"How much you wanna bet he's gonna cry?"
"Nah, he hated us."
"Uh, excuse me, but Iverson hated you. I was at the top of my class."
"Yeah, but he did call all of us out when we failed the simulator."
"Hey, let's not forget that he very specifically told me not to be like Keith-"
"Wait, seriously?!"
"That reminds me-" Katie cut in as Lance was laughing at Keith's expression. "What did you do to get kicked out of the Garrison?"
Keith flicked his hair out of his eyes. "Nothing bad."
"Which probably means something bad," Hunk teased.
"It was," Shiro confirmed. "I couldn't believe it myself when he told me."
Lance raised an eyebrow, continuously swinging his and Katie's joined hands back and forth as they made their way down the hall to the main offices. "So?" he questioned. "Just tell us already!"
Rolling his eyes, Keith said, "Well, it was October, and I thought that since it was Halloween, I could—"
"Holt! Kogane! McClain! Garrett! Get in here!"
The group gulped, and Shiro chuckled. "Good luck, you guys. We'll meet back at the Castle after you register for your classes—"
"If we get in," Keith interrupted.
"Are you kidding?" Lance asked. "Of course we'll get in!"
"Yeah, can you imagine them not admitting the literal defenders of the universe?" Katie added on.
"Insane," Lance nodded.
"Unimaginable!" Katie exclaimed.
Lance grinned, pulling Katie nose to nose. "Incomprehensible."
She giggled. "Inconceivable-"
"Can you two be cute some other time?" Hunk cut in. "Iverson called us back there, like, two decapheebs ago."
Katie cleared her throat suddenly. "Right, sorry."
"No need to apologize," Shiro said, smiling softly. "I'll see you guys after."
The younger paladins shouted out their farewells, then took in a collective deep breath.
"Let's do this," Lance said decisively. Katie squeezed his hand, and he smiled. Never did he think this day would come.
Well, he did think that he would eventually come back to the Garrison, but not with a beautiful girlfriend on one side and his brothers in arms on the other…wow, weird how things turned out so great.
The group walked into the office in sync, heads high and shoulders back. They were no longer the flunkies of the Garrison. They were the defenders of the universe, and they were going to live up to that title.
Iverson didn't spare them a glance when they walked in. Lance sat beside Katie, with Hunk and Keith on his left. He figured he should let go of her hand for propriety's sake, but screw that. He wasn't scared of his professor anymore.
When Iverson finally turned around, Lance had to hold in a gasp. Years had worn him down, and he no longer had that stern look in his eyes. Instead, there was understanding and compassion.
"I can't tell you how good it is to see you lot again," he told them, a bittersweet tone in his voice. "We thought you were gone for good. Held a memorial service four years ago. You'll find your names on a plaque down the hall."
Lance heard Katie take in a shaky breath, and his squeezed her hand. Iverson's eyes darted toward their connected hands, and he smiled.
"I see things have worked out better than expected?" Iverson asked.
He knew he should've blushed, but all Lance could do was look over at Katie lovingly. "Definitely, sir."
Iverson nodded. "I'm glad," he said, then let out a sigh. "I blamed myself for your disappearances for years. I thought that…maybe it was my harsh words that made you go rogue. Now—" he stated, looking them firmly in the eyes. "I see that I was just a cog in the great machine pushing you toward something better. I am honored to have played such a role."
"And we were honored to be under your instruction, Professor," Keith replied succinctly. "Which is why we'd like to be reinstated."
Iverson's eyes widened. "You- you what?"
"I never finished my engineering program," Hunk told him.
"Same with my communications program," Katie added on.
Lance nodded, "And I want to complete my fighter pilot training."
Iverson stood from his desk slowly, turning and staring thoughtfully out the window. "And here I thought this was just a friendly visit," he hummed. His eyes flickered over to the group. "Are you sure about this decision? It won't be easy to get you back in this close to the first day of classes, but I think I could pull some strings."
The group shared a look, then nodded.
"We're sure, Professor," Keith stated, grinning. "We just might need a few days off every now and then to check on our lions."
"And do checks on the coalition planets," Katie piped up, and Lance smiled proudly.
Iverson chuckled. "I think we can make it work. Cadets—" he said, and they all rose and snapped into a salute. "Welcome back to the Garrison."
