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pixiesstolemyapples · 6 years

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Stormy Nights Chapter 2

Summary: Nightmares and intense storms have left Pidge with little sleep. Comfort from a close friend helps ease some of her anxieties. Please enjoy!

A/N: Here is chapter two! It ended up being muuuch longer than I was initially anticipating, but I hope you all like it all the same! If you want to read this on my FanFiction or AO3, please click either of these links!

Also this take place in between seasons 3 and 4. There will eventually also be a couple time skips depending on where I want to take this story, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading, drop a follow, post a review if you like!

For the first time in weeks, nightmares and vacant eyes didn't haunt Pidge's dreams. She actually didn't really dream of anything, to be honest. It was a calmness. Like she was sitting by the seashore, just listening to the waves crashing against the rocks. She felt so light, like she was floating, enveloped by a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Pidge opened her eyes. The room was dim, save for the small floor lights around the paneling of the room. One thing she quickly realized was that she was alone in her bed. She felt around in the dim dark for her glasses, looking over at the clock by her bedside. A little after 9 AM. Could she have imagined the whole thing? Or dreamed that Lance comforted her until she slept? Maybe he left right after she fell asleep.

She lifted up and sat on the edge of her bed, just thinking. Some of her memories were pretty vivid of the encounter. She remembered waking up, she remembered Lance's incredible hug, being lifted up and held tight enough to calm her down. She couldn't have hallucinated all that, could she have?

She stood up, stretching out her short legs. Her window cover was still closed though (which honestly was super smart of Lance to close it to muffle the thunder, why hadn't she thought of that) and she didn't remember closing it in the first place. She pushed a couple buttons to open it back up, seeing that the planet was still dark, the thunder and lightning stopped, the rain and wind still fairly steady. Why the thunder and lightning stopped when it was essentially "the daytime" Pidge didn't know, but she wasn't about to complain.

Pidge decided to put the situation on the backburner for that moment, grabbing some clothes and heading to the bathrooms to take a shower. She just wasn't sure how she was going to get through the thunder again. If it was still dark now, that meant it was still going to be dark by nighttime. She didn't want to go through a sixth night of thunder. Standing under the cool stream of the shower was helping feel more at ease, however. There was something about cool showers that Pidge liked. By no means did she like them freezing cold, but having a bit of a sweating problem and being a little overly warm when trying to sleep at night made for a pretty pleasant shower the next day.

Oh quiznack... she didn't sweat all over Lance in the night, did she? She still wasn't even positive if she hallucinated him being there or not but... how would they act around each other if he did? Pidge stopped herself. Dummy, it's not like you guys did anything, he just... comforted me, that's all.

Pidge stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. Despite the cool shower, her hair was clinging to her neck. Pidge sighed, fishing a hairtie out of her shorts pocket and trying her best to get her short hair into a ponytail.

She headed out the door, about to head to the kitchen for breakfast when she ran into someone. The someone she both didn't want to talk to and needed to talk to the most was standing right in front of her.

"Hey, Pidge," Lance said, albeit a little awkwardly. She wasn't sure if she already wanted to try to talk to him about this. How embarrassing would it be to ask about last night and for her to have just dreamed it up. Pidge would be mortified. But right there Lance eased the green paladin's mind.

"How are you feeling?" Lance asked, concern in his voice. "You were pretty shaken up last night, I thought it might be best if I just let you sleep. Are you always like that with thunder?"

"Oh, uh," Pidge stammered. "I don't.. really like to talk about it."

She looked up to Lance's troubled face, a pang of guilt hitting her in the chest and looking back down. I mean, I did disturb him last night... maybe he deserves to know.

Before she could say anything, Lance lightly tapped her on her arm, causing her to look back up. "Do you want to go eat breakfast?" Lance asked, casually thumbing behind him. Pidge was a bit caught off guard, suddenly feeling a weight be pulled off her shoulder. Just hearing Lance say that instantly put her at ease, as if he could tell talking about it just wasn't the time for her. To be honest, she was embarrassed. She was a paladin of Voltron, she'd heard noises way louder, explosions even, than thunder, she couldn't believe she was still scared of it despite all she'd been through by then but... she didn't really want to think much about it.

Pidge smiled and nodded. "That actually sounds wonderful, thank you, Lance."

