I'm back and so excited to continue this fic! It's gonna be a good one, I just know it. Enjoy!

Katie "Pidge" Holt wasn't sure what she was feeling— all she knew was that she loved it.

It had been unexpected, that was for sure. She could have never predicted any of it. Then again, she hadn't had enough data on James Griffin to make even the vaguest hypothesis that any of this would happen.

But she was so glad it did.

It had been a couple days since their date, and Katie couldn't stop thinking about it. She often caught herself stroking the bracelet he'd gotten her, you know, the one that she hadn't taken off since because every time she looked at it she felt all tingly and silly.

She hadn't seen James around much since then, which she understood. They both lived and worked at a military base, after all. Free time was a luxury, and one that they'd been very lucky to have for their first date.

Still, they would occasionally pass in the halls, and that always made her heart skip a beat. It seemed that they had a silent agreement to keep their little whatever-it-was a secret for the time being, and that made their passings all the more exhilarating.

It was all just so new to her! The sudden blushes, the knowing winks, the bashful smiles James would send her when they saw each other. It made her heart do things she hadn't thought possible (and it did help that James was rather handsome). Each tiny interaction they had replayed in her memory over and over on an endless loop, like right now.

They were at a meeting with both their teams and the Garrison high command. Katie knew that she should be paying attention, but it was proving to be a challenge. She kept accidentally catching James' eyes, and each time, he would try to keep a straight face, only to inevitably crack a tiny smile.

And of course, she wanted to smile back because she kept feeling all fluttery and floaty. She glanced over again, and this time, it seemed he'd been waiting for her. She tilted her head almost imperceptibly, as if to ask "what?", and he replied by flickering his eyes down at where his hand rested on the board room table. Katie's eyebrows scrunched together, but then she focused on his wrist. Wait…it seemed like there was something bulky under his uniform.

She looked up to James for an explanation, but he was back to staring at Iverson at the front of the room. Katie was about to turn back as well— then James nonchalantly shifted his hand to let his sleeve slide down a bit. A rough wooden bracelet peeked out from behind the fabric.

Katie covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to hold in a giggle. James met her gaze with twinkling eyes. Her hand fell back to her lap, and she bit down on her lip. If the smile on his lips was anything to go by, he noticed.

How was any of this possible? They'd only had one date, and she already felt completely ridiculous. Katie wished she could shake her head to get all thoughts of James out so she could focus, but she knew her friends would see. She'd just have to hope those brown eyes wouldn't distract her again.

Thankfully, the meeting ended within a couple minutes. Katie let out a sigh as she got up from her chair and stretched. Long winded meetings were definitely not her thing.

Hunk mirrored her actions next to her, turning and grinning, "Ready to get to work on that nanothermite tech?"

"Might as well," Katie yawned. "I think my brain shut off during that last part, though."

"Not getting enough sleep, Katie?" came her father's voice from behind.

Katie twirled around and gave a nervous laugh. "I might have stayed up late last night working on Rover Two," she admitted. "But I'll manage— let's get down to the labs!"

Her father and Hunk gave a nod, and the trio started off toward the laboratories. The two men walked ahead of her, an endless swap of theories and ideas passing between them. Katie walked in silence, her head still caught up on the fact that James was still wearing the bracelet she'd made him.

And perhaps that's why she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard his voice.

"Miss Holt?"

Katie spun around faster than she knew was possible. Her eyes were wide as James stepped up to her, then she started panicking. Her father was right there! And Hunk! Weren't they keeping this to themselves? Oh no, he was going to give it all away—

But then she noticed that James's face was entirely serious. His eyes were unreadable, and his expression was carefully blank.

"Miss Holt, I was instructed to pass this on to you," he said. He produced a sealed white folder and held it out to her stiffly.

Katie blinked. "Thanks," she replied slowly. She reached out and took the folder, noting the bright red letters that said "TOP SECRET: FOR KATIE HOLT ONLY" on the front.

She scrunched her nose in confusion, then looked up to James for an answer. He only nodded and turned to walk away. She could've sworn she saw the corners of his lips start to twitch up as he did.

The folder haunted her all day long. She was itching to open it, but she knew she'd have to wait. Finally, after several hours in the lab with Hunk and her dad, dinner with all the Paladins, and then yet another meeting, Katie rushed back to her room and and slammed the door shut.

She leaned back against the door, staring down at the words again. She'd had time to analyze them all day, and by now she had deduced that they weren't typed, but instead hand written. It was the neatest penmanship she'd ever seen, and something in her told her it could only be James. Her heart racing, Katie tore open the seal and stared down at the package's contents.

It was a single piece of paper.

