Another Typical Lunch Break

by Zoe Sionnach


Voltron and all characters therein property of World Event Productions
Hyakuju Oh Go-Lion and all characters therein property of Toei Animation


Hunk sighed contentedly as he leaned back on the couch and casually gulped his coffee. It had been an almost perfect day so far - he barely had any scenes in the fic currently being worked on and so he'd been free to do as he wished all morning. What he'd wished had included sleeping in, going for a long, leisurely stroll (and the weather had been absolutely perfect for once), and indulging in some much-needed "quality time" with his lover before the others showed up for lunch.

Well, two out of three wasn't bad anyway.

He cast an appraising glance over the slender, bespectacled form currently hunched over some musty textbook or other and sighed again, this time more explosively. "What," he asked plaintively, "are you doing?"

Lance didn't so much as look up. "Math," he replied, scribbling furiously in his notebook. He paused briefly to survey his handiwork, then immediately erased it with a crestfallen look. Evidently it wasn't going terribly well.

"Huh. Well, lemme see. Maybe I can help." Hunk reached over and grabbed the proffered notebook - only to hand it back immediately, as if it were on fire. "I thought you said this was math!" he growled semi-accusingly.

Lance blinked. "It is. Complex math."

"It certainly is," Hunk replied absently, ignoring the rather indignant look that crossed his boyfriend's face.

"I mean," Lance explained, "that it's Complex Variables. Imaginary numbers. That sort of thing."

Hunk stared. "What the hell are imaginary numbers?"

"Well - "

"Ah, it's just more of that college stuff," Pidge drawled as he sauntered airily into the room, followed closely by Allura, the latter currently sans the much-derided blonde wig she normally sported on the set. "You know... stuff the rest of us mere mortals couldn't comprehend in a million years."

Lance shot Pidge an exasperated look. He'd gotten used to the gibes by now - he'd been hearing them pretty regularly since he'd joined the cast a month ago - but they did tend to get old after a while. And computer geeks who lived in glass houses had no business throwing stones anyway, at least in his estimation. Or something to that effect. "It's not THAT bad," he protested, flushing slightly.

Pidge rolled his eyes as he scooped up Lance's notebook, flipping to a random page and beginning to read. "Uh-huh. 'If a function u(x,y) is a harmonic function defined on a simply connected domain, then there exists a function of v(x,y) such that f(z) equals u(x,y) plus v(x,y) is analytic in D. This function v(x,y) is the harmonic conjugate of u(x,y).'" He paused dramatically, glancing around the room. "Anyone else get that?"

Allura shook her head, running her hand through short-cropped chestnut hair currently dyed a shade of blue that couldn't possibly be found in nature. "Sorry... it's as clear as paint to me. But then, he's the one in the family with all the brains - I just got all the looks."

"Not all," Hunk reproved mildly. He for one was rather partial to Lance's looks...

Allura grinned apologetically at Hunk. "Just teasing," she assured him. "I'm well aware of my baby brother's charms."

Lance shot Allura a will-you-STOP-humiliating-me glare. "I am NOT your 'baby brother.'"

"You're younger than I am."

"By a whole hour. Wow."

"I'm still older than you."

This nascent bout of sibling rivalry was curtailed when Hunk cut in. "What do you mean, 'I'm aware of his charms'?" he growled, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Allura smirked at him. "Well, I've seen the size of his fan club, for one thing." The smirk widened. "Why... what did YOU think I meant?"

Pidge sniggered. "Yeah, Hunk - what DID you think?"

"I... well... that is..." Hunk stammered, reddening, "How was I supposed to know what she meant?"

"You are SUCH a pervert, Hunk," sniffed Allura.

"And you're debauched. What's your point?"

"I'M debauched?!"

"I'm glad we agree."

"Why, YOU - "

Pidge shook his head dismissively. "Here we go again..." He elbowed Lance, who had opted to concentrate on the pile of unfinished homework neatly stacked on the table instead of the fight. "How do you put up with those two, anyway?"

"I ignore them," Lance replied, grabbing a textbook. "They don't listen to me anyway."

"That is SO not true!" Allura protested, argument with Hunk temporarily derailed. She leveled an accusatory glance at her twin, who merely raised an eyebrow in response. "I listen to you all the time!"

Lance gazed evenly at her over his glasses, then pointedly returned to his textbook.

Allura huffed in annoyance. "Okay, MAYBE I don't listen to you ALL the time. But STILL..."

Hunk merely grinned, gliding over to his lover and fondly ruffling his hair. "Poor abused baby," he cooed, earning a light swat on the hand and a lopsided grin in response.

"Hey, how come he can call you a baby and I can't?" Allura demanded.

Hunk smirked. "Because I don't treat him like one?"

"You certainly don't," murmured Lance as Hunk slid his arms around Lance's shoulders and commenced nuzzling his ear.

Pidge snorted. This was really more than he needed to see this early in the day. "Get a room, you two."

"This is a room," Hunk pointed out reasonably enough, shifting his attention to Lance's neck. Lance gasped softly, eyes becoming slightly unfocussed as Hunk continued his ministrations.

