make sense someday. Now it did. Now that he made the connection to Lance, it seemed so obvious.
And suddenly the words on Lance’s wrist made so much more sense, because after hearing Lance brag about his very beautiful, very perfect soulmate for months now, Hunk was terrified that Lance would be disappointed to learn his soulmate was actually Hunk. Not to mention, Hunk knew better than anyone exactly what Lance was expecting, which was basically impossible to live up to.
“You know, I think we’re all figuring it out, Lance,” Hunk answered, his voice soft. “No one’s perfect.”
Lance hummed in agreement, his eyes heavy. “Can I sleep here?”
Hunk nodded, despite the way his chest tightened at the thought. “Yeah, sure, buddy.”
“Thanks, man.”
Hunk was definitely not sleeping tonight.
Hunk spent most of training the next day trying to think of anything but Lance and the words spread across his wrist that could tell Lance that they were soulmates. That his soulmate was Hunk and not some gorgeous tall brunette Lance had probably imagined for most of his life.
He defended against the training bots while he considered how to deal with this. Obviously, he had to tell Lance at some point, but the question was when. Right now, they were out in space with no one but a small group of humans and two aliens, fighting for their lives against an enormous army. Even if he wanted to tell Lance, maybe now wasn’t the best time.
After all, the team was struggling enough as it was.
So, Hunk didn’t tell Lance when Lance crawled under the sheets beside him that night.
He didn’t tell Lance when they snuck out to the kitchen for a midnight snack.
He didn’t tell Lance when he found Lance crying under the stars and wishing he was home.
He didn’t tell Lance when he cleaned the cryopods with Lance and Coran all morning.
He didn’t tell Lance when they were stuck waiting together in the middle of a mission.
He didn’t tell Lance when he spent an afternoon fixing up the Blue Lion.
He almost told Lance when Nyma showed up, all smiles and flirting. Hunk knew he had no right to be jealous, but he was. Thankfully, he knew his instant distrust came from Rolo, not Nyma, so he at least knew that wasn’t motivated by jealousy.
Maybe he ranted about being right a little too much once they figured out Lance was in trouble. Maybe he let Keith go rescue Lance because he was feeling petty. Maybe he kept his mouth shut for the wrong reasons.
“Sorry I almost lost my lion today,” Lance murmured to the ceiling after he’d slipped into bed beside Hunk. “That was really stupid.”
“Yeah, I mean she’s not even your soulmate,” Hunk shot back, still a little hurt and more annoyed than he should be.
“I know.” Lance sighed. “I screwed up.”
Hunk made a face and rolled onto his back. “Why did you do it?”
Lance shrugged. “It was nice. I thought she liked me.”
Hunk bit back the urge to tell Lance that she wasn’t the only one. “We all like you, dude.”
“Yeah, but not like…” Lance made a face. “You know what I mean.”
Hunk closed his eyes, took a steadying breath, and spoke, “Your soulmate loves you and wouldn’t do that to you. You know that.”
Lance deflated beside him. “I’m glad she didn’t see me today.”
Hunk glanced over. “Don’t you think she’d still love you even if she did?”
“Maybe.” Lance stared up at the ceiling. “Doesn’t mean I want her to see it, though.”
Hunk watched him for a moment, torn between confessing and trying to reassure him.
“I guess soulmates love you even if you mess up.”
Hunk almost flinched, immediately looking up and away from Lance. “Man, I hope so.”
“Why? You worried your soulmate might be mad at you for something?” Lance chuckled. “Like what?”
“I don’t know.” Hunk tried to play it off, tried to make sure that Lance didn’t suspect anything. “I guess I just worry about my soulmate a lot. Like, what if I’m not what they expect?”
“You’re worried about disappointing them?”
Hunk froze, only now realizing his mistake. “I guess…”
Lance reached over to squeeze Hunk’s shoulder. “Hey, your soulmate will think you’re the best guy in the galaxy.”
Hunk smiled. “You think?”
“Yeah!” Lance chuckled. “Of course.” He tucked his hands under his head. “I’m sure my soulmate will think the same thing. She’ll probably cry with joy.”
