Keith was thrilled to be back at the garrison. There was lots to do and everyone had their job assignments which, thankfully, meant that he was far away from Lance. The first time they ran into each other in Cuba after "the incident" things got a bit heated. Allura had to step between the rivals to prevent punches being thrown.

The other concern was the team as a whole. Luckily they were able to sit down and talk it out with each paladin, putting to rest any concerns the team might have had about potential issues. Hunk was pretty passive about the whole thing, and Pidge was oddly enthusiastic; even Matt congratulated them on it. Lance apparently had been encouraged to accept it as well, which he did grudgingly.

That's why Keith was less than thrilled about being set up on a double date with Lance and Pidge. Coran had made the suggestion, thinking it could help smooth over any remaining wrinkles in their bonds as paladins. The Altean advisor always pushed the team to be more cohesive as a unit, and the tension had concerned him greatly.

So after a day of laboring in the blistering heat he was now sitting in a country-western style bar watching Lance attempt to ride the mechanical bull while they waited for their tab. Pidge and Allura seemed to be entertained by his antics so Keith took the opportunity to step away to the restroom.

As he was returning to the group he spotted Pidge standing in the hallway, her nose buried in the screen of her cellphone. He thought to leave her alone as she was probably responding to a question from Hunk or Matt about some technical issues. However, as he walked past he could have sworn he heard a sniffle. Backtracking a few steps he turned to face Pidge, his back propped against the opposite wall.

"Castle systems giving you trouble?"

Pidge startled a bit, apparently unaware that he'd approached her. "Oh, um, yeah. Something like that. It's a problem I can't come up with a solution for, either."

Given that she didn't start rambling on about theories or coding or anything science sounding, it seemed to Keith that she wasn't referencing the castle at all. He also had a feeling he knew exactly what was bothering her.

He pondered whether or not to get involved but decided to give it a shot. "Well, I can't say that I'll be any help, but maybe talking it out will help you find a solution," he offered, moving to stand next to her so she didn't have to talk over the noise.

For a moment he thought she would outright decline. After all she probably didn't realize that everyone else knew about her crush on Lance, and Keith didn't want to be the one to tell her. Placing his hand on her shoulder he said the words she probably needed to hear most right then.

"Explain it to me mathematically."

Eureka!

That seemed to work nicely.

She pondered a moment before speaking. "Okay, so here's the thing. Imagine you have two chalkboards. On each one is an equation."

"Please tell me the answer is pi. I'm starved."

Pidge punched him playfully on the arm, her eyes rolling at the suggestion. "Ha ha, you're hilarious. If you're hungry shut up so I can finish."

Keith held up his hands in surrender, running his pinched fingers across his lips to mime a zipper being closed.

"So, on one board you have this beautiful equation. It's elegant in its design, drawing the attention of everyone who sees it," she posits. "The other is a basic algebra problem. Most people walk by without giving it a second glance."

A pause in the explanation meant it was Keith's turn to speak. "So you're wondering why someone would choose the second one?"

The green paladin sighed, her shoulders slouched as he confirmed what she was thinking. "Exactly. What kind of person would do that?"

Who would indeed? Keith wondered that himself time and again, how Allura had come to choose him. But now wasn't the time to be concerned with himself.

"Personally, I would choose the one that made sense to me," he answered thoughtfully.

Pidge looked at him with curiosity. For her they both made sense, after all.

"The fancy one may look great initially," he continued. "But if I can't solve it then it means nothing to me. The simple one may look basic, but it could be something I'd need every day of my life."

Her eyes widened with realization as she began to understand what he was getting at.

It was time to drive the point home. "If the first equation solves a problem I don't have, there's a lot of work with little payoff for for me. That's not beautiful in my eyes."

"Keith you're so smart, I love you man!" she blurted out rather loudly, pulling him in for a hug and a peck on the cheek.