Pidge and Allura exchanged glances. Neither of them was much for Public Displays of Affection - well, in Allura's case, not unless she was participating - and they WERE on the clock, break or no break. Besides, Lance had scenes to shoot this afternoon, and Sven and Lotor were due back any minute with lunch.

And speak of the devil(s)...

"Lo, we bring thee sustenance!" Lotor exclaimed grandly, hefting a twelve-pack of soda as he strode into the room. "And apparently just in time, too."

"Pizza's here," added Sven, trailing behind Lotor with the aforementioned foodstuffs.

"Thank god," Pidge replied. "If you'd arrived any later, Hunk would have eaten Lance." This earned him a sour glare from Hunk, while Lance blushed furiously and suddenly gained a renewed interest in his studies.

"What, again?" Sven quipped, depositing the pizzas on the counter as Lotor parceled out the drinks and Hunk, still grumbling a bit, dug out plates, napkins and utensils. "Okay, we have one pizza with pepperoni and sausage; one with half everything and half everything plus anchovies - "

"Anchovies?!" Hunk interjected, "Who eats THOSE?"

"- One order of antipasto; and one garlic pizza," Sven concluded, as if the interruption hadn't occurred. "Have at it."

"Garlic?" Lance asked, cheering up a little. Then his face fell. "Oh, wait... I can't. I have a love scene with Keith later and he'll pitch a fit."

Hunk sighed. "So brush your teeth first. Then he won't have anything to complain about."

"Yeah," Pidge remarked. "Don't they teach you any common sense at that college of yours?"

"Well, I have to keep things more even for you people SOMEhow," Lance retorted without so much as a glance upward.

Sven laughed heartily. "Score one for the college boy!" he proclaimed exultantly as Pidge mock-swooned on the sofa.

"About time, too," said Lotor. "You really need to develop a backbone, kid. Especially working with Keith the way you do."

Lance nodded, biting his lip. Keith could be... temperamental... at the best of times, and as the cast member with the least acting experience, Lance tended to run afoul of him more often than not.

"Ah, don't worry about it now," Hunk soothed, "Have some pizza."

"But... my homework... I'm behind as it is..."

Book, pencil and notebook were summarily snatched away as Hunk held out a slice of garlic pizza. "Eat," he commanded sternly.

Lance knew better than to argue.

Allura shook her head reprovingly. "I don't know how you can eat that stuff. It isn't even real pizza."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Says the only person I know who willingly eats anchovies. And it is so 'real pizza.'"

"But it doesn't have tomato sauce!" Allura argued. "It isn't real pizza without tomato sauce."

Lance ignored her and took another bite.

Allura glared at him. "One of us has to be adopted. I'm sure of it."

Hunk smirked. "You make that sound like a bad thing."

"Knock it off, you two," Lotor groused, scarfing a slice and grabbing another. He really didn't know how Lance put up with all this incessant bickering - it certainly drove HIM up a wall. Of course, Lance HAD grown up with Allura in the first place...

"Well, isn't this cozy?"

All eyes snapped to the once-again-open doorway, where Keith now stood gazing disapprovingly around the room. Hunk scowled, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "Doesn't anyone know how to knock anymore?" Keith, thankfully, either didn't hear him or (more likely) heard him and chose to ignore the admonition.

"Hey, Keith!" Pidge called agreeably. "Join us for lunch?"

Keith gave the boy a withering look, lip curled into a sneer. "No thanks." His gaze fell on Lance and darkened considerably. "GARLIC pizza? You DO remember that we have a... scene... together, don't you?"

Lance went white. "I... I'll brush my teeth first," he stammered, clearly wishing he were somewhere - anywhere - else at the moment. Hunk's scowl deepened and he wrapped an arm protectively around his lover, glowering at Keith all the while.

"See that you do," Keith replied. "I'd rather not have this scene be any more unpleasant than it already is."

"Lay off him, Keith," snapped Lotor. "There's no reason to give the kid a breakdown just because you're having a bad day."

"Hn." Keith took in the glares of his costars dispassionately before letting his gaze rest on Lance again. "You're due on the set in an hour," he declared. "Try to be on time." And with that, he turned on his heel and left, the door slamming behind him.

Sven exhaled noisily. "That was... pleasant."

"Yeah, what's his problem lately?" Pidge queried. "I mean, that was bad even for him."

Lotor shrugged. "Merla dumped him."

Sven looked incredulous. "You're kidding."

"Nope." Lotor shook his head. "She just up and walked out on him last week. Said she found something better."

"Like that would be difficult," Hunk muttered, still keeping a protective arm around Lance.

Lance blinked. "He was dating Merla...? But I thought - " Suddenly he whirled to stare at Allura, eyes widening with horror as comprehension dawned. "ALLY! You DIDN'T!"

Allura was gazing fixedly at a spot on the wall as if it had suddenly become the most interesting thing in the world. "Uh... didn't what?"

Lotor's jaw dropped. "I don't believe it. YOU'RE the one Merla left him for?" He threw back his head and laughed delightedly. "What is this, the third or fourth you've seduced out from under him now?"

