The Atlas was in a frenzy. Compared to the relative calm of her quarantine ward, above deck was a maelstrom of tension and anxiety. Garrison analysts and Coalition members dashed about, shouting orders, scanning charts and reporting their findings to the wrung-out Shiro who stood above them all at the helm. Her father was next to him, poring over celestial maps.
"Katie!" Her mother waved her over from the other end of the room, then led her down a wide, familiar hallway to the labs. "Coran and I have been taking over some of your research. We think Keith might have helped us make a breakthrough." Her mother ushered her into her own, unofficial lab where Coran and Keith were bent over datapads, the samples spread out on the table. Kosmo sat by their feet, quietly observing.
"Welcome back, Number Five!" Coran greeted her cheerily. Katie gave him a grateful smile as she joined him.
"Keith? You found something?" She turned to the red paladin.
He nodded and moved to pick up a sample, frowning down at it. "I thought this looked familiar. It bothered me for days the first time I looked at them but I finally remember now." He leaned down to let Kosmo sniff it and the wolf nudged his hand in a sort of affirmation. "Kosmo was surrounded by these rocks when I first found him. I knew the energy signatures were familiar, but I couldn't pin down why."
Coran looked up from his datapad. "I've analysed the vibrational frequency of the molecules in the rocks. When the 'dark quintessence' flows through them, they vibrate at speeds too fast for the nanoscopes to measure. But we have reason to believe that it theoretically surpasses the speed of light."
"That's ridiculous," she said, her eyes widening. "Only photons can do that!"
"Yes, but it makes sense in this case. In order for any matter to transcend into another reality, it has to break the speed of light."
A new, but familiar voice chipped in from the back. "Are you saying that Haggar is trying to get into another reality? What for?"
Her eyes landed on Lance leaning against the far wall. It appeared that he'd been there the entire time, quietly listening in on them.
"No, Lance," she breathed, quietly shifting all her focus away from him and to the matter at hand. "I don't think she was intending to. It seems more like rubble left there after Haggar made her 'visits'."
"It doesn't make much sense to destroy a planet and then re-inject the quintessence back into it," Keith said with a sigh, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
Lance spoke up again, "What if she is trying to do that?" Keith rolled his eyes at him, but he continued with a scowl. "What? It's like after tearing down a forest, you plant new trees in its place so you'll have resources to return to."
The room quieted.
"Lance...might be onto something," she said, her mind whirling as she thought back to Allura complaining about the rocks injecting quintessence. "Coran! What if we've been looking at this all wrong? What if the opposing charge is the compound charging itself so it can generate more quintessence with the residual energy?"
"I thought we can't create energy." Keith scratched his head.
"We're not trying to create energy though. I think those rocks are catalysts that set off reactions using the residual quintessence. Like Lance's analogy, planting new sources in place so it'll regenerate itself - healing the planet in the process," she replied, frowning down at the charts. The theory made sense but the motivations behind leaving the rocks in the first place weren't entirely clear to her.
"Here's the odd thing Katie: there were traces of hydrochloric acid and aluminium in the soil samples." Her mother pointed to the images on the datapad. "The probes even found remnants of footprints that look human or, at the very least, humanoid."
"They weren't from the Atlas? A colony Altean?"
Coran shook his head. "No, not at all. There were even micro-organisms that were similar to Earth species, nitrous compounds and even traces of Earth minerals."
"So...an Earth-based ship was there, before us? But how can that be? No man-made craft's made it out of the Milky Way besides the Atlas."
"Should we...do something about it?" Colleen looked over to Keith, who merely shrugged.
"I mean, it doesn't seem like it's particularly dangerous. If anything, restoring the planet's quintessence seems like a good thing. If- When we defeat Haggar, it'd do more good than harm."
Everyone turned to look at Katie next and she blanched. "Don't look at me, I'm learning about this at the same time as you guys." She peered over Coran's arm to look at his datapad, frowning at the figures displayed. "Um, well...I do think Keith's right. Don't see much of a point in getting rid of them."
"We'll keep an eye on them regardless, I'll send the occasional probe to monitor its progress," Coran said, entering a few commands into a panel.
Keith folded his arms and nodded. "Alright then, what's the status on the escape pod trackers?"
"They're still scanning the area. We're working on a ninety-seven percent confidence interval that we'll get results within the next six hours."
"What do we do until then?"
Coran looked solemn. "We prepare for the worst."
"You're getting a little rusty there, Serrano." Lance rolled his eyes and dodged James' fist. He lifted his staff and launched himself forward, but his opponent had grown used to his tactic and countered it with his own staff. "Has the pilot surpassed the paladin?"
James laughed, dodging Lance's next counter with frustrating ease.
"Lance, beat his arrogant ass, please ," Nadia groaned, stretching back against a bench at the other end of the training room. Ina sipped on her water quietly next to her, observing the fight with cool eyes - likely filing away their favored moves for future use.
James' body jerked forward in a surprisingly aggressive move for him, and Lance nearly lost his grip on his staff. But he twisted his arm, successfully disarming him, laughing breathlessly as the MFE pilot grunted in annoyance. "You're one to talk pretty boy, you slipped there." Lance straightened his back, smirking with the victory. Off to the side, Ryan lifted his arm, indicating a break.
He threw his staff down and peeled off his soaked shirt as he walked towards his bench, wiping the sweat off his face with a towel. From the corner of his eye, he could see that James had done the same, pouring water on his flushed face to cool off.
Lance couldn't help letting his eyes drift to the defined lines of his chest and down to his abdomen. James was a little more built than he was and a brief, ridiculous mental image of Pidge lounging against that very bare chest created a surge of jealousy that made him nauseous. He averted his eyes just as James turned towards him, raising an eyebrow at his tense body.
"You good for another round?"
"Sure," he grumbled, twisting the cap of his water bottle a little too tightly. As he turned to set his towel down, he heard soft, distinctive laughter he'd recognize anywhere, and the longing to pull her into his arms and tell her everything he'd been bottling up hit him like an ion cannon.
"Hey Pidge! Finally out of the slammer?"
"Something like that. I'm beginning to think they only threw me in there so I don't talk over the other Garrison analysts."
He watched as Nadia shifted to make room for her, ignoring her protests and tugging her onto the bench. Both women glanced their way and he froze, then Nadia leaned forward and whispered something in her ear. Pidge pushed her away, her face red while Nadia laughed indulgently.
"So," James began primly. "Are you two an item now?" He tilted his head towards Pidge who not-very-discreetly glanced their way. He didn't miss how her eyes briefly ran down his body and he felt his chest puff with machismo.
"No," he said with a sigh, bending down to pick up his staff. He could feel James' incredulous stare on the back of his head.