Pidge had just left for the restroom when Lance returned to the table. Allura's sides were hurting from laughing so hard but she tried to hide it. After all he'd been thrown off the bull three times in a row, so his pride was probably just as damaged as his body.

He looked around when he realized the princess was sitting alone, presumably wondering where the other two had run off to. "So, did you pay already?"

"Yes, I gave our server the cash. I'm just waiting for the change."

Lance nodded but didn't seem to actually hear her answer. His eyes kept scanning the room, and Allura couldn't help but wonder if he was looking for Pidge. She decided to pry a bit, since she'd long wanted to set the two up as a couple anyway.

"So, Lance," she started, pulling the napkin from her lap to place on the table. "Are you ready to leave or should we wait for the others?"

He shot her a confused look, probably wondering why she would suggest leaving her boyfriend behind.

"Yeah, we should wait," he responded, stretching his arms over his head lazily.

"Pidge and Keith have gone to the bathroom, they'll be gone a few minutes I presume." She shot him a knowing wink, "if there's anything you need to discuss."

Lance slumped forward in his chair, his elbows dropping on the table and his head dropping into his hands.

"My sister is a big fat liar."

That wasn't the response she was expecting, but she decided to run with it anyway.

"Don't say such things about your sister," Allura retorted. "She's a smart girl, and she can see things others miss. Keith and I owe her a lot to be honest."

The blue paladin looked up at her, his eyebrow cocked to emphasize his skepticism. "She said that Pidge likes me. Obviously that's a lie."

Finally!

"Why do you think that, Lance?"

She was genuinely perplexed. After all this was the guy who flirted with every girl on every planet they visited. Humbleness did not come to Lance naturally, that was certain.

"Because look at her! She's amazing!"

"And you're not?" she asked as if she already knew the answer.

Lance picked up his unused spoon and twirled it in his fingers, stopping to look at his reflection in the polished surface.

"She thinks I'm a goofball," he lamented. "I'm the Mork to her Mindy. The Peralta to her Santiago. I'm the Spongebob Squarepants to her Sandy Cheeks!"

Allura narrowed her eyes to glare at him, angry at herself for giving him such an opening. "I have no idea how to respond to that. Are those couples?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. I'm not sure about the last one though."

"Why do you think they're together? The first two at least?"

He paused a moment, seemingly stumped. "I...I don't know."

With that the princess smiled knowingly, reaching across the table to snatch the spoon from him. "Do you think Pidge sees you the way you look in this spoon?"

"No."

"Then stop looking at yourself that way, too. Those couples are together because they see each other for what the are and they accept it. Maybe even love them more for it."

Like Keith does with me, she thought.

That brought a smile to Lance's face. "Yeah, you're right."

"Pidge doesn't want someone who is a reflection of herself, and neither do you. You just need someone with a mirror to help you find your good side when you can't see yourself properly," she continued, finishing her thought with an airy laugh. "And occasionally helping you see any flaws that need to be fixed."

Lance went to speak when the waitress appeared to hand them their change. After giving her a tip Allura grabbed her purse and went to stand.

"Let's go. The bathrooms are on the way out, we'll grab the others as we leave."

When they reached the hallway leading to the bathrooms the two were greeted with the sight of Pidge telling Keith she loved him before kissing his cheek. Before Allura could say anything Lance stormed down the corridor, snagging Pidge's hand.

"What the cheese?" he blurted out, his nose dangerously close to Keith's. "You have Allura, you are not taking Pidge from me without a fight!"

With those words he blew past Allura, a flustered Pidge in tow. Once Keith shook off the absurdity of the moment he headed back towards the entrance. Allura met him halfway, noting they were both wearing amused grins.

Keith wound his arms around her waist, pulling her close to place a chaste kiss on her lips. "You know she didn't mean that romantically, right?"

Allura happily returned the affection. "I know."

"So are they a couple now?"

"Why don't we ask them once Pidge's brain reboots?"

The gleam in Keith's eyes meant he was planning something devious.

"Let's call Lance's room first thing in the morning to find out."