When Pidge opened her eyes that morning, she wished she hadn't. She wished she could just go back to sleep and not have to get up and face the day, because honestly, she didn't want to. She knew it would be just like every other day— seeing Lance, fighting down all the magnetic tugs and fluttery sensations, wondering when the day would finally come when they could be together, protecting her heart from getting hurt, then lying awake at night terrified that it would all be for nothing.

It was the inevitability of the situation they were in, she supposed, but it still sucked. It sucked especially lately because Lance had been hanging around her more, and there would be these lovely moments where everything would feel so right…but then she'd snap back to reality and remember how empty it all was.

Pidge sighed loudly and forced herself to get out of bed. She checked her phone on her nightstand, immediately seeing a text from Lance saying that he'd be unusually busy today. A sharp sting ran through her heart. Quiznak, she'd never felt so lovesick in her entire life, and it was really starting to drive her up a wall.

Which is why the situation she is currently in is torture.

The day after she'd gotten up had been normal enough. Sure, she didn't see Lance, and that made her be in an uncommonly frustrated mood, but she still did her usual things: work on robots, help with the new castle ship, answer everyone's billion questions on the improved Galra finder (see, if Lance had been here, then he probably could have helped her with that— at this point, he knew the inner workings of the machine almost as well as she did). Typical day.

But then she'd gone to bed, and her mind wouldn't shut up about equations and modulating and coding. Lance was the first thing she'd thought of, so now they were here, on the floor of his room watching some random midnight soap opera in their pajamas.

When she'd arrived, he was sitting down on the floor. She'd told him it was ridiculous, but he'd just laughed and asked her to join him. Then, somehow, he'd convinced her that being close might help her fall asleep. So here she was, sitting in his lap of all things! But no, that wasn't the problem.

The problem was that Lance was driving her crazy.

His thumb swept what had to be the fifteenth circle on her shoulder in the past few minutes. It was slow, and smooth, and left her trying to focus harder on the stupid soap opera just to distract herself.

See the thing was, Pidge always wore a tank top to sleep, and she hadn't thought anything of it until this moment. But for some reason, as soon as she'd sat down in his lap, his right hand had gravitated toward the bare skin.

And it felt wonderful.

One tantalizing touch, and then another. It was innocent enough, but for some reason, it was driving her absolutely insane. A warm, tingly sensation had spread through her, and it only grew each time Lance's thumb moved to pass over her skin.

He was doing it again, now, and she bit her lip. Control yourself, Pidge.

But quiznak, it was getting difficult. She'd tried everything— gritting her teeth, fisting her hands, looking around the room. None of it was enough to get her mind off his touch.

He let out a soft hum behind her, and she shivered when his breath hit her neck. Why had she thought this was a good idea? She was only torturing herself by being around the person she knew she couldn't have.

The thought of leaving crossed her mind, but it instantly vanished when Lance's knuckles stroked down her forearm.

Pidge fought a whimper in the back of her throat. What was he doing to her? She forced her eyes shut.

Calm down. It's just hormones. Desire is a perfectly natural emotional reaction to someone you like. It's a human response to attraction. You don't have to obey it. You can handle it.

But then Lance dragged his fingertips down to her elbow and back up again.

Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she honestly didn't think she could take one more second of it. She wondered if he felt how she did— buzzing with barely controlled want.

Pidge attempted to take in a deep breath. Calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down, she mentally chanted, but it was useless. His fingers were still ghosting over her skin, unknowingly teasing her in the worst way possible.

She could feel herself caving, and finally, she twisted so she could see his face. "L-Lance?"

Half lidded blue eyes met hers. "Hm?" His fingers drifted up and down again, and that's when she snapped.

Pidge crashed her lips into his, and he responded immediately. Their lips met in a frenzy of desire and desperation. It had been far too long since they'd kissed, and even now as they moved against each other frantically, it felt like it wasn't enough.

Lance's fingers lowered from her elbow to grip her waist, and she sighed. Then his thumb began to make circles on her hips, and all rational thought left her mind.

Pidge turned in his lap to face him properly. Their noses knocked together, and she felt Lance shaking with laughter before he pulled her in to him. Her chest against his, there was no more space between them. She grasped at his shirt, wishing there was some way he could be even closer.

One of her tank top's straps was beginning to slip off from her shift, but she didn't care. His lips were on hers, and that's all that mattered. Lance's right hand began to slide up her back, but stopped short when it met bare skin on her shoulder.

He broke the kiss. "Whoops, sorry—" he breathed, quickly pulling the fallen strap back up.