They walked the short distance to the elevator, Lance punching the button to the floor where the dining area was. Walking into the kitchen, the two paladins noticed no Hunk in sight, which was odd, since he usually was the first person in there making breakfast. It was only a little past nine o'clock, not to mention it's been a bit of an off week for the paladins. Planet Quaid made it no easier for them to train.

Lance pulled down two bowls and picked up a box of what was essentially chocolate flavored cereal. They weren't sure if it was actual chocolate let alone actual cereal, but it made for a nice breakfast that still went well with the milk they had, thanks to Kaltenecker.

They sat in silence, save for the crunching of the cereal. Pidge kind of hoped Lance wouldn't bring up the sleeping situation like he didn't the thunder situation, but alas, not everything could be as easy as she hoped.

"I'm, uh," he started out, rubbing the back of his neck as he leaned up against the counter, "I'm sorry for kind of... forcing myself into your bed last night, I..."

Pidge set down her spoon on the table, knitting her eyebrows in worry over Lance's comment. How could he be apologizing to her?

"Lance..." Pidge said quietly, looking down, trying to think of the right words to say. She looked up, slight determination in her eyes. "You did nothing wrong. If anything, I should be apologizing to you for waking you up in the first place..."

Lance squeezed his lips together, down casting his eyes for a moment. "We've been on Planet Quaid for nearly six full quintents," Lance said, pulling out a chair next to Pidge, leaning his arms on the table," and it's thundered every night we've been here, so what have you been doing at night all this time?"

Pidge was afraid he'd ask that. She looked away, her one hand pawing at the fingers of her other hand. Lanced furrowed his brows, leaning down to try to look her in the eyes, to which she simply looked further away.

"Pidge..." Lance said. "Have you gotten any sleep in the last couple nights?"

Pidge sighed, defeated and too tired to try to hide it. "I mostly just try to cover my ears. My pillow helps a little, but drifting into sleep makes me relax, and then the pillow slips off my head and I wake up as soon as I hear the next crack of thunder. Using my headphones doesn't help either. I like using my fan because of the calm sound... my music only ends up distracting me and then I get zero sleep. Eventually when it starts to turn to "day", the thunder stops and I finally get maybe two or three vargas of sleep."

She looked up to see a concerned Lance listening intently, causing her to instantly look back down, knitting her brows and pouting her lip. "Plus I feel super dumb that I didn't think to close the window cover like you did."

Lance laughed, holding his hand to his stomach. "I can't believe I actually thought of something you didn't!"

Pidge couldn't help but giggle. "Well, don't get used to it."

The two contentedly chuckled. This was a pleasant moment between Pidge and Lance. She couldn't believe how comfortable she had been feeling around Lance. He definitely had a caring piece in that overzealous, outrageous heart of his.

Just then the door whooshed open to reveal Hunk, surprised to see his two friends sitting in the kitchen already.

"Oh hey, you guys are up already," Hunk said. "Aw, you guys ate already, I was gonna try my best to recreate waffles. We have milk and nothing else to make actual waffles, not even a waffle maker, but I feel like if I try hard enough, I might be able to make it happen, who's in?"

"I could go for a waffle," said Lance, standing up from his seat. "Plus I think it'll be super entertaining to watch."

"I'm pumped up," Hunk said enthusiastically. "You up for it Pidge?"

"I'm sure it'll be cool to watch, but I'm gonna go work on some things," Pidge said as she stood up from her seat, grabbing her and Lance's bowls to put them in the dishwasher. "Save me a waffle though, if you're successful, that is."

"Will do." With that, she started for the door.

Looking back, she watched her friends for a moment, watching Lance hold a plant that spat powder all over his face with Hunk saying "Ooohh, that might work as flour" as Lance sputtered whatever it was out of his mouth. Pidge smiled as she looked upon her two friends, and headed down the hall to continue the restless work of finding her family.

***

Pidge closed her laptop, sighing in defeat. She wiped her bangs from her face, setting her elbow on her knee and resting her cheek in her hand. She was out of options for the day. She'd done everything, cross referenced the footage from the Beta Traz with every piece of security they had gathered from past missions aboard Galra ships and outposts. And to make matters worse, she had nothing on her father's whereabouts. Not even a smidgeon of evidence to where he was or where he could be besides what she found out from the prisoners of Sendak's ship.