"We're glad to be back, sir," Lance spoke for everyone.
Still smiling, Iverson sat back down in his chair. "Well, you know where to go—" he said, gesturing out the door. "Fill out your registration forms and bring them back to me for approval, asap."
They nodded, hands coming down from their salute almost perfectly in sync, before they filed out the door. Lance could feel the pent up excitement buzzing between them, and the second Iverson's office door closed behind them, they all broke out into cheers.
"I can't believe we get to come back!" Hunk laughed, gathering everyone in his arms for a hug.
"It's like a dream come true!" Katie giggled, giving Lance a look that made him wish no one else was around. He settled for kissing her on the cheek, and he caught Keith smiling at them out of the corner of his eye.
"I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else," Keith told them, and Hunk squeezed them all tighter.
Lance laughed, "Come on, let's get to registration!" Katie grabbed his hand, and the group set off down the hallway.
"I can't believe this," she whispered breathlessly. "I mean, it's just-"
"Inconceivable?" he finished for her.
Katie burst out laughing, completely giddy with excitement. "I like teaching you new words— you make them sound good."
Lance opened his mouth to make a smooth reply, but Keith was punching him in the shoulder before he could.
"I'm gonna have to ask that you two keep the flirting to a minimum," he said with an eye roll. "It's been driving me crazy lately."
Katie gave him a look. "We'll stop flirting when you stop moping about that girl you met back in-"
"Anyways," Keith cut in, his face starting to flush red. "Let's get to registration, okay?"
Their resident half-Galran picked up the pace, walking ahead of the group by a good length.
Hunk cast Katie a look. "Do you think-?"
"Nah, he'll be fine," Lance assured him. "I heard him talking with her on the phone the other night. They're trying to figure out when they can see each other soon."
"Good for him," Hunk nodded.
Lance felt Katie shift, and he snickered, already knowing what she would say.
"And what about you and Shaaaay?" she asked with high eyebrows.
Hunk laughed nervously. "You know what, I'm gonna go catch up with Keith, see you guys down the hall-"
Lance and Katie burst out laughing the second Hunk turned the corner.
"You're gonna get us in trouble, Miss Holt," Lance teased.
She snorted. "Nah, that'll be you, dragging us out on another one of your bonding adventures."
Rolling his eyes, Lance took a quick glance around. No one was in sight, which meant-
He spun around and pressed his lips against hers, enjoying how she gave a squeak of surprise before she melted into his arms. Lance nearly let a gleeful moan slip out. Kissing her would never get old.
"I can't believe you," she giggled when their lips parted. "You know the Garrison rules on public displays of affection!"
"And you know that I love to bend the rules," he chuckled, pecking her on the lips one last time. "Come on— they'll start getting suspicious if we're gone too long."
She was shaking her head at him, and he managed a kiss on her head before she dragged him down the hall.
"Wow, and I thought my room was a mess."
Katie spun around and grinned, immediately bouncing over and grabbing her brother in a hug. "You made it!"
"At ease, cadet," Matt teased as he ruffled her hair. "Just thought I'd swing by and see how things are going in your dorm."
"Well," Katie huffed tiredly, "I set up my computer first-"
"Naturally."
"-and I got distracted trying to get through their firewalls-"
"Because why not."
"-and then Lance came by and was appalled that he'd been gone for two hours and all I'd done was sit at my computer," she snorted. "He helped me set up everything else, and now I'm trying to put my clothes in the closet— color coded, of course, because what are we-"
"Animals?" the Holt siblings said together before they snorted in laughter.
Matt shook his head and fell back onto her bed. Katie considered asking him to take his shoes off, but rolled her eyes and got back to work. It was quiet for a few minutes, and it was kinda nice. After being separated for so long, you'd think that the Holts talked constantly, but it was actually the opposite. The silence was weirdly reassuring, just listening to each other softly breathing across the room and having the knowledge that they were safe and sound.
Then finally, Matt broke the silence. "Pidge, can I ask you something?"
Katie blinked at the serious tone in her brother's voice, but shrugged. "Sure."
He sat up, his honey eyes staring into hers. "Do you love Lance?"
She blushed immediately, but there was also a little smile that came onto her face— the one that always happened inadvertently whenever anyone mentioned Lance. "Of course I do. I thought I already told you about that weeks ago."