Hunk laughed. “Sure, man.”
“I bet she’ll love my ears, too.”
“You need to let that go,” Hunk murmured, shaking his head.
“Hey, what if Allura’s my soulmate?”
“She can’t be,” Hunk answered, ignoring the brief flash of jealousy at the suggestion. “You met her after your mark showed up.”
Lance frowned. “Aw, man…”
Hunk almost told him again when they had time to relax and explain soulmates to Allura and Coran.
“So, you receive these marks when you meet your soulmate?” Allura asked, examining the words on Lance’s hand. “And they show your soulmate’s deepest fear?”
“The deepest fear they’ll ever experience,” Shiro clarified.
“And you all have one?”
Pidge shook her head. “I don’t have mine yet.”
Keith and Shiro traded a glance before Shiro nodded. “I think Hunk and Pidge are the only ones missing theirs.”
“Whoa, hold on.” Lance held up a hand. “Hunk has one, too.”
“Really?” Keith asked, looking over at Hunk.
“Yeah, I just don’t really show it off,” Hunk explained.
Keith nodded, fingering the edge of his own set of gloves.
“What’s the purpose of finding out your soulmate’s fears?” Allura asked, tracing the words on Lance’s wrist.
“There’s a lot of different theories,” Shiro explained. “Some people think it’s so that you can help your soulmate with that fear. Some people think it’s just a way to connect the two of you.”
“How does it work?” Coran asked, peering over Allura’s shoulder.
“We’re not really sure,” Hunk answered with a small shrug. “There’s a lot of studies, but no one’s figured it out yet.”
“They just show up?” Coran asked, picking up Lance’s wrist to examine it for himself. “Out of nowhere?”
“Basically,” Lance answered. “But only once you see your soulmate. So, I know my soulmate’s back at the Garrison with Hunk’s, since we both saw ours during orientation.”
“What does your mark say, Shiro?” Allura cut in.
Shiro looked down at his prosthetic, frowning. “It used to say ‘losing my soulmate’.”
“Used to?” she echoed.
“It was on my right hand.”
Keith reached out a hand to touch Shiro’s shoulder, staring down at Shiro’s right arm.
“Are all marks on the right hand?” Coran asked, either oblivious to the change in atmosphere or hoping to ease it.
“No,” Hunk and Keith answered in unison.
After a brief shared glance, Hunk explained, “It’s the opposite of your soulmate’s hand.”
“So, you two…” Allura’s voice trailed off as she looked between Hunk and Lance.
The sound of the castle alarms interrupted her question, and in an instant, the paladins were racing off to their hangars. Hunk could swear he didn’t breathe until he was safely in his lion.
Hunk almost told Lance when he came out of the cryopod. After seeing Lance in such terrible shape, the thought of keeping something so important from him was almost unbearable.
Hunk hadn’t slept the night before, his bed too cold and empty to provide any incentive to do more than simply toss and turn and worry. He knew Lance would be okay. He had to be. Allura and Coran would make sure of it.
He still cried when Lance was awake and upright again.
Hunk almost told Lance after Hunk had been brainwashed and attacked him. Even knowing it hadn’t really been him, Hunk still struggled with the lingering guilt of fighting Lance. If he’d known they were soulmates, maybe things would have been different.
Of course, running through the scenario a million times in his mind proved it wouldn’t have been. It might even have been harder on Lance. That didn’t change the fact that Hunk was tempted to say something.
“Maybe my soulmate’s a mermaid,” Lance said, jolting Hunk out of almost falling asleep. “They were all really gorgeous.”
“You didn’t even meet them-”
“I know!” Lance cut him off. “I didn’t meet them before my mark showed up. But, come on, we’re both out here. Are you sure our soulmates couldn’t have followed us?”
“I think we would have noticed a mermaid during orientation.”
“Yeah.” Lance deflated. “You’re right.”
“Don’t worry.” Hunk sighed. “We’ll find your soulmate.”
“I hope so. I can’t wait to meet her.” Lance grinned. “I mean, it’s not every day you meet the perfect woman.”
