**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender (duh)
With so many people swarming on campus for the memorial service, the Garrison hospital's visiting hours had been limited as a security precaution. Only family and close friends who were cleared by Shiro were allowed to visit the recovering paladins.
The halls were quiet and fairly empty as Mari and Kosmo ventured down them. The service had started a while ago, drawing many outside to hear their leaders speak. Every television hanging on the walls of the waiting room was playing the live feed, as well as those in many patients' rooms. She could hear Shiro giving his speech, full of honesty and inspiring hope amongst the coalition.
Popping their heads in for a long-awaited hello, Mari and Kosmo found the paladins' rooms crowded and loud with visitors. Lance was surrounded by his ecstatic family, with Nadia and Silvio snuggled up next to him in bed. Sam, Colleen, and Matt hadn't left Pidge's side since she'd woken up, and now their dog Bae Bae, Nyma, Beezer, and Matt's girlfriend, N-7, were there to keep them company. Hunk had finally, finally been reunited with his parents, uncle, older sister, and niece and nephew, and he was introducing them to Shay and her brother, Rax. Coran and Romelle had brought Allura flowers, her tiara, and even a hand-drawn card from Nadia and Silvio. They watched their princess fondly as she spoke with the four space mice, catching her up on the latest Garrison and coalition gossip. In Keith's room, Krolia sat at the foot of his bed, leaving Kolivan to sit by the window. Immea leaned against the wall next to the television, smiling as Scarlett and Mitsubishi blabbed about everything he had missed over the last two months.
Kosmo rushed forward, interrupting their spiel. He vanished from the floor and reappeared on top of Keith, making the bed creak and quiver as he nuzzled closer to his human and covered his face with drooly licks. Mari smiled and hung back in the doorway, crossing her arms and leaning against the frame to watch them.
"Hey, bud. I've missed you, too." Keith grinned, playfully wrestling with the cosmic wolf. Kosmo's spit flew everywhere, and the paladin scrubbed it from his face. "Gah, you're so slobbery."
"The nurses wouldn't let him visit until today," Scarlett said, her face scrunching up at the sight of all the saliva. "Now I see why."
"No wonder he's so excited," Immea mused. "He's been forced to wait this long."
Krolia let out the tiniest huff of a chuckle as she took in the heartwarming scene of her son playing with his space dog. Her attention fell on the human lingering by the door and Mari nodded to her in silent greeting. She nodded back in reply and paused for a long moment before standing.
"That ceremony should be ending soon. We should check on the troops," she said, glancing at the TV as the speakers wrapped up. She turned it off and moved to leave, prompting the other guests to follow her. Mari stepped out of their way, allowing them to pass through the exit. Krolia stopped and looked over her shoulder at her son as she said, "We'll give you two some privacy. We'll be back in a varga."
And with that, she left them alone with Kosmo in the quiet atmosphere of the hospital room. An awkward beat of silence passed as the two humans considered one another, both unsure of what to say.
"Hey," Keith said, the first to disturb the quiet.
"Hey." Mari cautiously moved further into the room, inching closer to the bed. "How was your rest, Sleeping Beauty?"
The corner of his mouth quirked up at the tease. "Too long," he answered. He hesitated before adding, "Sorry for making you wait. Again. …Thanks for finding us."
She shrugged, nonchalant as she stopped next to him. "You're welcome."
He stared at her, patiently waiting. It wasn't until she had lowered herself into one of the visitor's chairs next to the bed that he continued. "I hear you're one of Earth's official representatives for the coalition. Good job bringing everyone here."
"I had help," she said, as if it were no big deal.
Her gaze drifted to the window where rebel ships carrying refugees of all different backgrounds flew through the Garrison's airspace, the Balmera hanging in the skies far behind them. The past several weeks had become so routine and peaceful, like nothing could hurt them now. It was hard to remember that they were still in the middle of a universal war. There was still much rebuilding to be done. More planets and people to free from the Galra. And then, of course, there was still Haggar to consider in their ongoing fight for peace and prosperity.
"A lot has changed in the last two months, but there's still so much we have to do," Mari sighed, almost to herself. "I thought things would be over when we came home, but now it feels like this is only the beginning."
"We'll get through it. We always do," Keith assured her, calm and confident. "We're stronger than ever now."
She cast him a half-hearted grin. "Says the man confined to his bed."
He rolled his shoulders, restless from having spent so much time there. "Give me a few weeks and I'll be back to full strength."