Eyebrows furrowed, she reached in and took the paper out. She unfolded it, and it only took a cursory scan before she had to sink down to the floor because her knees went weak.

Dear Katie,

Hope I didn't scare you too much with my little trick, but it's been so difficult to find you lately. Meet me tomorrow at the east entrance— 5:30pm.

Sincerely,
James

P.S. Wear something warm, I heard it could be cold! Or maybe I'm just a little s-mitten with you.

Katie's head fell back against the door, and she let out a sigh. What was this man doing to her, going around and pulling stunts like that? And giving out yet another terrible pun?! Quiznak, she was so screwed.

She read it over again, giggling and burying her blushing face in her hands. Was it really so bad if her definition of "screwed" was having a crush on James?

Yet another reading of the love note told her no, it really wasn't.

Katie Holt was in a daze all the next day. She walked around with a dopey grin, humming and not even realizing it, and even occasionally checking if her hair looked okay.

She still couldn't quite believe it all. This had never happened to her before, and she had no idea where it was going, but it was just so exciting! And who knew what they were doing tonight! Was he being serious about dressing warmly? Did that mean they'd be outside again?

The mischievous thought of not wearing gloves just so he would hold her hand again entered her mind, and she started giggling profusely.

"Pidge! Focus!"

Without even looking, Katie fired her bayard over her shoulder. The crackling of electricity told her she'd hit her target dead on.

She raised an eyebrow at Keith. "You were saying?"

The black paladin shook his head. "You've been out of it all morning, Pidge. You need to pay attention."

"I hit it just fine!" she protested.

"Just before it hit you," Keith rebutted, crossing his arms.

At this point, all the Paladins had turned to listen to the conversation.

"Is she being spacey again?" Hunk asked.

Lance tilted his head. "Again?"

"Yeah, she was totally out of it all day yesterday," Hunk claimed.

Katie ducked her head in embarrassment. She'd have to be more careful around them. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately, guys," she replied vaguely.

Shiro frowned. "Something you need to talk about?"

Her face felt like it was on fire. "N-No! It's just, you know, I've been working on Rover Two and the nanothermite stuff and a new intergalactic tracking system, so there's been a lot going on."

Allura gave a smile. "We know. It seems we've all been running around like yelmors these past few sols," she said. "I just hope you are taking care of yourself, Pidge."

Suddenly it clicked, and Katie rolled her eyes. "You guys worry too much. I'm not fifteen anymore! I'm eighteen!"

"Oh yeah, such a difference," Hunk snickered.

"Like you're much older," Katie said, sticking her tongue out.

Shiro rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Alright, alright, settle down, Paladins." He came forward and put his hand on Katie's shoulder, offering a gentle look. "We know you can take care of yourself, Pidge. But don't hesitate to tell us if you're busy or feel like you can't handle anything, okay?"

"Yeah, we'll totally help!" Lance pitched in, then frowned. "Well, as long as it isn't something science-y. You're on your own."

A shared laugh went around the room, and Katie smiled up at her group of friends. "So, ready for round three?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Her fellow Paladins grinned at the challenge, and Keith pushed a button on the wall. "You're on!"

An hour later, Katie was skipping through her door and checking the time. "4:30pm" the clock read. That gave her just one hour to shower, get her hair dry, try to make herself presentable, and figure out what on earth she was going to wear.

Katie cued up her favorite music and got to work, all the while letting random daydreams play out in her head. Would he hold her hand again? Where was he taking her? What if he did something really sweet, and she got all flustered again? She eyed her Olkari bracelet on the counter as she ran a brush through her hair. Warmth filled her heart again, and she couldn't hold down a giggle.

Katie made sure she was extra early this time, if only because she felt so jittery and the wait was killing her. But alas, it seemed that James had the same idea, because he was already waiting for her by the east entrance. Her face broke into a grin, and it grew even more when he finally noticed her.

His eyes scanned her as she approached, and she found herself buzzing under his gentle gaze. Katie reached into her bag (which she'd actually remembered this time) and pulled out a pair of gloves for him to see.

"I didn't have any mittens," she joked, coming to a stop in front of him.

James laughed, "Those will do," he said. "And we won't need them until later."

"Good," Katie replied, and with a nervous jolt of energy running through her stomach, she threaded her fingers through his. He smiled brightly, and she took a moment to revel in the fact that her fingers seemed to fit so perfectly in the spaces between his. "Ready to go?"

He squeezed her hand. "More than ready. And this time, I'm actually prepared!"

Katie snickered, allowing herself to be led out the door. "Oh really? I'm impressed."

James gave her an amused glance. "Like my little trick?"

"Honestly? You nearly gave me a heart attack," she shook her head. He turned to direct her toward the parking lot. "I don't know how you kept a straight face."