“No one’s perfect,” Hunk murmured, that familiar nervous sensation pooling in his stomach.
“She is.”
Hunk fell silent, another horrible realization hitting him full force. For months now, he’d been lying to himself, pretending that Zarkon was the only reason he wasn’t telling Lance they were soulmates. The reason was something else entirely.
He was terrified he’d disappoint Lance.
So, when they were in the middle of a rescue mission, and Hunk worried about Lance, he kept silent.
When they found a peaceful planet and snuck outside to stargaze, he kept silent.
When Lance dragged him to a store that sold Earth-like ingredients and spent hours examining each and every item they carried, he kept silent.
When they watched Keith travel to the headquarters for the Blade, and both of them worried about the future of their team, he kept silent.
When they snuck out to try the upside down pool, he kept silent.
When Lance crawled into bed beside him night after night, Hunk kept silent.
“Hunk! Come on, wake up!” Lance’s voice, loud and cheery as ever, sounded just beside his ear. As much as he normally enjoyed the sound of Lance’s voice, especially compared to yet another alarm, Hunk groaned and covered his ears with Lance’s pillow.
“Not yet.”
Lance snatched the pillow away. “Hey, man! I figured out who your soulmate is!”
That woke him up.
Hunk turned to look up at him, raising a brow and ignoring the icy sensation in his stomach. “Yeah? Who is it?” He managed a weak smile, hoping to smooth over the inevitable tension. “Don’t tell me you think it’s Coran or something.”
“No! It’s me!” Lance grinned.
“You?” Hunk repeated, the word sounding hollow.
“Yeah! I didn’t mean to, but your glove rode up, and I saw the words.” Lance indicated Hunk’s wrist, the lower half of the words still exposed. “And everything just clicked! It makes sense, too! We met on day one…” Lance paced beside the bed as he spoke, ticking off each reason on his fingers. “And I couldn’t find my soulmate anywhere else in the Garrison, and since we’re stuck out here in space, it makes sense that you’d be here, too. Plus, you know I’ve been feeling kind of like a seventh wheel lately. I mean, I’m pretty sure we talked about it.” He chuckled. “Actually, I’m kind of surprised you didn’t…”
Hunk’s expression must have shown at least some of the guilt building in his chest, because Lance stopped, and his expression fell.
“Wait.” He turned to look at Hunk. “You figured it out, didn’t you?”
“Lance-” Hunk sat up, hoping to explain before Lance got the wrong impression.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Lance asked, his voice softer and more broken than Hunk had heard in months.
“I thought…” Hunk took a deep breath, every fear and worry that had crossed his mind suddenly flooding his thoughts, reminding him of every moment of insecurity that kept him silent until now. “You talked about your soulmate all the time.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Lance frowned, brows furrowed. “I was excited to meet my soulmate. I thought I left her on Earth.”
Hunk struggled to find the words for a moment, his chest and throat tight with emotion. Finally, he reached out and traced the words on Lance’s wrist. “I’m not…” He grimaced. “I’m not the person you were expecting. I know we’re friends and everything, and I’m smart, and I like being with you, but I’m not the girl you talked about every night when we were falling asleep.”
“Holy crow,” Lance breathed, staring down at his hand. “I made you afraid of disappointing me. I’m the reason you were scared of this in the first place. I just-”
“It’s not you! I-”
Lance sat down beside him. “I can’t believe it. I really messed up.”
“I should have told you. I mean, I was going to, but I wanted to wait until after we beat Zarkon. Just in case, you know...” Hunk looked down, regretting every moment he didn’t say something. “I’m really sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” Lance frowned. “I made you afraid to tell me. All I wanted was for you to be as excited as I was about meeting my soulmate. I thought if I talked it up you’d…”
“I was always excited to meet my soulmate.” Hunk shrugged. “I knew I’d love you. When I figured it out…” His voice trailed off, another flare of guilt bursting in his chest.
“You didn’t want to say anything,” Lance finished for him, staring down at the floor.
“Are you…” Hunk took a deep breath. “Are you okay?”