She worried. What if she never found them again? What would she do? What would she tell her mom? She shook her head and turned the music in her headphones a bit louder. She couldn't think like that. Pidge knew blind optimism wasn't in her best interests, but they've made a lot of progress. Plus the Blade of Marmora have been helpful enough to check for information if they're able to. She'd have to remember to ask Keith about it the next time he goes out on a mission.

With that, Pidge headed for the bathrooms to brush her teeth. Walking into her room, she sighed again. Trying to stay positive was still hard though. She just missed them so much. Unfortunately for Pidge, she was about to feel worse. As soon as she took off her headphones, a huge crack of thunder rattled the castle. A shriek shot its way through her throat, squeezing the top of her headphones in her hands. She leaned against the door, short, shallow breathes escaping through her teeth. She balled up her fist against her mouth, irately groaning at herself for screaming. Just then, the door she was leaning on opened with a whoosh, sending her careening backwards with a yelp.

She didn't land on the floor, she realized, as she soon felt someone under her, hearing a groan reverberate through their chest. She looked back to see Lance.

"Oh my god, Lance, I'm sorry!" she said, immediately standing up and holding a hand out to him.

"It's okay, Pidge, it's my fault anyways," he chuckled, taking her hand and lifting up himself up. He looked at her other hand. "Hey, you found my head- ohh, wait.."

Pidge gasped. "YOU. YOU were the one who stole my headphones!" she said, pouting her bottom lip and standing on her tiptoes toward him. Lance half assed a sincere response.

"I just used them a bit when I was sleeping!" he confessed, holding his hands up in defense, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Yeah and then you lost them," Pidge said, her eyebrow perking up, her hands on her hips.

"Or maybe I left them right where you could find them," Lance mused, setting his chin in between his finger and thumb.

"Or you just lost them like you-" a sudden crack of thunder sounded, causing Pidge to grab Lance by his shirt, involuntarily looking up at the ceiling with worry on her face. She sighed when she realized what she did again in front of Lance, carefully looking back up to him to see a concerned look on his face.

"Pidge..."

"I'm- I will-... I'll be-"

With an exasperated sigh, Lance grabbed her hand and led her into her room. Her door shut behind them, Lance walking over to her window to once again seal it shut. He stopped a moment after that, going slightly stiff. Lance looked back at her sheepishly.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "If what I did last night made you feel uncomfortable, I don't..."

Pidge stared up at him. Knowing that was a concern of his made her heart skip a beat. He's a truly caring person, Pidge realized. Not that she never knew that, but...

Pidge shook her head. "It-it's fine, Lance," she looked down as she whispered. "It's... it's the most sleep I've gotten in almost a week so... it's okay."

"Alright, um..." Lance stammered, suddenly turning away from her with his hands on his hips. Pidge quirked her eyebrow up.

"..Lance?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?" she inquired.

"Well I'm not gonna watch you change!!" Lance said huffily.

"Oh!" Pidge quickly changed into her sleep clothes, lightly tapping Lance on the shoulder once she was finished.

There was an air of awkwardness about them this time, as if this were more of a transaction than the quick thinking Lance had the night before. She and Lance quietly walked over to the bed when thunder, albeit muffled this time, echoed around the castle. Pidge gasped loud, involuntarily grabbing Lance, pulling him and causing him to trip, the both of them falling onto Pidge's bed.

Both of Lance's forearms were on either side of her head. Pidge nearly stopped breathing. Lance's face was so close to her's, she could see the few faint freckles that dotted his nose. His deep blue eyes had speckled green flakes in them.

The whole encounter lasted all of a few ticks, but to Pidge it felt like forever. But Lance quickly stood up, rubbing the back of his neck and voicing many apologies in a row. For a moment when he glanced back at the door Pidge thought he was going to leave. Much to Pidge's relief, he laid down on the bed with his back to her, which Pidge wasn't offended in the least about. After all, there were more than a few awkward encounters between the two of them just now.

Another crack of thunder and Pidge squeezed her eyes shut, grasping at the back of Lance's soft sleep shirt tight. She could feel Lance turning his head slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

Finally after a couple minutes of silence, Lance finally spoke. "So... why are you so afraid of thunder, Pidge?" She wasn't sure if she wanted to answer, it was a very ugly and scary memory. Well, not exactly scary, but it was scary to her at the time.