Hunk snorted. "Debauched, I tell you."

"I am not debauched," grumbled Allura. But the protest was half-hearted at best.

Lance groaned and buried his head in his hands. "No wonder Keith hates me..."

"He doesn't hate you," Sven replied gently. "Not really." Lance looked sharply up at him, expression dubious, and Sven clarified with a sigh. "He's always rough on people he likes, at least at first - you should have seen the way he treated me at first, and we actually get along reasonably well now. It's people he doesn't like that he doesn't bother with."

It was Hunk's turn to blink. "That... makes no sense."

Sven shrugged indifferently. "It's Keith. Conventional logic need not apply."

There was silence for a moment as the others digested this new bit of info.

"Well," Lance remarked, relaxing slightly, "I suppose that's comforting... sort of. I guess." He glanced apprehensively at the clock. "But it's not going to make this afternoon's scenes any easier to shoot."

"I can go with you," Hunk offered, but Sven shook his head.

"It would probably be better if Lotor or I went, actually. You're not the most... objective person around as far as Lance is concerned anyway, and both Lotor and I are perfectly capable of handling Keith should the need arise."

"...Okay," Hunk relented. "But if I hear anything -"

"We know," drawled Lotor. "You'll come charging in and bust some heads."

Hunk grinned. "Glad we understand each other."

"And now that we've established proof of machismo," Lance remarked wryly, " I'd probably better hurry up and get going. I'd rather not make him any angrier - he's got enough of a grudge against my family as it is." Allura shot him a wounded look but had the grace to blush.

"At least finish your lunch before you go," Hunk wheedled. Lance shook his head - he really didn't think he had time - but obligingly wolfed down the last of his pizza anyway.

"And don't forget to brush your teeth!" Pidge added cheerfully.

Lance made a face at his grinning costar. "Yes, mum. Anything else?"

"Don't talk to strangers?" Pidge suggested.

"Too late for that."

"Score two for the college boy," Sven murmured as Pidge spluttered indignantly.

"Actually," Allura interjected, "I should probably be going too. I have places to be..."

"...And people to do, no doubt," Lotor finished.

"Hey - she gives as good as she gets!" Allura protested hotly.

Lotor raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure she does." Allura stuck her tongue out at him but made no other comment as she sauntered out the door.

"We should get going as well," Sven remarked to Lotor, "at least, once Lance is ready."

Lotor nodded in agreement. He and Sven did, after all, have plans of their own for the remainder of the afternoon - plans which apparently now included keeping certain prima donna male leads from taking their romantic frustrations out on their hapless costars. Not that any of that was Lance's fault.

Though that sister of his was certainly a piece of work...

"Hey, is anyone going to help me clean this up?" Hunk demanded in an aggrieved voice, cutting into Lotor's reverie.

"Give me a minute - " Lance began, voice muffled through the bathroom door.

"You don't have time," Hunk responded. "I'm sure Pidge can help, though."

"ME???" Pidge squawked.

Lotor gave him a measuring look. "Did you have anything else pressing to do?"

"Well... um... actually... gotanappointmentgottagobye!" And with that he fairly ran out the door.

"Well, that was rude," Sven mused.

Hunk shrugged. "It's okay, really - I've got time. Though I've got no idea what to do with these anchovies."

"Give them to the cat?" Sven suggested.

"What cat?"

"Point."

Moments later the bathroom door opened and Lance rushed out, casting frantically around the room for his jacket. Hunk wordlessly scooped it off the back of the sofa and Lance grinned thankfully as he slipped it on, then wrapped his arms around his larger lover with a sigh. "I'm sorry I can't help you clean this up..." he murmured regretfully.

Hunk smiled warmly at him. "Don't worry about it. Like I was telling Sven, I've got the extra time this afternoon." At Lance's contrite expression he sighed, his grin taking on a rueful cast. "Look, it's okay. I know you're busy what with homework and fic scenes and stuff, and I really don't mind picking up the slack."

"But..."

Hunk silenced Lance with a finger over his lips. "Enough. You're gonna give yourself an ulcer at this rate, you know that?" He smiled again, more impishly this time. "Besides, you can always make it up to me later."

Lance brightened a bit at that. "Later, huh?"

Hunk's smile became a leer. "Yep. And then I'm gonna show you some REAL 'harmonic conjugation.'" And with that, he bent down and kissed Lance hungrily, seemingly oblivious to their two remaining costars, who graciously pretended not to notice.

An interminable moment later, Hunk reluctantly broke off the kiss. "You'd better get going now, or I'm never gonna let you out of here." Lance nodded somewhat breathlessly, pulling away from Hunk to follow Sven and Lotor out the door with a parting smile and a whispered promise of "later" as the door clicked softly shut behind them.

Hunk watched him go, then flopped back on the couch with a relieved sigh and closed his eyes. God, what a day it had been so far. Though at least the night was showing promise. A slow, wicked smile spread across his face. Oh, yes - he'd show Lance some VERY complex functions tonight...

But first he had to clean up all this junk.


Send comments to Zoe

Back to the Voltron Story Archive