Kinkade snapped his fingers and pointed back to the floor. James lifted his staff, a sly look coming to his eyes that Lance did not like one bit. He took a defensive stance, and Lance mirrored it, eyes briefly darting towards Pidge and back to James. Ryan's hand fell and both men lunged towards each other.
James went straight for his hip, catching him off guard. He winced as the staff made contact. With renewed fervor, Lance swung out, throwing him to the floor and following up with an attempted pin that James blocked with his own staff.
"Well, if you aren't careful," James breathed, "I might swoop in and get her for myself." He smirked up at him, then pushed upward, disarming him once again. Lance growled in irritation as Ryan lifted an arm. Another point for James.
He picked up and twirled his staff, watching as the MFE captain stretched his back muscles and threw a charming smile Pidge's way. Lance didn't want to see her reaction. "Careful, you'll pop a vein," he grumbled under his breath, lunging forward as soon as the signal was given. This time, he struck at him directly, locking his blocking move in his arms and twisting his arm. But James locked his leg around his calf and he fell flat to the floor.
"You're taking your time," James grunted. "If not me, it'll be someone else."
Lance bit the inside of his cheek and his fist gripped his staff as he pulled himself up, knuckles turning white with strain.
"I don't want to push her," he hissed, ducking a foward strike and hitting him square across the abdomen. He smirked as James hissed in pain but it disappeared as his eyes flashed. This time, James went for his stomach and Lance lunged head-on, not caring at all if it was a risky (and plain stupid) counter. Keith would definitely berate him over it if he caught wind of it.
Sure enough, James knocked the wind out of him. He fell on his back again, staff falling flat on his stomach. He sighed in frustration and pushed himself up by the elbows. Off at the side, he heard Nadia reassuring Pidge.
"It can get painful, but it's not unbearable. He'll live, don't worry."
He closed his eyes tightly. He did not want to have the girl he loved watch him lose to her ex.
"Get up, Serrano." James stood over him, arms crossed. In a voice low enough so only he could hear, he mumbled. "Make me rethink I have a chance."
Lance's brows rose.
"You're on." He jumped up. James adjusted the bandages on his fist, his gaze unwavering. Half the fight is psychological, Lance reminded himself, and he delivered a glare in return, stretching out his broad shoulders.
Kinkade gave the signal and their staffs clashed once more. "Why are you waiting around for her anyway? You should have made your move ages ago," James taunted between pants. He hit him across his knee and Lance grunted, holding his leg firm with willpower alone. He heard a breath hitch - Pidge's, he was sure - and a fire lit deep in his belly. In one quick sweep, he aimed for the hip again. James wasn't as quick this time, and he pounced at the opportunity: pressing the attack and using sheer physical strength to knock his opponent to the floor.
James looked up at him wide-eyed, not knowing where the beast had come from. Lance shrugged.
"She makes the rules," he said, smirking over him with a hand held out to help him up.
"You're not even together and you're already whipped." James sighed, reaching up for Lance's hand. As James pulled himself up, Lance finally allowed himself to look over at Pidge. She was beaming at him now, and he felt a dopey smile find its way onto his lips.
A staff knocked him off his feet and he glared up at James, who was chuckling.
"You kinda took my girlfriend from me, I think I deserved a shot like that."
Lance rolled his eyes but accepted his outstretched hand.
The MFEs eventually left together, leaving both of them alone in the expansive training room. Katie didn't know exactly why she had decided to seek him out, but the moment she saw him take off his shirt, all logical reasoning had flown out the window.
There was something to be said about Lance's physique, even though she didn't know how to express it. She knew exactly how the flat planes of his chest felt against her fingertips. How powerful his arms felt curled around her, and how his deceptively lanky frame was rippled with muscles, even moreso now he was leaving his boyhood behind.
There was a new tension between them now. Not entirely something she'd say was uncomfortable, but it definitely made her nervous - a good sort of nervous. Was it normal for best buddies to have this weird electric atmosphere about them?
"That looked like it hurt," she lifted her head to indicate the bruises on his side. Lance brushed over them and shrugged.
"Nothing out of the ordinary. I still think that training simulation in the Castle back when we were still getting the hang of things was more brutal."
She winced but eventually smiled at the memory. "Y'know, I never pinned you as a good short-range fighter, but you're getting there," she began, crossing her arms across her chest as she skirted around the training mats.
"Are you actually complimenting me?" A wide, surprised smile was blooming on his face.
"I compliment you! Sometimes." In my head , she wanted to add.
"Right," he laughed.
But it didn't look it bothered him much since he was already walking towards her. She gulped. A part of her wished he would wear his shirt again, but another part of her swooned at the lines of his taut stomach that she couldn't stop stealing glances at, the slight dip along his hip bone where his sweats hung off loosely...
He threw his shirt over his shoulder and tousled his hair in a way that really shouldn't be that attractive to her. "After I hit the showers, do you want to hang out? Not like you'll be sleeping anyway."
He winked and she was a goner. But then she remembered where they were and her shoulders slumped. "The results of Coran's analysis should be back by then. We might have to go investigate or worse still…"
"Suit up," he finished with a sigh. His brows knitted in worry and a sense of dread came over her. "Pidge...I know that you aren't comfortable with me speaking about it yet but-"
Her feet already angled towards the door.
But before he could continue, a voice crackled from her wrist. "Pidge? Could you come down to the labs please? I need to speak with you urgently."
"I'll be right there Allura!"
He reached out to grab her arm, but she had already dashed out of the room in a green blur.
"Are you sure it's Haggar?"
"Absolutely positive, Pidge."
Katie nervously fumbled with the cuffs of her paladin uniform, forcing her rational side to take over before her fears could. She watched as Allura bit her lip, white brows knitting as she immersed herself in her thoughts. "I still get nightmares about Lotor, you know. And these dreams...they almost feel prophetic. When I saw Haggar as...Honerva, I-I've come to believe, that it must be so."
Katie's jaw dropped while Allura looked about her nervously. They were the only two in the labs, the night cycle only minutes away. But anyone could walk in through the door. "I'm not sure if I want Coran to know about this. An Altean using other Alteans as pawns? Why would she ever do that?"
"Power corrupts people in more ways than one Allura. You don't need magical cosmic energy for that. Back on Earth, you only need money, fame and just... greed ."
Allura sighed and shook her head. "But it just doesn't make sense! She was one of the most brilliant alchemists of her time! She was married to an Galran Emperor! What more could she want?!"
"Her...family?" Both women turned to the voice behind them. Hunk lifted a shoulder. "I mean, just playing devil's advocate here, but her husband and her son were taken from her."
Allura considered it for a bit and Katie watched her shoulders slump. "She probably does think we've killed Lotor."
"We kind of did, in a way," Katie spoke carefully, gently touching Allura's shoulder. "But motivations aside, we know that she won't stop at nothing until Voltron is destroyed. It's a symbol of hope, like you said before. But to her, it's probably a reminder of her family's death."