"I don't doubt it," she chuckled.
Another beat of silence ticked by. Kosmo had settled into a lounging position next to his human, his tail swishing happily every so often. Mari watched as another group of ships took to the sky outside, vaguely wondering where in the world they were headed to help with Earth's recovery efforts. Keith pressed his lips into a thin line, his expression turning serious the longer he looked at her.
"Can I ask you something?" he finally asked, drawing her attention back to him.
"Sure."
"Do you want to go out?"
Mari hesitated, struggling to process his question. "Go out?" she repeated. "Like…outside on a walk, or…" Her voice trailed off as it dawned on her what he was really asking. "Wait. Are – Are you confessing to me right now?"
Keith nodded. "I said I would keep our promise." He paused, suddenly sheepish as he frowned, looking anywhere but at her. "Look, I'm not…I'm not good with this sort of stuff. Talking about feelings is still kinda weird and uncomfortable for me," he admitted, almost grimacing knowing that he had brought such a situation upon himself. "But I know if I wait any longer with this, I'm going to regret it. And I don't want to mess up with you."
He ran a hand through his hair, on edge if not a little frustrated with himself. The beeps from the monitors hooked up to him had picked up speed, calling out his racing heart. For a moment, Mari debated whether or not she should intervene. But then he let out a heavy huff, steeling himself for what came next.
"I'm just gonna come right out and say it," he decided, opting for the straightforward and honest approach. "I like you, Mariko. Stubborn attitude, fiery spirit, and all. Can I go out with you?"
Mari had tried to brace herself for this. For years, she'd been so prepared for rejection. She had expected it, even. It would hurt like hell at first, but then she'd remind herself that there were plenty of other fish in the sea of the universe. But in the unlikely event that her feelings were accepted and returned, she did vaguely consider how she would react. Cool and composed and happy.
But it turns out, she had not been as ready as she thought she was to have her feelings reciprocated. Her heart nearly burst out of her chest, her composure waning as the heat rose to her cheeks. Her eyes stung, threatening to pool with tears, and she furiously rubbed at them. This wasn't a sappy love story. This wasn't even a super deep and romantic confession. She would not cry. She would not cry, dammit!
"Are – Are you crying?" Keith asked, sounding panicked. "...You can say no if you don't want to."
"No! That's not why I'm…Shut up! I'm not crying!" she stammered, swallowing past the lump in her throat. God, this was so embarrassing. But it would've been a million times worse if she had been the one to confess, so she had to give Keith some credit for his boldness. Thank goodness no one else was here to witness this.
She dragged her hands down her reddening cheeks, taking several steadying breaths. It took every ounce of bravery she had left to look him in the eye as she murmured, "I – I like you too, Keith. And…Yes, you can. Go out. With me."
In an instant, the fear and worry that had been etched into his face melted away. He sighed in relief, relaxing back into the pillows. A playful smirk graced his features as he regarded her, back to his normal self as he reflected, "You're cute when you're embarrassed too."
"Shut up," she groaned, another wave of heat scorching her face. She fidgeted with her hands in her lap, only to scowl at the glowing ring sitting on her finger. "God, these really are promise rings now. The cheesy kind."
"Let's be real, they always were," Keith said, looking at his own. "I think Ellosh knew what was really going on before either of us did."
"You got that right," Mari dryly agreed.
Suddenly, the television flickered back to life, startling them. The faces of the other four paladins, still confined to their own respective rooms down the hall, appeared on screen, all giddily grinning.
"Friggin finally!" Lance blurted, his hands folded behind his head as he leaned back.
Keith frowned at their unexpected visitors. "What the…How did you guys – "
"I hacked the screens," Pidge chirped, waving the tablet in her hand. "No biggie."
"Scarlett said you were finally announcing your undying love for one another," Hunk piped up. "No way we were gonna miss this!"
"Scarlett, what the hell," Mari grumbled under her breath. Could never get anything past her. Of course she had spread that sort of word amongst their team.
"So, did you do it?" Allura asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Are you officially courting one another?"
"Yeah…I guess we are now," Keith said slowly, looking embarrassed all over again.
"Oh, congratulations you two!" Allura exclaimed, and Hunk and Pidge's cheers could be heard from down the hall.
"Geez, it only took three years for you guys to finally figure it out," Lance added smugly.