"It was pretty difficult," he admitted. "Especially with your dad right there— I nearly cracked."

Laughing, she nudged her shoulder with his. "Trust me, I noticed."

She realized that he had taken her over to a car, and he came around to the passenger side. He let go of her hand to open the door.

"After you, milady," he gestured.

Another one of those fluttery feelings went through her, and she slid into the car. He shut the door behind her, then went around to his side. She watched in contented silence as he got in and started the car up.

James made to put the car in reverse, but he paused. His eyes met hers, and her heart skipped a beat at the shy look in them. "You look great, by the way. I've been trying to find a way to say that for five minutes now, but my brain wouldn't give me the words."

Katie's face warmed, and she glanced down at her grey sweater dress and leggings as though she'd forgotten what she was wearing. Her eyes then flickered over to him, suddenly feeling just as flustered as he'd sounded. He had on a navy cable knit sweater and grey pants, both of which somehow made him even more (dare she say it?) attractive than usual.

"Y-You look nice, too," she managed to get out.

His eyes softened, and for some strange reason, she felt like gazing into them for ages, trying to pick out the exact number of shades of brown in them. But then, he snapped out of it, turning a little pink as he switched his focus back to driving.

"I, ah, thank you," he swallowed. "Figured I needed to do better than last time."

Katie fought down a giggle. "Last time was fine, James, really."

He backed out of the space, then gave her a grin. "Well, still, I want this to be better. Does dinner out sound good to you?"

Her eyes brightened. "That sounds great! I haven't eaten outside of the Garrison in forever," she said, then stopped to think. "Well, actually, I haven't left the Garrison premises in months at all, other than our date. I really need to get out more."

James chuckled. "Duly noted."

They rode mostly in silence, with Katie staring out the window at the terrain as they passed by. They arrived at Plaht City a little while later, and James parked in front of a building she didn't recognize. Katie stared up at it in awe, only realizing she hadn't moved when James opened the car door for her and offered his hand.

She took it readily, though she didn't take her eyes off the building. "What is this place?"

"They call it The Centre," James replied as he lead her toward the front door. "After the Galra were run off, this was one of the first places that started reconstruction. It was an old warehouse, but they decided it'd be the best place to start since the structural integrity was still intact."

It was at that moment, they entered, and above her hung a massive iron chandelier filled with lights. All around her was an eclectic shopping center, with people walking to and fro with bags in their hands.

"Wow," Katie breathed.

James squeezed her hand, and she finally looked at him. He was grinning ear to ear. "Restaurant's this way," he said, pulling her over to a staircase. They began the ascent, climbing several floors before he stopped in front of a pair of wooden doors. James opened one for her, all the while never letting go of her hand.

Katie felt like melting the second they walked in. The lights were dim, and candles and flowers were at each table. There was soft jazz playing, quiet conversation ebbing and flowing throughout the room.

James leaned down close, his breath brushing her ear. "You like it?"

Katie could only nod. "Uh huh."

His thumb swept over the back of her hand. "Good. I was so indecisive and had no idea whether it'd be okay with you or not."

Breaking out of her trance, Katie met James' eyes. "I'll trust your judgement— you seem to have good taste."

A silly grin came onto his lips, and he nudged her. "I'd like to think so," he said, giving her a meaningful look.

Katie couldn't hold in her laughter, covering her mouth and trying her best to not be too loud as he brought her over to the host.

"Reservation for Griffin, James," he supplied.

The host looked over the list and nodded. "Right this way, sir." They followed after the host to their table, both of them looking around the restaurant as they did so. They were led at a table right next to a window, light from the setting sun still peaking through.

James pulled Katie's chair out for her, and she found that she instantly missed the warmth from his hand. He settled down across from her, and the host gave them their menus before he walked away.

Katie opened the menu, her eyes widening at just how many things were on it. "It's so big!" she whispered, flicking through the pages.

"I know," James laughed quietly. "I didn't know what you liked, so I thought it'd be good to have a variety."

Katie met his eyes, a little shiver running through her when she noticed that the candle light was illuminating golden flecks in its glow. "You thought of everything, didn't you?"

He gave a nervous grin. "I might be trying really hard to impress you, if that's what you're asking."

She giggled. "James, if I wasn't at least somewhat interested in you, then I wouldn't be here," she stated factually, then smiled. "And since I can tell you that I'm more than just somewhat interested, you don't need to worry so much."

Her words seemed to fluster him, but James just shook his head. "I can't not worry, it's how I am. Leifsdottir has tried to diagnose me more than once, trust me."

Noticing that his hand was resting on the table across from hers (and honestly just wanting to hold his hand again), Katie reached forward and set her hand on his. "Well, you got it right. I love it, James," she assured him.