"You did," Matt said contemplatively. "But I was just curious. I feel like I haven't been the protective big brother I should be."
Katie's head tilted. "What do you mean?"
Her brother threw his hands up into the air dramatically. "I don't know— I should've interrogated him or something!"
Katie doubled over in laughter. "Matt, I don't think you could interrogate him even if you tried," she joked, and he harrumphed. She walked over to the bed and sat next to him.
"Me and Lance are doing just fine," she told him honestly. "He treats me so kindly, and I've actually been thinking about when I can introduce him to mom."
Matt raised an eyebrow. "Sounds serious, then."
The blush returned, and Katie's eyes flickered around her room. "I mean…serious is a funny concept when it comes to Lance. He's never a hundred percent serious about anything except-" she stopped, smiling softly.
"Except what?" her brother prompted.
"Except me," she admitted shyly. "Really, Matt, there's nothing to be worried about."
Matt stood up suddenly. "Oh no, I haven't been worried about him since you had to go in the cryo-pod." He was pacing now, his hands clasped behind his back.
Katie gave him a confused look. "Then what's the problem?"
He froze, scratching the back of his head bashfully, and suddenly, it clicked in her mind. "Ohh, this isn't about me and Lance— it's about you and Allura, isn't it!"
"Katieeeee," he whined, ears turning red.
She cackled, clapping her hands together. "I knew it! You're trying to figure out if you love her, right? That's why you asked if I loved Lance."
"I hate your deductive skills," Matt muttered, and Katie gave him a knowing look. "Fine! Yes! You're right! I just…" he trailed off, staring out into space. "…how do you know?"
Katie's eyes wandered over to a picture of her and Lance that she'd put on her desk. "I don't know," she said, and her brother's head snapped up in confusion. Katie laughed, "You just know all of the sudden…it's kinda hard to explain. I think it happens over time, and then it hits you— you couldn't imagine life without them."
Matt nodded slowly, then sighed. "But how do you tell them? With Lance it must have been easy, because you knew how he felt…with Allura," he chuckled, shaking his head fondly. "Sometimes I think she likes me, then other times I honestly can't tell."
She hummed. "Yeah, I think that's just how she is. Quiznak, that's how I was with Lance for ages."
Groaning, Matt covered his face with his hands. "Women."
Katie burst out laughing, hopping up and smacking him on the arm. "You'll figure it out eventually," she told him. "But for now, I need you to get out of my room. Lance is coming back soon, and I don't want that neat freak seeing this mess."
His eyes grew stern. "Now, now, young lady, you know the Garrison rules. No boys in your room-"
"Oh shut it, Professor," she mocked. "I'll see you in the mess hall later."
Matt rolled his eyes, but gave her a smile before he shut the door behind him. She smiled and shook her head, making her way back over to her dorm closet and hanging up another shirt. They'd been kind enough to give each of the Paladins rooms meant for seniors, and when Keith and Hunk had started to protest, Katie and Lance were quick to cover their mouths with their hands.
She looked around her room with a smile. It was nice having a little place to herself, but she still missed her room on the ship. Leaving had been rough, especially since she felt Green pawing at the back of her mind the entire way. Katie and Lance had promised their lions that they would be back on the weekends, though, and hopefully they'd be able to sneak out for a few extended flights.
Some sadness started creeping into her heart, and Katie pushed it away. She should be happy. The war was over. She had Lance. She was at the Garrison. But still…
Katie sighed, sitting down on the floor and staring up at the ceiling blankly.
It was weird. It all felt like a dream— a nice one, sure, but the kind that would end with her waking up and wondering why everything had seemed so real.
She shut her eyes and started counting a steady rhythm. One, two, three, one two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three. It brought her back to the night at the ball, that lovely night when Lance told her how he felt.
Katie giggled to herself, remembering how much he stuttered, how red he'd gotten, and then the shock on his face when she'd said she'd give it a chance. And look at them now— sneaking a kiss in the Garrison hallways. Amazing how far they'd come, she realized.
Suddenly, there was a knock.
"Querida?" a sing-songy voice came through the door. "I found that picture you wanted!"
Katie grinned as she got up from the floor to answer the door. Yeah, things had turned out fine…she just needed time to accept it all.
