Plance One-shots

1943

All Pidge could do was blink.

Her body simply refused to move.

The uniformed officer in front of her radiated an aura of familiarity, yet immediately she could tell he was not the man that left her 10 months ago. She could see it in the way he held himself, carrying his weight like a soldier. It was held in his eyes, vacantly flooding with emotion as he continued to stare right through her.

Could he even see her?

"Pidge? Is that you?" his voice was abrasive, almost as if it had fought through knives to get out of his throat.

She could feel the beginnings of tears threatening to fall down her cheeks, but with a quick brush of her palms, they vanished.

Silence fell over them.

Pidge watched as Lance hesitantly lifted his hand towards her, his brows furrowing across at his wife. "Pidge?"

His hand made it's way to her cheek, fingers burried deep into the hair behind her ear. Lance's gaze lingered over his hand for just a moment, watching as Pidge pressed her cheek into the palm of his hand.

"L-Lance?"

Her voice was barely more than a whisper in his ear, but it served as beautiful confirmation that this woman was his wife.

"Hey, sweetheart." Lance choked back his tears, ignoring the tremble in his lips. Lance's next words were interrupted by the sensation of Pidge's lips on his, her hands furiously threaded into his hair. The force of their kiss made Lance's crutch buckle, sending the embraced pair tumbling onto their front lawn.

Tears had already spilled onto their cheeks before they hit the earth, but their smiling, interlocked lips pushed the pain to the back of their minds.

"I love... you... so much," Pidge muttered breathlessly between kisses, her eyes squeezed shut to prevent any further tears. Lance laughed into her mouth as he moved in again, his own head swimming.

"I love you too, Pidge. Sorry I took so long," He replied, propping himself up on his elbows, watching studiously as Pidge clung to his uniform. Her head eventually swung up to meet his gaze, the silver trails on her cheeks even more visible in the sunlight.

"I'm just glad you came back alive," Pidge sighed, resting her head into the crook of his neck. Lance placed a kiss on her hair, gently caressing her shoulder.

"Just not in one piece," Lance joked, watching as Pidge's gaze shifted down to his one good leg. A slight smile inched onto her lips as she sighed heavily,

"Guess I'll just have to build you a new piece," his wife retorted, pulling herself back to her feet. Lance copied her as gracefully as he could, only aided by Pidge handing him one of his crutches. Once his was upright again, Pidge placed another kiss against his cheek.

"Come on, I have something to show you." She said softly, beckoning him to follow her. Lance nodded intently, holding her gaze for just a second more before she turned back towards the door.

As carefully as she could, Pidge walked her husband back to their front door. Although his vision was impaired, he was still able to make his way through their door and into the hallway. Here, Pidge told him to wait for a moment, before then guiding him into another doorway.

Lance held his breath as he was lead into the room, the sound of his heart drumming against his rib cage echoing in his ears. He strained his eyes as much as he could, desperate to see more than blurred shapes.

The room he entered was well lit, he could see that. The bright midday sun poured in through the open curtains, pulling huge shadows onto the carpeted floor. The bulky furniture was visible too.

He was in his living room.

The memories flooded back of many Christmas mornings with Pidge in this room, of parties and lazy Sunday mornings listening to the wireless. Emotion overwhelmed him quickly, adding a slight tremble to his hands.

His eyes scanned for any sign of life, but it was hard to distinguish between furniture and fauna when all he could make out were basic shapes.

Then, as if triggered by his desperation, there was a small noise directly to his right. Lance's head followed the sound, redirecting his blurred vision towards his kitchen door. There was a silhouette in the door frame, petite with arms held close to the chest.

"Lance, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Pidge's voice was hushed, and her tone had changed significantly. Now, she spoke with an air of pride, underlined with a quiet sense of adoration. Lance watched the figure approach, her features become more distinguishable as she drew nearer.

It was then he noticed something.

Her arms weren't crossed, she was holding something. Something small, and wrapped tightly in a blanket. As Lance's eyes squinted, a tiny hand clutching Pidge's fingertip came into focus.

In that moment, time and his heart both stopped.

"This is your daughter, Lily."

Water flooded down Lance's face, his vision now completely hazed. A small whimper escaped his lips, his hand quickly lifting in an attempt to stop it being heard.

"C-can I hold her?" He could barely hear his own voice in hus ears. Pidge's lips broke into a wide smile, gesturing across to their sofa. Lance nodded in blissful agreement, quickly stumbling over to take a seat. He gently balanced his crutches against the arm of the sofa, then holding out his arms excitedly.

Pidge chuckled to herself and she leaned down to him, cautiously placing the small bundle into her husband's open arms. As soon as the material touched his fingers, more tears threatened to dust his cheeks.

Lance strained his eyes further, so eager to see his daughter's face that he became completely unaware of his wife taking a seat by his side. It wasn't until he saw Pidge's fingers trail across the top of the blanket that he actually registered her closeness.

Blinking away his hazed vision, Lance was finally able to make out the features on the small infant. Her skin was just as tan as his, dark freckles clearly visible across the bridge of her nose. The wide eyes that stared up at him were just as amber as his wife's, and the tiny whisps of hair that were visible reminded him of his mother's.

"She... she's perfect," Lance breathed, leaning over and planting a kiss onto Pidge's forehead. She returned this gesture with a loving gaze, lingering on her husband before drifting down to the small bundle in his arms. "I'm so proud of you. I wish I'd been here when she arrived," he continued, gently rocking the small baby.

The tiny eyes blinked up at him, quiet gurgling forcing water to one again pick at the back of Lance's eyes.

"I'm just glad you came back to us," she said, resting her head against his shoulder. Lance chuckled lightly, his eyes unmoving from the tiny fingers that were now clasped around his thumb.

"I'm not going anywhere ever again, Pigeon. I promise you that."