His hand turned to grasp hers gently. "I'm glad," he murmured, then his eyes brightened. "This isn't everything, though! There's more after dinner."

Katie couldn't help but crack up laughing. "You really are trying hard, aren't you?"

James grinned. "Maybe."

The pair returned their attention to the menus in front of them, their hands staying together all the while.

That night, Katie Holt had never wanted a dinner to never end more in her entire life. James kept telling her awful puns, stumbling over his words, and occasionally, after a flirtation or two, they'd get lost in each other's eyes. By the time they left, Katie felt giddier than she could ever remember. The two wandered out of the restaurant giggling, one hand tightly intertwined with his, and the other holding onto his arm.

"So mister," she asked as they approached his car, "What's next on tonight's agenda?"

James opened the car door for her with a cheeky grin. "Why can't it be a surprise?"

Katie gave a loud sigh. "I mean, if you insist."

He smiled, some of his former bashfulness having melted away over the course of the night. "You'll like it, I'm positive."

His confidence flipped a switch in her, and Katie suddenly wondered why she felt warm all over. The drive was similar to the one on the way there— with two exceptions. Jazz music played through the speakers, and their joined hands rested in her lap.

They arrived back at the Garrison, and Katie realized that at that point, he could tell her they were going to polish his MFE fighter and she'd be more than willing to do it. There was something about him that she couldn't put a finger on. His honesty? His unexpected (and unwitting) charm? Or maybe it was just how earnest he was, constantly asking if she was happy and doing everything he could to make sure she stayed that way.

Either way, she knew she'd never forget this night when he started leading her on a path that was all too familiar to her.

"I'm pretty sure this place is off limits, but they never check," he said as they climbed the last stair. The rooftop of the Garrison was bathed in moonlight, and Katie instantly felt a rush of memories come flooding back to her. James led her forward to the edge, where they sat down.

A cold breeze passed by, and Katie shivered. "Now I know why you said to bring mittens," she commented, grabbing her gloves and putting them on.

"Or maybe I just wanted to get in a pun," he teased.

Katie gave him a knowing look. "Or maybe you wanted an excuse for us to sit close together."

He tsked, "Darn, you've seen through my master plan."

Laughing, Katie scooted over to lean into him, happy to find that he was incredibly warm. His arm wrapped around her, and she gladly returned the favor. The pair stared out at the view, content. The stars twinkled down at them, clear and bright in the dessert landscape.

James let out a little sigh. "I used to come up here all the time when I was a cadet," he told her. "It was the one place I could get away from everything."

"So did I," Katie hummed. "I'd come up here and listen to the aliens chattering away, wondering if one day I'd ever hear my dad or my brother."

His hold on her tightened. "Weird how we never ran into each other back then. Maybe it just wasn't the right timing."

Katie laughed, briefly imagining an alternate reality where she'd met James before accidentally leaving Earth in a blue lion. "No, definitely not."

She felt him shift beneath her, and she looked up to see that there was worry in his eyes. "And is, um…now? Is now the right timing?" he asked.

"I think so," she replied, snuggling into his chest more.

He let out a relieved sigh. "Good. I-I…can you tell I really like you?"

Her heart skipped a beat, and Katie pulled back from his embrace to stare into what she had classified to be the most beautiful brown eyes she had ever seen. A million thoughts of what she should say ran through her mind, and finally, she settled on the truth.

"I can tell," she whispered, her face steadily growing hot. "Can you tell that I'm starting to really like you?"

One of James' hands began to stroke down her back. "I was kinda hoping," he laughed. "I just wasn't sure, and I…I don't want you to think I'm putting on a show or something, with the dinner and the stargazing, and it's all kind of corny," he rambled, and Katie giggled. The sound made him break out of his anxious thoughts and smile. "I just…I want to get this right."

"You are," she promised, then felt a streak of bravery run through her. "I know because I couldn't stop staring at you all night. Navy is a good color on you."

James let out a loud sigh. "Oh thank goodness, I thought I was the only one. No—! Wait, I—!"

But it was too late. Katie had already burst out laughing, falling back against him and clutching onto his sweater as she shook with mirth.

James groaned and slapped a hand to his face. "I meant to say that I couldn't keep my eyes off you, either." Katie calmed down her laughter when she saw the gentle look on his face. "That dress is beautiful on you."

Though a blush was spreading on her face once more, she shot him a mischievous grin. "Hey, James?"

"Yes, Katie?"

"You need to stop being perfect," she teased. "It might make me fall for you."

His eyes lit up, but he kept his face comedically neutral, humming, "Well, we can't have that, can we?"

Giggling, Katie adjusted so she could snuggle into him again. "No, no we can't."