"What were you guys talking about anyway?" Hunk wondered, seating himself on the bench across them. "I only caught the tail end of the conversation."
"Allura had a nightmare. Haggar...she was strangling me," Katie felt herself pale and the very-real feeling of bony fingers curling around her neck returned. She shivered but shook her head to rid herself of the thought. "I wouldn't have thought anything about it, but then, I had the exact same one when I was quarantined. I was sure it was nothing but the fears in my subconscious manifesting in my dreams but then Allura's been having the same dreams too and sometimes, the events match ."
"Match?" Hunk paled.
"I've also seen Pidge struck by Haggar and she's seen me facing Haggar in a rift."
"You're not thinking...it'll actually happen, do you?" he looked worriedly from one lady to the next. Katie felt herself shrug, but she had long accepted the vision - pushing it to the back of her thoughts as she always did to focus on the now.
"I wonder if it's a side effect of the 'dark' quintessence," Allura spoke up suddenly, turning to her with her eyes wide.
"We are the only two seeing visions," she nodded slowly in agreement. "I'll research it some more, tonight."
Just then, the door to the labs slid open and in tumbled an extremely winded Coran. " Princess !"
Allura stood up from her seat in alarm. "Coran? What's the matter?"
"We've found the mother ship."
If the Atlas was in a frenzy before, it was absolute chaos now. A more regimented, organized form of chaos that Katie embraced and had grown accustomed to since the first day she left Earth.
A branch of the Coalition had run into Haggar's forces before them and had launched into a full attack to give them time to gear up. Garrison officials ran from one end of the room to the next, shouting orders and preparing fighter pilots for take-off.
Katie made a mad dash for her hanger, but passing the red lion's hangar made her steps falter. For a few seconds, she deliberated entering. But the door slid open and the very subject of her deliberations stared down at her. The anxious look on his face the only thing keeping her from taking off again. Despite the chaos that went on overhead, the stillness in the hangars was unnerving.
Lance's lips parted and she was quick to stop him. "Please don't say anything," she begged. "I mean it, I don't want to hear anything about it."
"Do you regret it?" he demanded.
"No! Not at all!"
"Then why won't you let me-"
"Lance, this is the worst possible time!"
"This may be our only time left!" It had to be the first time he raised his voice at her and she felt herself take a step back. He winced and closed his eyes, mumbling a soft apology under his breath.
"I just didn't want us to go into this war all awkward and tense. I...I just want my best friend," she mumbled, looking to the floor. Beneath her, she heard the whirs of the Atlas' engines firing up.
"You have your best friend, Katie," she ignored the flutter in heart as he sighed and spoke her name softly. "I'm not ever going to let anything change that. And I really need to tell you-"
Panic cemented her heart once more.
" Lance ,"
"But-"
"After all this," she pleaded. "If we both survive. Please ."
"What if I don't?"
She gaped for a bit and then blinked. "Well then, you better make sure you do."
He slowly shook his head. Lance was losing his patience with her but he listened. But she knew she won. But he gave in and sighed. "Quiznack, you drive me nuts ."
He parted his arms, looking at her with the question clear in his eyes. Her heart thundered in her chest but she willed herself from running away again. She wanted this; craved this the day she stopped returning his calls back on Earth. She waited far too long for it.
She took a shy step forward, and Lance closed the distance for her. He engulfed her and her body melted to his. She wrapped her arms around his hips, gasping as her feet left the floor. Lance lifted her effortlessly and squeezed her tightly. She wished she'd hugged him sooner and not in the confines of their paladin armor. But she wasn't about to be picky. She brought her arms up to his shoulders, supporting herself against his body. Her nose buried to his neck, feeling the quick throb of his pulse against her cheek as he curled his body closer to hers as much as he could.
They didn't have to speak. Everything they wanted to say expressed in how tightly they held onto each other; in the way he held her so close and in the way she held onto him for dear life. She desperately hoped that she didn't make a mistake in waiting to hear his answer but she knew she didn't need it as much as she needed his friendship.
He gently set her down after several moments, leaving his arms around her and their proximity close. Katie felt his fingers on her cheek, gently nudging her chin upward so she would look up at him. He leaned forward, bringing his head closer to hers. If it weren't for the warm hold he's captured her in, she'd be running.
Just as his warm breath ghosted over her lips, the sirens went off.
An explosion.
C'mon...c'mon...
She heard a scream of pain and winced, forcing herself to direct all her attention to the screen before her. With all the chaos that ravaged outside, the relative calm in the ship unnerved her. Each explosion reverberated in the echo-y chambers of the giant vessel and the console shook with each impact.
Kosmo whined at her feet, as though beckoning her to hurry.
"I'm trying boy, but the encryption on this system is ridiculous."
A solution came to her just as a partially destroyed ship flung itself onto the front glass panel of the room. She grasped the edge of the console, gasping as the impact left a ringing in her ears. She didn't want to know what ship hit them - but she vehemently pushed away the thought that it briefly looked to be one of their own. Kosmo nudged her, concerned.
"I'm fine," she breathed, grasping her helmeted head to steady herself.
Sweat trailed a cool path down her clammy back, eventually soaking into her damaged suit. She was certain that her oxygen tanks were depleting quickly, but she didn't have time to worry about it. She had a job to get done and she was going to stop at nothing to finish it.
Her comms crackled to life and the voice that filtered through jump started her heart.
" Shiro! Keith! Allura needs cover. There's an opening, I'm going in!"
" Be careful Lance."
"The MFEs will cover you."
" I'll be right behind you, man."
" Thanks guys...Pidge. Katie?"
Her breath hitched, her heart pounding in her chest, she sputtered a response. "Y-yeah?"
She heard him take a heavy breath and the clicks of the other comms disconnecting to give them privacy. " Be careful, okay? Promise me. "
"I promise," she whispered, forcing herself to say more, realizing it could very well be her last words to him. "You too, be careful I mean."
" I will..." A few beats of silence followed but another explosion, one that bathed the room in orange light broke the moment of peace.
"You better be alive when I come get you. I still have to beat your high score."
Feelings she was too scared to name caught her throat and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she sniffled, "I know, idiot." His gentle laugh over the comms gave her brief respite, but as soon as his comm shut, she returned to her job with renewed fervor.
She rebooted the system and started from scratch, uploading a new prototype of a program that she hadn't had the opportunity to test. She'd exhausted her usual options and now she had no reason not to give it a shot. As the program filtered into the ship's system, draining the purple lights and filling it with green, the door behind her blew open. Kosmo growled and stood in front of her protectively, but a lift of a hand and a blast of electrified energy was enough for the canine to be left on a collapsed heap by her feet.
