Warmth (Klance Warmth series Book 1 of +4)

3: Cold Foreboding

"Yeah, totally." Lance strolled up to Hunk, slinging an arm over the Altenoid's shoulder with a grin. "We all know the crazy one here is Coran."

Coran sputtered in righteous indignation. "I beg your pardon? I'll have you know I am most certainly not crazy."

"Oh no?"

"No." Coran squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest. "Just because my mind works on a different level than yours doesn't mean I'm crazy."

"Ri- Wait, did you just insult me?" Lance asked, eyeing the advisor incredulously.

"As long as our minds continue to work on different levels, I guess we'll never know," Coran said with a not-so-sad shrug.

Lance stared hard at Coran before bursting into enthusiastic cackles. He laughed so hard he had to lean over and brace himself on the Hunk who fumbled to keep the prince upright. Coran grinned triumphantly and gave his poofy ginger mustache a proud flick.

"You both are such children," Allura groaned.

"You love me," Lance said with a cheeky grin.

"Hard to believe he's royalty," Pidge commented, picking at the still tender spot where his translator attached to his head behind his ear.

"I like him," Hunk said in between barely muffle snickers.

"Thanks," the prince said, flashing a bright smile in Hunk's direction. "Friends?"

"Totally," Hunk said. "Space bros all the way."

"Bros?"

"It's short for brothers," Hunk explained. "You know. Friends, best buddies, brothers, bros."

The prince tilted his head to the side in thought before breaking into a heartfelt smile. "Bros then. I'll get you into so much trouble."

"You know," Hunk said, now a bit hesitant, "I actually believe you."

"If you two are finished making fools of yourselves," Allura said in her best disappointed mother tone, "we have things to do. Now, if you will all follow me. I think it's time we showed you something. Lance, you too."

Shiro moved to follow the princess but paused when he noticed the confused expression on the prince's face. He hadn't known Prince Lance long, but from what he had seen, Lance was a generally light-hearted individual despite the loss he had suffered. Shiro waited for the prince to join their group before following Allura.

They didn't have to go far from the bridge. The room they entered was round and covered in an odd surface that was similar in color to the rest of the Castle's interior surfaces, but different in texture. The white was almost iridescent in nature and glowed faintly.

"Wait," Lance said, suspicion and annoyance dripping from his voice. "Did you really invite everyone to come watch you use the holodeck first just to rub it in?"

So this was the holodeck, Shiro realized. He studied his surroundings more closely this time and felt the faintest tingle of wonder.

"No," the princess replied as she approached the short, round pedestal in the middle of the central platform. She pressed her hand to the device and waited for it to light up. The lights in the room suddenly dimmed to near complete darkness with the exception of the glowing pedestal. Then, pinpricks of light burst forth from the floor and walls only to stop and hover in specific locations in the air around them. It took Shiro a couple seconds to recognize the points of light were not scattered in a random pattern at all, but were organized in clusters and swirls and some even had identifying markers next to them.