“Okay?” Lance echoed, finally glancing over at Hunk.
“With this?”
“Are you serious?” Lance asked, his expression and voice flat.
“I mean, you weren’t even expecting a guy, much less me. You thought it was Shiro for a while, remember? And you asked every girl in our year, and you kept talking about how she’d be tall and pretty and-” Hunk could feel himself falling into a nervous ramble, trying to explain why he was still plagued by this persistent fear that Lance would be disappointed.
Instead, Lance cut him off with a kiss.
Every anxious thought melted in an instant, the heat of Lance’s fingers grazing his cheekbone and chasing away any lingering concerns. His voice caught in his throat, drowned out by the sudden silence, punctuated only by the sound of his heartbeat thundering in his ears. Lance’s lips were somehow softer than he expected, despite having observed Lance’s elaborate beauty routine almost every night. When his lips finally parted, Hunk could swear he tasted honey or vanilla, but when Lance’s tongue swiped over his lips, the part of his brain that could typically distinguish between two flavors shorted out.
Hunk gasped into Lance’s lips and moved closer, finally settling one hand on Lance’s shoulder and keeping him close. No matter how many times he imagined it, this moment was lightyears ahead of what he could have hoped for. Lance was murmuring his name into the corner of his lips, and Lance’s free hand was slowly trailing over the side of his neck, sending shivers down his spine. If Hunk had any doubts before now, the reverent look in Lance’s eyes when they broke apart erased them completely.
“You’re perfect,” Lance said, smiling up at him. “You’re everything I ever wanted.”
Hunk could feel the tears building in the corners of his eyes, and he flashed Lance a watery grin. “So are you. You’re definitely not a seventh wheel.”
Lance frowned, blinking to clear his eyes as well. “Thanks.”
Hunk tugged him into a hug, overwhelmed with the feeling of finally being home and safe and warm with Lance beside him. Now that everything was out in the open, he could bask in those feelings without guilt or worry. He could relax and hold Lance close.
“I’m sorry,” Lance whispered, a warm tear trickling down the side of Hunk’s neck. “I shouldn’t have said all that stuff.”
“I should have trusted you,” Hunk murmured, his own tears slowly trailing down his cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
“You kept telling me I was important to the team, and you thought I didn’t want you as my soulmate!” Lance whined, turning into the crook of Hunk’s neck. “You can’t do that. You have to let me help you with your fear, too.”
Hunk chuckled, swallowing back a brief sob. “Hey, you did. I’m just sorry I waited this long.” He flopped back onto the bed, bringing Lance with him. “We’re okay.”
Lance relaxed and curled up against Hunk’s side. “Yeah.” He smiled, sniffling a little. “We are.”
Hunk turned to face Lance, legs twining in Lance’s. “I’m really glad you’re my soulmate.”
“Me, too.”
Hunk’s heart soared. He never expected to appreciate those words as much as he did at that moment with Lance watching him and grinning through puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Part of him never expected to have this moment, to actually know that Lance wanted him, too. He’d imagined so many scenarios, and some of them ended with Lance accepting it, but none of them ended with Lance looking so thrilled just to be with him.
He slipped off his glove and carefully slipped his hand in Lance’s, resting it gently on top so their words overlapped. A rush of heat crackled just under his skin, raising the fine hairs along the back of his neck, and Lance gasped, staring down at their wrists.
“Whoa…” he murmured.
Hunk nodded and pressed a kiss to the back of Lance’s hand. “So, we really are soulmates.”
“I knew you’d be tall and gorgeous and smart.” Lance chuckled. “And you’re a great cook and you make me laugh and you like space. Plus you have pretty eyes and dark hair.” He grinned. “How did you think I’d be disappointed?”
Hunk shook his head. “You know what? I don’t really know anymore.” He eased closer to Lance. “Wanna sleep in a little?”
Lance nodded and squeezed Hunk’s hand. “Yeah. We’ll probably need it.”
Hunk drifted off to the sound of Lance’s breathing and the feeling of Lance’s thumb tracing circles over the side of his hand.