"Kosmo!" her cry rang out, alarming Shiro who immediately shouted orders for her to leave through her comms.
" Paladin of Voltron..." the hiss made her shiver. She quickly and discreetly tapped out the last of the commands before summoning her bayard to face the witch.
" I've been sensing your presence more of late . " A hand lifted and Katie found herself flung forward and into her grasp. She gasped as her helmet was pried off her head, her lungs squeezing in her chest, crying for oxygen. She gulped for air desperately, tears streaming down her cheeks as Haggar's yellow eyes bore down on her squirming figure. No remorse nor sympathy in her gaze. She desperately summoned her bayard, only to feel it slip out of her fingers and clack uselessly onto the floor.
In midst of the fog that had settled in her brain, she heard a beep behind her and felt relief flood her bones, her body slacking willingly. The deed was done. It didn't matter if she died now.
The witch shrieked in disbelief, gripping her windpipe tight enough that she began to see black spots in her vision. Her sharp nails dug into her skin and Katie couldn't tell if it was blood or sweat that trickled down her neck.
" No!"
She thought about her parents, Matt and her friends and hoped beyond hope they outlive her and the war.
" You will pay for this Paladin! "
She never got to hear Lance's answer. But at least she told him how she felt. Her shoulders tensed at that. She didn't have regrets.
" Honerva! Release her this instant!"
She felt a blow to her chest and her body fell to a heap. The loud ringing in her ears grew louder and she cried out as pain ravaged her midriff. She saw a brief image of burnt skin and her suit in tatters and then her vision blacked. She heard Kosmo's snarl, Allura's outraged cry and finally, the other paladins' frenzied cries over her comms just as the world around her quietened.
Katie did not know where she was. Her body felt suspended, as though she was floating in space without a tether.
She ran the possibilities methodically through her head, trying to think of what happened last. Nothing came to her except for a loud, insistent static in her ears. It had no discernible pattern and her fingers instinctively twitched for her wrist computer, only to realize her body was frozen as well. All she saw was darkness and she wasn't even sure if she saw it or if her eyes were closed.
Sleep paralysis - perhaps it was that. She attempted to wiggle her fingers and her toes; the trick usually worked like a charm, but this episode seemed particularly insistent. Sighing in defeat, she slumped - or would have, if she still had control over her body.
And then, the darkness ebbed away, and Katie squinted as light flooded her vision. When her eyes fluttered open, she found herself back on Medosia - her surroundings still looking every bit the ruins that Allura and herself had seen a few weeks ago.
"Like this?"
Katie glanced over and she felt herself smile at the bent-over figure of the little girl, "Good job, sweetheart." She saw the backs of her own, gloved hands reach over and help tinier hands bury the stones into the soil. The girl lifted her head and her breath hitched. Her small spacesuit made it difficult to discern the rest of her features, but Katie knew those distinctive honey eyes; she saw them every time she looked in a mirror.
"Are they seeds?"
"Something like that. We're giving it back it's natural energy sou-"
" Pidge! "
" Lance! Calm down!"
" I can't be fucking calm! She's losing too much blood!"
"Mommy?"
She shook herself out her reverie and blinked at the child. The voices in her head were so loud . It was as though they were right next to her. She heard them so clearly - Lance and Shiro. She looked about her, trying in vain to find them.
"Time to leave, baby," she heard herself say.
" Pidge, don't you fucking dare die on me..."
She was pale. Too pale for his liking.
The small freckles that doted her nose had almost faded to nothingness from the lack of sun. Her hand was cold and still in his, and he spent a good many hours warming them between his own. He remembered how much she hated feeling cold. It's been over a week since they'd found Katie's body - nearly mangled beyond repair if not for Altean technology - and the horrifying image of her unresponsive form being carried back by Shiro still gave him nightmares. She was healed now, her bones where they needed to be and her skin unblemished - save for the scars that had existed before. Every day, he made a wish to the stars to wake up to see her cheeks flush with health and her eyes open - filled with mischief and mirth as he always pictured her in his head.
"Lance, go take a shower."
He didn't turn to greet the voice behind him. Footsteps reached his side and a hand rested gently on his shoulder, wary of the bandages on his body.
"You should be in a healing pod."
"I don't really need it and...what if she wakes up alone, Ronnie? I need to stick by her side."
"She'll take one look at you, and would throw you out into the void for being dumb enough to not take care of yourself," his sister deadpanned, indicating his state.
A weak smile found its way on his lips. "She really would." His thumb caressed over her knuckles and he sighed.
"I was supposed to introduce her to Mom."
Veronica snorted at that. "Thinking of introducing her to Mom already? At least get her to go on a date with you first."
He ran a thumb over her limp fingers, willing in his mind for them to curl back to life. "She's heard so much about her from me she never got to meet her in-person."
"And she will meet her. Don't you worry," his sister sighed and squeezed his shoulder gently.
"Why isn't she awake yet? She was in the pod for so long."
"We're not exactly sure, Lance. Physiologically speaking, her body's healed. But she might struggle a little with breathing for a bit while her lungs recuperate. It's why her breaths are so shallow now."
Veronica walked over to one of the many monitors Pidge was hooked up to and looked over the charts. "Her brain waves are very active; she's very much alive. But her mind is still in shock. That's something the pods aren't equipped to fix. It's probably because of the quintessence Haggar struck her with. We still don't know the kind of effects it has on human biology. Or, I guess in this case, her psyche."
"She survived the other time!"
"The other time, she was exposed to a minute amount and well, there was no space witch trying to kill her. Again, Lance, we have so much we don't know."
Lance's shoulders slumped and tiny bit of dread in his chest quickly grew heavier. "What can I do?" his was voice strained, desperate. Veronica turned to him, her eyes softening.
"It's a waiting game, Lance. Be strong for her," she made her way back to him and gently helped him up. "Most of all, look after yourself." She gestured to the pile of fresh clothes she'd left for him on the guest chairs behind him. "Go take a shower, please. I'll keep watch."
Her body felt heavy now, as though the weight of the universe was pressing her down. It wasn't as frightening as she expected it to be - her descent was stalled and gentle. Everything around her was warm - like she was back home, wrapped in her duvets and surrounded by her plush toys. Her left hand in particular, felt especially warm - as though someone was holding it.
She heard voices echo around her - some she recognized, others not as much. She strained her ears, hoping to hear Lance again. Occasionally, she heard a soft plea that sounds like him, but it's too muffled for her to make out.
It was beginning to frustrate her. Being idle was never her strong suit. She stuck out her hand and attempted to move her body; in any possible way as long as it was her own free will.
"Sweetheart, I told you not to touch it! If you get lost, I don't know if I can find you."
"I'm sorry Mama."
She turned her head towards the voices, frowning at the familiarity in them. And then, a soft sobbing to her side.