Mari rolled her eyes at him. "Like you're one to talk. As I recall, you still have yet to confess your own feelings to a certain Altean princ–"
"AH LA LA! BZZT BZZT! Sorry, I think we're breaking up!" Lance interrupted, and there was no missing how his and Allura's cheeks colored with pink. He rushed to divert the attention off of himself as he wondered, "So, who's gonna tell Shiro that his precious little sister has been stolen by his adopted brother-slash-son?"
"Don't make it weird," Mari glowered at him. Then she nervously looked at Keith. "But please tell me you already told him how you feel. Like you got his blessing or something."
He noticeably paled. "Am I supposed to do that?"
"Well, no. No, you don't have to," she quickly assured him. "It's an old, stupid traditional thing. I've seen it happen a lot in movies, so I just…You know what, just forget I said anything."
"You two really don't know a thing about dating, do you?" Lance drawled. "Ha ha, this is gonna be so fun to watch! Two hotheads floundering in looooovvvveee."
Then without warning, the door to Keith's room opened, revealing Shiro on the other side.
"Speak of the devil," Lance grinned.
"What's all the commotion about? I can hear you guys laughing all the way from the lobby," Shiro said, sounding more amused than mad as he stepped inside. He glanced curiously between his team on screen and the two members present before him. "I know you're all excited to be awake, but try to reel it in a little bit. This is still a hospital."
"We were celebrating a new union," Allura explained, happily responding to his inquiry.
"Keith and Mari are gonna start dating and it's gonna be hella weird," Pidge deadpanned, mercilessly blunt.
Shiro froze in shock. He looked like he'd been punched in the gut. "What?" he barely managed.
Mari winced, but Keith seemed unfazed. "It's true," he confirmed, ever honest with their leader.
Shiro blinked, trying to absorb this new development that had been thrown at him. "Oh. Um. Okay…Wow." He sank down onto one of the empty chairs next to his sister. He clasped his hands tightly together as he stared at them, long and hard. "I…was not expecting that for a while."
"Why were you expecting it at all?" Mari wheezed, incredulous.
"Well…It was getting kind of obvious," Shiro hesitantly admitted. "I just didn't think you'd jump right into it before the war was over."
Mari slouched in her seat, massaging her aching head. "We really are dense," she muttered and Keith stifled a grin.
"I think you were just in denial," Shiro tried to console her with a pat on the back.
"So, you're okay with it?" Keith tentatively asked.
"He doesn't have to 'meet your standards' and 'pass your worthiness tests' or anything?" Mari added flatly.
"Of course not. Keith already does, anyway," Shiro said, giving them an encouraging nod. "I trust him with my life and yours. And I trust you with him. Congratulations, you two."
Another wave of relief washed over them, the budding tension vanishing from the air. "Thank you, Shiro," Keith said, a sincere smile brightening his features. "That means a lot."
A soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation. When it slid open, Maggie and Jia poked their heads inside.
"Hi!" Maggie beamed. "Sorry to bother ya, but we need Mari's help with something."
"What is it?" she asked, already preparing herself for the worst.
"The junior cadets found out about the Vurelleans, and now they won't leave them alone," Jia elaborated.
"They keep saying things like 'the lizard people were among us all along,'" Maggie provided with a flourish of her hands.
"Korlis and Teol are on the verge of either brawling with them or creating a new tunnel system beneath campus just to get away from them," Jia continued.
Oh, good grief. Mari could only imagine the chaos that would ensue if they breached the Garrison's underground facilities. Time to stop them from burrowing and time to put some dumb youngsters in their place.
"Okay, I'll be out in a second," she relented, and the duo nodded before retreating back into the hall. She looked to Shiro and then to Keith, smiling helplessly as she said, "I'll see you later."
"See you later," Keith agreed, giving her a soft smile of his own. "For sure."
"Good luck," Shiro said as she rose to her feet and moved towards the door.
"Thanks," she chuckled, and she threw them a final wave before joining her friends in the corridor.
Shifting back into work mode, Mari led the way through the hospital with a new skip in her step. Feeling lighter and freer than she had in years, she was more than ready to face the day.
A/N: Whew! Face the Day is complete! Lots of new changes and the ending of this series are on the horizon for Mari & co. It's got quite a few surprises that I'm very excited to share with you too! Part 10, The Light at the End, will begin uploading at the beginning of next week on a certain paladin's October birthday, so be on the lookout for it.
In the meantime, stay safe, read and re-read some good fics, and I'll be back with Part 10, the FINALE, soon!
**Check out my tumblr to see some cool art: pufftheninja