Pidge just laughed and dove back in, giggling when she felt him smiling against her lips. He cupped her face with his hand, pressing into her lips fervently. She tilted her head to deepen it, and he moaned.

Desire flared up within her again. One hand reached for his hair, and then other wandered down to his neck. She nestled her touch there, her fingers toying with the hemline of his shirt, every now and then brushing against the nape of his neck. Lance made a disappointed noise, but then he had an idea. The hand he left on her hip began to copy what she was doing to him— fiddling with her shirt, then just barely passing his fingers over her skin. Two could play this game.

His touch on her skin sent her head spinning. It was all so much and it was all so good. Her lungs were beginning to tighten for lack of oxygen, but she didn't care. All she wanted was Lance, and everything else could just disappear.

Speaking of Lance, it seemed he was running out of air, too. His chest was raising and falling rapidly against hers. His lips left hers briefly to take in a sharp breath, then they were back again.

Suddenly, their long, passionate kisses turned into a flurry. Their lips would meet, part, then meet again. Pidge's heart felt like it was about to explode, and she clutched onto him like he was her lifeline.

Lance tightened his hold on her. "Let," kiss, "me," kiss, "be," kiss, "yours," he mumbled, then pressed a final searing kiss to her lips.

They broke apart gasping for air. Pidge blinked, her brain barely processing what he said. "What?" she panted.

He leaned down and kissed her again, gentle and sweet. She instantly shut her eyes and melted into him, but he quickly let her go to speak. "Let me be yours," he repeated.

Pidge froze, her eyes flying open and going wide.

Desperate blue eyes gazed into hers. "Please, Pidge, this is driving me crazy," he pleaded. "I can't stand not being with you anymore."

Visible fear overcame her face, and his expression softened. Her hands had fallen from him out of shock, and he took them in his. "I'm over her…I think I have been for longer than I realized," he admitted.

"I-I—" she stuttered hesitantly. "I don't k-know, I…"

Lance squeezed her hands. "Please, Pidge, I'm begging you. I'm ready. I don't think I can take another day not being with you."

There was truth in his voice, the kind that made her want to believe him, even though she was still absolutely terrified. Pidge peered up at Lance. His eyes showed no sign of deception. Her hand came up to stroke his cheek. He leaned into the touch, eyes closing in bliss, and her heart filled with hope.

"And you're sure your heart is healed?" she whispered.

He nodded, his eyes opening slowly. "It's healed…" Lance brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, "and it's yours."

It hit her all at once. This was it. The wait was over. They could finally be together.

Pidge felt her eyes begin to fill with tears, and a thousand thoughts were running through her head, but all she could do was lean in to kiss him again, almost like she had to check that this was really real. Lance hummed against her mouth before he lead her in a steady dance, their lips moving slower than they ever had before.

One of his hands had moved to her back while the other stayed on her cheek. Both of hers wound around his neck, and she held on as tight as she could. Lance's hand stroked down her back comfortingly. A soundless sob wracked her body. He just kissed her deeper.

Gosh, she still couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe she was here. She couldn't believe he was hers. She couldn't believe that all these days of waiting and that awful twinge in her heart had melted away with just a few words. Another wave of emotion came over her, and she allowed her tears to spill over.

It took a couple seconds for Lance to notice, but when he did, he immediately pulled back and began to wipe the tears away.

"Shh, it's okay, it's okay," he soothed. His brows furrowed in worry. "I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?"

Pidge shook her head. "N-No, I'm just," she sniffed then sighed, gazing adoringly into his eyes. "I'm so happy that we can finally be together."

Lance's eyes softened. "I'm happy, too," he murmured. He came forward and kissed her forehead sweetly. "But I hate seeing you cry."

She let out a strained giggle. "What can I say? It sucked waiting."

"Tell me about it," he grumbled. "Every day was torture."

The pair shared an embarrassed laugh. Lance hesitantly met her eyes with his, and as though all of this was for the first time, or someone had pushed a reset button, they blushed. She smiled up at him, and he smiled back.

"I, um…so, we're dating now, right?" Pidge asked.

Lance's blushed deepened, even though his smile became broader. "I mean, I'll beg again, if you want me to."

Pidge burst out laughing and covered her face with her hands. "N-No, you don't h-have to," she giggled.

"That's a relief," he chuckled. His hand began to stroke up and down her spine again. "It was terrifying enough doing it once."

She relaxed into his touch, then returned the affections by shyly lifting her hand to stroke his cheek. The new couple found themselves in a trance. They gazed at each other in wonder, both consumed with the thought that this was it. This was all they ever wanted. And now it was theirs and theirs alone.

Within a few minutes, however, Lance seemed to snap out of it. He blinked at her several times, a new blush coming over his face, and then he blinked again.