"Katie? Darling please, wake up."
This time, she recognized it immediately - it was her mother. She willed her limbs again to move but to no avail.
At times, the black void surrounding her would turn unbearably bright, and sounds that were familiar to her - the Atlas' hum, soft snoring that was distinctively her father's or just unfamiliar voices of people discussing brain waves, blood counts - and other things, but it would get too muffled for her to hear.
"How is she?"
"Not much has changed from the last time. Her brain waves indicate that she's dreaming though."
It was Keith and an unfamiliar voice, on either side of her. She tried to pry her lips apart to scream, hoping maybe to snap herself out - wherever the hell she was - and get their attention.
The blackness blanketed the bright light again and she sighed - or at least, she thought she did. Her surroundings blurred and she found herself in her lab back on Earth. She knew it was her lab from the distinctive scribble of her handwriting on the boards but didn't recognize the new equipment, furniture or worse still, the little girl doodling on her lap. She saw the backs of her own hands tinkering with machine parts that looked entirely unfamiliar to her.
She heard herself sigh and the hands moved to carefully carry the child off her lap and onto her seat.
"Wait here honey, I have to go get something from Uncle Hunk's lab, okay?"
The little girl, a little older this time than the first, nodded. Her head still bent over the tablet in her hands while Pidge (or she assumed, alternate universe Pidge, at least) walked out of her lab. The darkness followed and the scenes melted away.
And then, as though a switch had been flipped, her hand found purchase on long, familiar fingers. She gripped them tightly and gasped for air.
"...Pidge?" he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sat up. His back ached, but it was the least of his worries. As soon he felt her fingers twitch in his, he jolted out of sleep.
Her eyes fluttered open and he let out a strangled gasp. " Pidge! " His vision blurred with tears and he lifted her hand to press it over his chest.
"Lance..." her voice cracked.
"Oh, oh crap. I should go get-"
Her fingers gripped him harder, tugging him back and he stopped himself before he could go running.
"I'm...fine, dummy." her voice was weak but it had its classic snarky edge. Quiznack , how much he missed that. He sat back down next to her, gently helping her sit up against her pillows. Her eyes, still heavy with sleep, looked up to him. He felt her gaze on his bare, bandaged chest and arm as well as the dark purple bruise over his eye.
Her fingers loosened from his and she gingerly touched his cheekbone, a furrow forming between her brows at the sight of his mottled skin.
"I'm okay," he whispered, leaning his cheek into her small hand. Her pulse was strong against his skin and tension eased between his shoulders. After days of feeling near-nothing, the feeling of her heartbeat gave him relief like no other. He shifted his head to press his lips against her wrist, letting them linger over the gentle throb over the delicate skin.
Her cheeks flushed and he couldn't help the smile - his wish had come true. He let her jerk her hand back to herself and he stood up to fuss over her; fluffing her pillows, tucking the blankets around her and getting her a cup of water from the dispenser.
"Drink," he ordered, bringing the cup to her lips. Insisting that she finished the whole cup, Katie finally took feeble sips of the cool water. Within the first few sips, her hands cupped around his and she took more generous gulps. Once Lance pulled away, she sighed and wearily sat back against the pillows, looking about her in confusion.
"What happened?"
"A lot. But you just need to focus on res-"
" Lance ."
Her fingers gently squeezed his; a plea for him not to coddle her. Her tone isn't as shrill as it would have been, but the annoyance conveyed was clear. His shoulders slumped as he gave in to her - far too shaken with relief that he hadn't lost her.
"Long story short, the Robeasts are destroyed, Allura closed off the rift and sealed Hagg-"
"Wait, the rift opened again?"
"Well, Haggar- Honerva- whoever- opened it, somehow. Like Allura predicted, she got greedy for the quintessence and it basically ate her alive. And well, you managed to hack into the control panels of her ship and overrode the commands to the Komars to make them self-destruct. That a was a huge help."
"I know what I did," she interjected, shifting in her bed and wincing as her muscles ached from lack of use. "But what about the rest? Where are they?"
"We lost a few people," he began, bringing his bandaged arm forward so he could hold her hand in both of his. "The MFEs took the brunt of Komars' shots for us."
He watched her eyes widen in fear. "James? Is he okay? I-I mean all the MFEs of course," she flushed, sitting up against the headboard.
Lance ignored the little stab in his chest. "He's fine. A little worse for wear, but kickin'. His ward is only a few doors down. Rizavi's critically injured but she's stable. So is Leif. Kinkade had a few broken bones but quiznack, that man is built like a tree. I saw him in the training deck the other day."
"And the rest? Hunk, Keith, Allura?"
Lance chuckled. "They're all fine Pidge. We were way more worried about you."
"So they're okay?" she pressed insistently.
"Yellow took a few hits for me so Hunk was hurt but he's alright now. Allura...she's healing. At least, I hope she is."
He stood up and pushed down on her shoulders before she could jump out of bed. "She's safe and not even on the ship. Her fight with Haggar drained her. Coran said she needs time to recuperate in pure quintessence, so Keith and him took her to...um, that glowy place?"
"Oriande?"
"Yeah! There! The Colony Alteans are with them too. Quiznack, there's so much that happened in a week I can't imagine just waking up to all this," he shook his head, squeezing her hand gently.
She slumped back against her bed and sighed. "Matt? My parents?"
"Your parents are with Shiro, they're working with Coalition for plans on peace treaties and rehabilitation programs for the Alteans. Most of the population's in a state of shock and all. Having a change of management more than once can get a little jarring I guess."
He reached forward and combed through her messy locks absentmindedly, smiling as she leaned into his hand as it came to rest on her cheek.
"And Matt's more than okay. When he found out you were unconscious, he got to the Atlas as soon as the Rebels let him. If it wasn't me sitting here, it's him."
"He's here?" her voice was so hopeful and relieved, it hurt him to deflate her.
"No, he had to go back to help with relief missions. He said he'd be back soon, though."
An adorable pout formed at that, her eyes reverting down to her hands. "So everyone's hard at work and I've just been...sleeping here? Doing nothing?"
" Katie ," his firm tone had her looking up at him with wide eyes; right on cue, the heart monitors elevated. "You practically took down a dozen Komars on your own and had a space witch nearly drain the life out of you. You did more than enough."
"But-"
"But nothing, you earned your rest." The finality of his voice made her seal her lips and he smiled indulgently at the small, rare win.
A silence fell over them and he was grateful to note; a comfortable, pensive one. Whatever awkwardness they'd held before was finally gone now.
"So...it's all over?"
The heart monitor slowed and Lance glanced over to it with a flush rising up his neck.
"For the most part, yeah."
Another silence and Lance found himself tracing over the faded scars on her hand. They didn't quite look like battle scars - moreso from little accidents in a lab.
"What about...us?" she asked softly.