"Um..."

"You don't have to answer," Lance said suddenly. "I'm sorry, it obviously bothers you, I don't need to know the reason why."

Pidge touched her forehead between his shoulder blades, taking a deep breath. "When I was seven, I was home alone while my parents took Matt to his soccer game in a neighboring town. I'm always fine on my own... I walked after school to the bookstore to pick up a few books and it started to rain before I got home. By the time I got there, it was down pouring... the thunder was so loud and intense, I could feel the house shaking. The house shook so hard, that.... one of our bookshelves fell on me."

Pidge could feel Lance tense. Suddenly he turned to face her, concern washed all over his face. "You got crushed by a bookshelf?"

"Well, not exactly," she felt Lance relax. "The bookshelf actually got caught on our loveseat, so just the books fell on top of me, but I was seven, so..."

"That's what did it for you."

"Yeah... after the thunder finally subsided I somehow got the heavy shelf to stand back up, I cleaned up all the books, and I crawled under my covers and cried..." Pidge closed her eyes, a content sigh escaping her mouth. It felt like a million bricks had been lifted right off her shoulders. "I haven't even told Matt about it..."

Lance's eyes widened. He flushed, looking down, not sure what to say. "Thank you... for having enough confidence in me to tell me..."

Pidge smiled a bit, simply nodding before nudging her forehead to his sternum, finally falling into a pleasant sleep before she could even hear another crack of thunder.

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mynaturalbeet · 7 years

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Patong, Phuket, Thailand

Below are notes I kept throughout the month of September when I joined the world traveling group called Pangea196. Pangea196 is a remote work program that allows individuals who have remote jobs to "slow" travel the world one month at a time while working and exploring. At the time I joined, there were nine of us in total. Each Pangean was open, kind, and instantly made me feel comfortable and welcome. If you are interested in learning more about this type of remote work traveling experience feel free to contact me. I have nothing but great things to say about my experience.

Thursday 7 September

I arrived around mid-day to Patong. I kept myself active and awake throughout the day. We took a sunset walk along the beach and found a posh place to sip coconut and mango shakes while watching the sun go down.

After I visited the co-working space – Garage Society – where Pangeans can go to do their work 24/7. The Garage Society is a great place to co-work in Patong. There are many surfaces that you can work from, chairs you can sit in, rooms that are quieter than others, and of course, it was clean and fresh. Next I had my first experience at the grocery store. I love wandering around grocery stores (anywhere!) to see what is there. I found a few staples for home – apples, broccoli, chia seeds, almond milk, and coconut shreds – yeah!

A few of the ingredients listed above quickly became my breakfast during the days I was in Patong. Putting together a little bit of this and a little bit of that I made a lovely “porridge.”

Patong Porridge (my porridge made while based in Patong)

Serving size: up to you!

Recipe:

2 tbsp chia seeds

1-2 tbsp ground flaxseeds

½-1 chopped/sliced apple (what you desire)

Banana (what you desire) Pomegranate arils (what you desire)

Sprinkles of cinnamon & ginger (what you desire)

Coconut shreds (what you desire) Pumpkin seeds (what you desire)

Non-dairy milk (I like to add a nice sized splash so that I can feel like I am having milk and cereal, hehe)

To make

In a bowl combine chia seeds, ground flax, apples, spices, and stir together. Slowly pour the milk over. Top with preferred toppings and enjoy!

Friday 8 September

Around mid-morning, the nine of us hopped into a van and ventured to a different part of the island, Ra Wai Beach. We happened upon a waterfront café where we sat cross-legged on cushions while sipping mango shakes and eating green curries. Taking in the scenery and starting to know who my pals are and where they come from felt good.

After we took a walk to The Coffee Tribe where there was a “digital nomad” (dm) meet-up. Before arriving at our meet-up we stopped into a hole in the wall for a sip and a bit of a jig. S got down and we had someone playing a tambourine from behind the bar. At the dm meeting, we met many new faces who have an array of different jobs- a d.j.’ing Aussie, a soon-to-open yoni egg business owner, and a personal trainer who trains people on the beach immediately before a beach clean up. We enjoyed the meet up.