"I-I, uh," he stammered. "Well, I j-just realized, we…we never, um…"

Pidge raised her eyebrows at him.

Lance cleared his throat. "Sorry, let me start over. So…how does a first date sound?"

She glanced down at their position, which now that their passionate moment had faded, seemed more than just a little intimate. Pidge looked back up at him and gave a wry grin. "A little late, but it'll do."

A flustered expression came over Lance's face. "W-Well, where do you wanna go?"

Pidge wanted to burst out laughing, but instead, she leaned forward and pressed a long, sweet kiss against his lips. Her new boyfriend let out a soft moan, and she smiled before they parted.

"Anywhere is good with me, as long as you're there," she sighed happily.

Suddenly, Lance snickered. "That's kinda the point of a date."

Pidge rolled her eyes. "Shut up, I'm trying to be like one of those cheesy romance movies."

Lance snorted. "Nah, we're more like a slow burn tv show or something."

"Well," she said, shifting to wrap her arms around his waist and snuggle into his chest. "You're not wrong."

"I hereby call this meeting into order."

The occupants of the room straightened in their chairs. Hunk's steady gaze passed over them from the front of the long conference table. Pleased that he had everyone's attention, he cleared his throat.

"As of last night, a new development has occurred," Hunk announced.

The reaction in the room was immediate. Wide eyes and gasps were spread all around.

"Lance and Pidge…" Hunk trailed off, building the suspense. "…are finally dating."

"OH THANK GOODNESS," Matt shouted, slumping down in his chair. "Do you know how long I've had to put up with her talking about him while we modulate? And she didn't even realize she was doing it half the time!"

"Yeah, maybe now Lance will finally start paying attention during training," Keith scoffed, crossing his arms. "All he ever did was stare at her, and his swordsmanship has been terrible lately."

Allura and Romelle gave identical sighs. "I'm just happy he found someone," Allura remarked.

"And someone that will love him as much as he needs!" Romelle added on.

"They really do deserve each other," Shiro agreed, and everyone nodded.

"Yes, yes, we already knew those things," Hunk waved a hand dismissively. "But that is not why I called this meeting into order. It's time…to pay up."

Groans echoed throughout the room.

"Hunk, is this truly ethical?" Coran questioned. "The Paladins are meant to be a shining light to the entire universe, and betting isn't exactly painting the picture of a role model."

Hunk slammed a fist down on the table. "We've had this going for months, now! We can't back out just because I was right and everyone else was wrong!"

"Barely," Keith grumbled. "I had my bets on just a couple days ago after Allura told us about her encounter with Lance. He took too long to tell Pidge."

"At least you weren't way off like me," Krolia snorted. "I thought it would be at least another decapheeb before they stopped running in circles around each other."

"Hunk, maybe it's best if we call off the bet," Shiro suggested in a pacifying manner. "What we should really be focused on is the fact that Lance and Pidge are finally together, and we should show our support to them."

Hunk narrowed his eyes. "You're just saying that because you owe me the most!"

"True," Matt nodded. Shiro gave a impish grin.

With no more oppositions to be heard, Keith stood up and held out his share. "Let's just get it over with, guys."

There were grumblings, but everyone began to comply. Hunk held his hand out expectantly, and they all came forward to give it over—

"What's going on here?"

"AH!" everyone screamed. They spun around to see Lance and Pidge hand in hand, both with dubious expressions on their faces.

"Yeah, what is all this?" Lance questioned. "Are we gathering money for a charity or something?"

Hunk smiled sheepishly. "Haha, wow, what weird timing for you two to get here, I'll take that—" he rambled, stashing the money and slowly inching toward the exit. "We were actually just talking about you, and you should totallyaskShirowhathesaidBYE!"

And with that, Hunk was gone in a flash, leaving everyone blinking after him.

"Does…anyone know what just happened?" Lance asked.

Pidge stepped forward and narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, what's all this about?"

Their friends gave awkward laughs before they, too, dashed off.

Lance and Pidge were left standing in an empty room, both of their brows furrowed.

"Why are we all so weird," Pidge shook her head.

"I dunno," Lance shrugged. He leaned down to kiss the top of his girlfriend's head. "Wanna go down to your hangar and finish your new project?"

Pidge smiled and squeezed his hand. "I dare say that's the best idea you've had all day, dear."

Lance winked. "Only for you, honey."

It's the end! Hope you guys enjoyed it, and if you did, please leave a review to let me know! Also, if you have any ideas for any Plance stories or one shots, let me know! I'm always here to listen to new ideas, and I'm sure we'll have plenty after Season 7 tomorrow!