His heart at his throat, he lifted his gaze to her eyes. "What about us?"
"Are we...okay too?"
Lance had to pause at that, startled at the fact that he hadn't seen the question coming. He hadn't questioned what they were in a while, all his thoughts had revolved around her well-being.
"I want us to be" He felt her hand over his and he easily twined his fingers through hers. "We will be," he promised, more sure of it. "Do you remember our deal?"
"I'm a little tired for video games Lance, but I'd love to-"
"Not that , Pidge."
His brows raised pointedly at her, a ghost of a smirk quirking to his lips. Her lips parted and her cheeks flushed pink again. Right on cue, the heart monitors betrayed her with their incessant beeps. But the smirk quickly disappeared once her hand slipped away from his to run through her messy, short locks.
"I don't recall," she laughed lightly, fully knowing that Lance could see through her lie. She sat up straighter on her bed and looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Do you mind if I check in on James?"
"I do mind, actually," he breathed, matching her body language but puffing his chest in mild annoyance. He pulled himself onto her bed, trapping her body - but careful not to lean his weight on her - with his forearms and Pidge looked up to him with wide eyes, her entire face red was now at his sudden boldness. "I've been waiting months to tell a girl how I feel. I'm not going to miss my chance. Not for the third time."
" Third ?! What were the first two?"
"On the Garrison rooftop and when you were discharged from quarantine," he answered, shifting himself so his body trapped Pidge to her bed. "Technically, I tried to many times in between and after, but you're gone like the wind before I can even start." There was no way he was having her run away again. He watched with mild amusement as she squirmed beneath him.
"I-I'm not ready-"
"You're going to have to make yourself ready hermosa ," the corner of his lip quirking up in a smirk. "I think nearly everyone - even my mom - knew before you do."
"What does she know?" she asked nervously, shifting herself back against the headboard in a feeble attempt to put distance between them. Her hands came up to rest on his bare shoulders and she weakly attempted to push him away.
"Now you're curious?" he teased, leaning his face closer to hers, earning a squeak from her.
"Ahem."
Lance paled and turned his head to see Matt Holt standing by the door. His arms were crossed and he looked far too calm for his liking.
"Lance?"
He gulped, shakily pushing his torso up and off of Pidge who, at this point, had thrown her bedsheets over her head. "Yeah?"
"Did you know that I have diplomatic immunity in at least thirty different sectors of the universe?"
"Matt," Pidge groaned. "You have the worst timing."
She peeked over her sheets to see her brother shaking his head, her eyes lighting up despite her embarrassed state."I can leave ," her brother sighed, placing his hands on his hips as he frowned at Lance's hands on her waist. He was quick to pull them away. Matt looked relieved nonetheless to see his sister awake and well. "Jeez, Pidge. I would have thought you'd be happy to see me."
"I'll leave," Lance stood immediately, giving her a playfully stern look. "But I'm not done with you."
"Still right here, man."
"Heard she's awake," Hunk dropped casually as Lance helped him sit up. He ignored the prodding tone of his friend's voice and the unspoken question that lingered in the silence.
"Well?" he poked his arm.
"No, not yet," he sighed, answering his unasked question. The yellow paladin groaned and looked at him wearily.
"Quiznack, I was fully expecting you two to confess before we go into a war. Now, the war's over and you still haven't told her?"
"What's the rush? We're all stuck in this big ship for a while before we return to Earth."
"What's the rush? What's the rush ?!" Hunk stopped himself before he could blow his top on him. He took a few calming breaths and covered his face. "Do you have any idea how long I've been watching you two tiptoe around each other?"
"A while...I guess," Lance laughed nervously.
" Years , Lance. Years."
A voice spoke up behind them. "Oh, that's interesting. Well, I guess it's fair game now for me to ask her out again?" James leaned against the door, classic smug expression present.
"Y'know what? I fully endorse you James. You have my blessing." Hunk looked pointedly at Lance who only rolled his eyes.
"There's a small viewing deck towards the top of the ship, where the generators are" James began. "It's for the maintenance crew's access, but no one's there during the night cycle. It has a great view of the galaxies. Almost like you're stargazing back on Earth."
"Might be a good place for a date," Hunk waggled his eyebrows.
He turned to James who just shrugged. "It's something she'd like, I think."
"She would," Lance smiled finally, giving him a grateful smile. "Thanks James."
"Are we even allowed back here?"
He watched Pidge look about her worriedly, clearly not understanding for the life of her why he was taking her through the maintenance shafts. The night cycle had started several hours ago and the ship was mostly quiet. The hum of the Atlas' engines and their scuffled footsteps are the only sounds that reverberated through the small tunnels.
"Technically? No. But who's going to stop the universe's greatest defenders?"
She rolled her eyes at him and tucked her hands into her lab pockets. "Can you at least tell me where we're going?"
"You'll see," he replied cheerily, pausing his stride for a moment so she could catch up to him. She was still dressed in her lab attire - complete with dirt streaked lab coat. He'd dropped by her lab, five minutes ahead of their agreed meeting time because he knew that she would get lost in her experiments. There, he took one look at her get-up, her scrunched up nose as she squinted at some workings and her short, messy ponytail and fell in love all over again. Even when she'd insisted on changing her clothes, he simply took her hand and dragged her out of the labs.
"What were you doing with all that dirt in your lab anyway?"
She flushed at his question, and scratched her cheek with a faraway look in her eyes. "A...dream inspired me to try and recreate the conditions on Medosia in the labs. I buried the rocks into the soil and the residual quintessence in them sort of...activated them."
"Activated how?"
"Well, for one, when I tried to harness its energy to charge my phone, it exploded," she smiled sardonically to herself. "I probably shouldn't have done that, in hindsight, but it was fun."
"You scare me sometimes, Pidge," he laughed, quietly grateful that they could be their carefree selves again. "But really, does it mean it's a power source like quintessence?"
"My theory? It's the raw form of power. It's probably the state of what quintessence was before it becomes quintessence. It goes beyond human-derived physics but it makes sense. Whoever was planting the rocks was probably trying to revive the planet and that's probably the best way to do it. Otherwise, Allura would exhaust herself each time she brought a planet back to life."
Her steps quickened with her excitement of her project and Lance had to admit it was infectious. She was soon matching him in stride, keeping up with his long legs despite her short stature as she continued. "We're looking at the best possible energy source to power trans-reality travelators."
Lance took a moment to digest the new term. "Like a time travel machine?"
She shook her head quickly. "No, time travel is impossible Lance. Einstein himself said that."
"No, based on his theories , it's impossible. But hey, the past few years we found a magical alien princess, flying robot lions with minds of their own and a cosmic space witch that tried to travel between realities. I don't think Einstein would have been so sure of himself if he'd been alive to see those."