Saturday 9 September

Today we took a group cooking class at a local restaurant/cooking school, Pum, in Patong. Each of us had our own burner, ingredients, and prepared a different thai dish. I made the famous Tom Kah coconut soup. At the end we sat down together and were able to sample every dish that was made. We had many laughs.

After we ventured to Banga walking street where we took a seat in one of the many bars. It was my roomie’s birthday so we spent time with her. Upon sunset, we strolled to Patong Beach and watched the sun go down. Post-sunset, a few of us made a grocery stop where we loaded up on essentials. We tuktuk’ed home.

Sunday 10 September Restful Sunday. I edited a couple upcoming podcast episodes and was even able to catch with a few friends in the am – I am grateful for my galpals! Dinner was delicious, filling, cheap (under $3.00!) and early with my roomie at the market.

Monday 11 September My first day working from a co-working space. The space we have a membership to is called the Garage Society. It is clean, full of light, and feels good to be at. I returned to the apartment sharing a taxi with B – another Pangean – and completed a workout from Jillian of Like A Girl Fitness. I was drenched and felt strong after. During the evening, I had a visitor – this little gecko/lizard named Lucky. T came over and helped set him free.

Tuesday 12 September

My roomie and I took a taxi to Chalong to try aerial yoga at the Yoga Connection. Since I am bit spoiled and only know aerial with a friend from Pensacola, C, I was in for an experience. This aerial class was more acrobatic than I had ever experienced which is not bad – just different! Besides taking it a little easy with the inversions (if pre-menstrual or menstruating, better to avoid aerial yoga) and giving my fingers and hands a workout, I felt good throughout. We finished off the class with a homemade kombucha – YUM.

I am an enthusiast for vegan/plant-based cafes. No matter where on the planet I am – I will seek out the cosiest little spaces and make a visit or two or three while in town. Currently the two cafés that are on top of my list in Phuket near to where I am based in Pataong are: Atsumi Raw Café and Pure Vegan Heaven. We tried Pure Vegan Heaven and that was precisely what it was! Splitting a Mexican bowl and Thai spring rolls, we left with our bellies full and bodies nourished. I even tried an immune Rx turmeric shot that would have made a few turn their nose up and it would have been H’s favorite!

Wednesday 13 September

Quiet am and I was able to get some work done. I met the mom of another Pangean. They were going to explore. Around 12:30 the group gathered into a van and we drove to Kamala Beach. It was lovely! I took in much needed and appreciated vitamin D and I even got a massage on the beach. The sweet Thai lady was strong and worked my shoulders and back firmly. To say I was relaxed is an understatement – I LOVE massages and similar self-care practices. We ended up having Thai lunch at Green Mango. I ordered a veggie green curry. We returned home and worked into the night.

Thursday 14 September

Work day. In the early evening I ventured to the market and bought myself a watermelon shake – tasted hydrating and fresh.

Friday 15 September The day began with a heavy downpour. The road below us was completely flooded. We waited a bit for the weather to clear and then we explored the mall as a group. Once I returned home I went to a nearby massage salon and treated myself.

Saturday 16 September We had a cosy morning and in the early afternoon I spent some time at the market picking up a few this and thats for family and friends. In the early evening the nine of us hopped into a van and drove to the Big Buddha in Chalong. Our trek up the mountain was high speed (our driver was fearless!) with winding roads and an epic incline.

When we arrived to the top, it was so stormy we could hardly see the Big Buddha, As we climbed the stairs and entered the Big Buddha platform, it felt magical. The monks were chanting, bells were ringing, the wind was blowing, and it was raining. We took pictures, walked in through the Big Buddha, and walked the 365 degrees around. It was neat! Afterwards three of us returned to the Pure Vegan Heaven and the other Pangeans went to Phuket Town to visit the food market.

Sunday 17 September

We spent the afternoon at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Phuket and I cannot think of a better note to end my little Thai adventure on! We met at the their office in Patong and shortly after were transported to the Jungle Sanctuary. The drive was epic - sitting in the open-air pick up with a cover feeling the wind blowing in our faces, and sharing many laughs with B, J, L, C, and T. At the Sanctuary we prepared the elephant's food (bananas, watermelons, etc.) and some even hopped into the water to splash around with the gentle giants. The sanctuary prepared a yummy lunch for us and had a few photographers snapping pictures here and there.

All in all, I had a wonderful experience in Phuket with my Pangean pals :)

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