She gaped at him again and he merely shrugged. "All your technical talk made me feel like I had to read up to keep up with you." She looked touched for a moment and he waved his hand to rid of the sentiment, feeling less than casanova cool at the moment.
"And the dreams you've been having? They still there?"
"Yeah, I still get them," she sighed. "Not nearly as nightmarish as before, but I wish I could talk to Allura about it."
"She'll be back soon," he said assuredly, squeezing her fingers as she pouted. "Keith said she was making good progress in recovery."
"Why can't we visit her again?"
"Even if we wanted to, they don't think it's best if humans go into a range that's just pure quintessence. But besides that, there's plenty of work to do. Hunk's already roped in for some diplomacy missions, you're tied up with the research team and I've been asked to tag along the with MFEs on relief missions once they've recovered."
"Why didn't you go with Hunk for the time being?"
His lips parted for a bit as he considered his answer carefully. "I wanted to be with you," he answered honestly. The slight quiver of her fingers in his told him she knew what was coming and he was glad that this time, he didn't have to pin her down to a bed to have her listen to him. Since that day, in her ward, Pidge hadn't been able to look him in the eye without turning red as beets and he'd be lying if he said he didn't ruminate on how good she felt pressed underneath him.
"I didn't mean to...pin you down like that the other time," he began, a flush rising up his neck. "Well, I did mean to. But only because you looked ready to bolt and I was not gonna let you go again," he led her down a flight of stairs into a cavernous maintenance tunnel. I'm a complete gentleman otherwise, I swear."
"It's okay," she whispered, squeezing her small fingers around his. "I'm kind of glad you did. I really was about to run...like a coward."
He felt a corner of his lips quirk upward"Would have been a good payback for me running out on you though." And his heart soared as she smiled shyly in return.
"How's the time machine going?"
"Again, it's not a time machine, Lance," she laughed lightly. "It's a trans-reality travelator . The prototype doesn't work yet. I tried putting an apple through the portal, but it burnt to crisp. Tried again with a pea and that just disappeared to Bob knows where. So I guess I just have to reconfigure it to handle larger, inanimate objects and hopefully, living beings... one day. Maybe when I'm ninety."
He stopped walking to turn towards her. She looked a little deflated but as soon as his fingers tilted her chin up towards him and he gave her a soft, adoring kiss to her forehead, her features lit up. "I'm sure this is just a small roadblock for the brilliant Katie Holt," he soothed, knowing that she would be back up and running within the next week; blazing new trails and blowing his and many others' minds.
"Have I ever told you... how much I love hearing you call me by my name?" Her voice was so soft and shy - uncharacteristic for her but not at all unwelcome. Much like the new, breathless intimacy between them, it melted his heart.
"Yeah? Then I'll do it more often," he promised, rubbing his thumb over the flush on her cheeks, the color deepening with his promise.
"W-what's taking so long," she stammered, swatting his hands away. "We've been walking for ages."
"We're already here! Just up this ladder," he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her in the right direction. Pidge turned to raise her brow at him and he only gave her a bright smile. She sighed and stepped forward, slowly climbing up the metal rungs. He held his breath as soon as her head poked over the top.
She was silent for several seconds, and he watched her jaw drop. She slowly shook her head and turned back to him in disbelief. "I...feel under-dressed," she looked about her and then down to him. He was wearing his paladin uniform as she was, but her eyes reverted to his hair where he'd combed it over neatly. "It's like some kind of fancy place for dates. If I'd known I would have thrown on a dress or something."
Pidge in a dress. He'd love that. But he liked her as she was.
"I told you to come as you are, and you are dressed as I always picture you," he said, climbing after her and noting her confused expression only when he reached the top. "What?"
"You picture me dirty all the time?"
The tips of his ears warmed and he cleared his throat nervously. She hadn't meant it in that way, he was sure, but the unintentional innuendo didn't go over his head. "No , I picture you in a lab coat." That didn't help much either and he was just glad that Pidge appeared oblivious to his real thoughts.
She eventually crawled further into the small, loft-like alcove, her eyes going from the large skyline window that offered breathtaking views of the stars, distant galaxies and nebulas, to the carefully arranged picnic set-up. The ceilings were too low for him, but perfect for her stature.
He crawled towards her, nudging her to the small pillows he'd arranged on the blanket. There, he had some of the food Hunk and himself had prepared (mostly Hunk as he'd kicked him out of the kitchen halfway) and because they can, two glasses of the finest synthethol he'd managed to smuggle with the help of the Atlas' bartender.
"The bartender said you'd like this," he shrugged, handing her a flute filled with a drink that changed from red to yellow in gradient. Katie blinked at the glass offered to her. "I'm not twenty-one yet," she laughed, accepting it all the same. "And I don't really like alcohol all that much."
"We're out in space Pidge," he chuckled. "And you know what, the bartender said that she mixed it especially for you,"
She raised an eyebrow at that but took a tentative sip, her brows raising as she looked down at the drink. "It's actually not that bad."
He helped her settle back against the pillows, before settling in next to her. He took a generous gulp of his own drink to steady his nerves, taking a moment to let the comfortable silence settle between them - tension gone.
"Katie…" her breath hitched and he felt something in him stir. He took in deep breath before continuing. "If I hadn't met you...I don't know who I'd be."
"You'd be loverboy Lance," she smiled at him over the rim of her glass, clearly making his life more difficult. "Annoying and nosy as you always were, hitting on any and every girl in your sights…"
"Hey! I didn't hit on you !"
"And I was the only one that secretly liked you," she giggled. "When you're not being a loverboy, you're actually sweet and...thoughtful. I liked that about you."
He took a moment to immortalize the image before him in his memories. How beautiful she was in the dim light of the cosmos above them; honey eyes glinting with mischief and affection. It was only when her cheeks turned red and she self consciously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear did he realize that he was staring at her mutely.
"I- I mean, you going after your family - it started all of this," he gulped, suddenly feeling like he was ten years old again and telling a middle-school crush that he liked her. "I was just lucky I was put in the same team as you - and that I was nosy enough to follow after you."
"Hey, Blue chose you." She bit her lower lip to disguise a smile and Lance, once again, felt his mind wander to places a true gentleman should be ashamed of. Her lips were moist with the sweet synthethol and the tip of her pink tongue darted out to lick her lips. He forced himself to lift his eyes and he realized then that her half-lidded gaze rested heavily on him. He gulped again.
"Can I just…" she crawled slowly towards him and he stilled, feeling his cheeks burn. But as soon as she reached his front, she reached up and tousled his neatly combed hair a wide smile on her face that reached her eyes.
"Hey!"
"There you go, now you look like Lance."
He looked at her blankly and then burst into laughter, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her to his lap. She's small enough that she fit comfortably between his legs, her hands braced on his shoulders.
"Caterina Holt, I'm so in love with you," he breathed, feeling his shoulder lighten with the admission and his heart swelling to see how her gaze softened for him. Tears welled up in her eyes and she quickly pulled her gaze away, unable to meet his own intense one. His hands slid up her hips to bring them up to her cheeks. "You don't believe me?" he asked gently.
"I do!" she breathed. "I just...I'm just scared," she sighed, leaning her cheek against one of his hands. Lance leaned forward, smiling to himself as he heard her breath hitch. His lips settled on her cheek, just ghosting over the corner of her lips. He pulled her closer and her hands slid down to his chest. Her fingers fumbled with the slew of new badges pinned neatly on his uniform as she always did when she was nervous.
He sighed and nuzzled the side of her head, letting her ensconce herself against his chest.
"Of what?" he prodded, lips pressed to her hair.
"Of...getting hurt. Or hurting you . Or breaking up and never being your friend again or-"
"Katie."
It's his firm voice again and she quietened, looking up to him meekly that was far too adorable for his liking. He knew, just knew that very pout and those eyes were going to be his kryptonite. "I can't predict the future, but I have a hunch that...we're going to be just fine."
"We can forecast it," she mumbled lamely, "within a reasonable margin of error." With a softer voice and her eyes averted away, she whispered "I don't know what the odds are of us….making it." The light quiver in her voice - the rare moment of vulnerability that she'd allowed herself to express – sent shivers down his spine.
Lance felt himself still for a moment as he took in her words. He leaned forward and nudged his nose along the curve of her cheekbone until she yielded to his nuzzles. His thumb brushed soothing circles against her jawline as he kept his gaze on her, willing her to look back at him and only continuing when she did. He leaned forward, eyes asking for silent permission. She gave her reply by closing the distance.
Her lips were as sweet as he'd always imagined them to be. Bitten with her nervous habits but so soft and pliable under his heated kisses. His heartbeats were near non-existent - almost as though time had stopped and the only things that moved in the cosmos around them were her small hands clutching his shirt and his own pulling the elastic off her ponytail to run through her short locks. She surprised him with coy nibbles but a dart of her tongue over his. Blood rushed to his ears and other regions he did not want to think about, not when she was nestled on his lap.
She pulled away from him first, and from the redness across her cheeks and her heavy breathing, he gathered she had forgotten to breathe. He shoved more licentious thoughts back as her soft pants filled the room. "Never tell me the odds," he began, feeling his heart soar as a shy smile bloomed on her face in recognition of the reference. "Because, if I wanted to take my chances," he kissed the tip of her nose, "I know it'll be with you."
Before he could ask her if she was alright, she was kissing him again, with an intensity that had him leaning back against the pillows, letting her hands go up to his shoulders so she could pull her small frame closer to him.
"Quiznack, I can't believe I'm in love with a nerd," she murmured, burying her face to his chest.
"You and me both." His head dove again; this time for kisses not as innocent but no less tender.
And when she finally whispered "I love you, Lance Serrano," against his lips, he knew, for once in his life with relative certainty, that they were going to be more than just fine.
Epilogue
Lance leaned a forearm on the glass, looking into the window of the lab. A few interns to the side giggled and nudged one another. It had to be a daily spectacle to them. The subject of his attentions was still unaware; a hand supported her small, but prominent belly as she descended the steps to the lab whilst speaking animatedly with a fellow researcher. Lance felt his features soften as she smiled towards her colleague, her hand languidly ghosting across the circumference of her belly.
Lunchtime was something Lance looked forward to fervently. It was the one time in the long hours they worked that he could meet his wife. But more than that, it reminded him of the normalcy he was blessed with after the years of homesickness, war and the savagery that'd come with it that he'd both participated in and bore witness to. A few years ago, he would have given anything to have the life he had today and he was more than glad that the cosmos looked kindly upon them enough to grant their wish.
Eventually, the giggles of the interns caught her attention and Katie turned around to see the devoted gaze of her husband through the glass. The corners of her lips lifted and she turned to her colleague, giving him a brief apology before leaving the lab. He was already there, holding the door open for her.
"What will it be today, Dr Holt?"
"Sushi."
His brow raised. She knew better than to give him no option but to say no to her. But she giggled and took his arm as soon as they were away from prying eyes.
"I'm kidding! I hate to say this, but I'd kill for an empanada."
"I knew the Cuban genes would override!" Lance threaded his fingers through his wife's, lifting her hand so he could press a kiss to her knuckles.
"Just don't let my nonna hear you," she sighed, rolling her eyes but an affectionate smile present.
"Any breakthroughs today?" he queried, helping her into their car.
"So much!" her eyes lit up in the way he loved so much. Only she could make him listen tirelessly to a lecture on metaphysics...which was exactly what she was doing now. As much she'd try to simplify it for him, the more technical aspects of it still went over his head. But he knew enough to know that their first rounds of experiments were already doing well.
"...We're looking at approving volunteer trials within the next year. We already have so many people who've signed up."
"That's amazing , Pidge," he gushed sincerely, reaching for her hand. Lance squeezed it gently in his as they waited at a red light, playing with her fingers absentmindedly as she leaned forward to press a casual kiss to his cheek.
"You're my muse; if scientists can have one," she said, laughing at his blush.
"I bet you'd never thought your idiot husband of all people would predict that you accidentally invented a time machine."
"You got lucky! And again not a time machine. Not yet, at least."
"Still hearing time machine, babe. Just admit it, I was right and Einstein was wrong." He dodged her swat with a laugh.
Crowds filled the streets with the lunch hour as they drove into the heart of the city. Around them, people and aliens milled about; hailing from all walks of life and far reaches of the universe. An imposing statue of Voltron, twin blades gleaming prominently, went past them as he took a turn into a street lined with alien shops from the Lapilis sector. To think that a decade ago, the image before him would have been nothing but a plot out of a science fiction movie.
At a red light, Lance's gaze rested on a couple - one alien, the other human - holding either hands of their mixed child as they crossed the road before them. The little girl laughed excitedly, purple pigtails bouncing as she made a mad dash across the pedestrian crossing. Her frazzled parents ran after her in a hurry, begging her to be careful. He couldn't help but smile.
"When's the next ultrasound appointment?"
"Next week," Pidge replied, looking distractedly out the window.
"I can't wait to see her again," he murmured softly, smiling indulgently to himself.
His wife turned to him with a raised, amused eyebrow. "Her? How are you so sure the baby's a girl already?"
"A hunch," he winked, earning a punch to the shoulder. "Have you thought about names? I remember you said you wanted something that's a little Spanish and Italian," he continued.
She hummed in thought as a hand brushed tenderly over her belly.
"I've always like Marzia for a girl."
A/N: It's finally done! Please do let me know your thoughts. I adore reading them.