Been looking forward to this chapter for a while now to address some important things! Enjoy!

November 1st. That was the day they became official.

Ever since that day, James Griffin had been walking on cloud nine. Katie Holt, the Paladin of the Green Lion, the most funny, smart, beautiful girl in the entire world— she was his girlfriend.

It was almost too good to be true, yet every day he'd see her, and her eyes would sparkle up at him, and he'd be struck with the fact that wow, it was real.

At this point, Katie and James operated under the assumption that most people had at least some suspicion that they were together. While they couldn't be classified as the PDA-type of couple, they both knew that they naturally gravitated toward each other whenever the other was around. It simply couldn't be helped.

And sure, there had been a few times when they held hands as they walked down the Garrison halls, but they usually reserved their more personal moments for when it was just them. Those moments where it'd be quiet, all except for the occasional happy sigh as they basked in one another's soothing company.

Sometimes it'd be out on dates, other times it'd be in her lab, Green's hangar, or in one of their rooms when they'd have their weekly movie nights. Finding time still proved to be a challenge, but it only made him treasure it all the more when they could have it.

And during their time together, though it hadn't been much, the list of things he'd first admired about her only grew. He loved her scent— honeysuckle and vanilla, and he still hadn't figured out if it was her shampoo or a perfume or just her. James also discovered that Katie had six distinct laughs, each of which he could categorize instantly. She often mumbled to herself about equations without realizing it as she worked, which he adored. Then there the fact that she was almost always cold, but he wouldn't complain— it had its perks, mainly that it made her incredibly snuggly. She also loved peppermints (especially the puffy kind), her favorite color was purple (though green was a close second since becoming a Paladin), and she listened exclusively to techno pop (no matter how cliche or repetitive it was). Oh, she was also almost entirely covered in teeny tiny freckles.

In short, James Griffin was convinced he was the luckiest man alive. Which is most likely why he had a smile on his face, even now.

He focused in on the target, then pulled the trigger. The flier drone fell to the ground. Another rose behind him, and he whipped around to strike it with a flare bomb. The drone was encompassed in a flash of sparks before it, too, dropped.

James huffed, his shoulders relaxing. Wait, what was that shadow—?

A solid hit to his back threw him down, but his reflexes managed to roll him back upright. He took aim and shot a laser through the humanoid drone's head. It clattered to the floor, deactivated.

"Show off!"

The MFE commander chuckled as the memory of his girlfriend's words echoed through his head. They'd tried their first joint training practice last week, and suffice to say it had been one of the most fun exercises he'd ever run.

They'd worked together perfectly in sync, always managing to catch each other's weak spots and step in to cover right in the nick of time. The thrill of it had been so exciting that he couldn't help but try to add a little bit of flare, which she noticed, of course.

"You're gonna get shot one day trying to look cool like that."

"Only if you're around, Katie."

James smiled and shook his head. "End training sequence!" he called as he got up. The system powered down, and he walked over to upload his stats onto a monitor. Katie always liked it when he brought her new data to toy with.

A warm feeling ran through his body at the thought of her. She was working overtime in her lab tonight, and he'd volunteered to bring her dinner for a night-in date.

James' eyes flickered down to his watch. He needed to get back and get showered, and maybe he'd have enough time to finish his latest mission report before he saw her.

The MFE commander registered the sound of the training room door sliding open, and he turned. "I'm all done, here, so have at it."

Four pairs of eyes stared back at him neutrally.

James took in the group of Paladins, immediately noticing something odd. "Where's Katie?" he asked.

The air in the room shifted.

A fiery look entered each of the male Paladin's eyes, and the Altean princess didn't seem too far behind.

The blue Paladin stepped forward. "Look, buddy—"

"Lance," Captain Shiro said in a warning tone.

James raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?" At his question, the tension in the room thickened even more.

There was a beat of silence. Then, Keith crossed his arms. "We need to have a talk."

A sinking feeling settled in James' stomach, but he nodded. "Go right ahead."

"We—" the princess started. The Paladins all shared a look, and she continued, clearing her throat. "We are aware of your relationship with Pidge. We have been for some time, now."

"Okay," James responded slowly. "And? If that's all you guys had to say, you wouldn't be acting like this. So what is it?"

Hunk straightened up to his full height. "We are here to make sure you know what our position on your relationship with Pidge is."

"Right," Shiro nodded. "It's nothing personal, but—"

"If you hurt her, we hurt you," Lance declared. "She was our girl first, and she'll be our girl long after you two break up—"

Keith held up a hand. "What Lance is trying to say," he interrupted, glaring at the Paladin in question, "Is that we want her to be treated right."

So that feeling in his gut had been correct.

James set his shoulders back. "I'd never think of treating her otherwise. She's everything to me, and—" his eyes darted to meet Lance's, "I plan on keeping it that way."

Captain Shiro, as well as the princess, seemed to relax. "So we have your word that you'll treat her well?" he asked.

"You have my word," James nodded. The other three continued to look suspicious, and he sighed. He knew why.

"Look…" he swallowed. "I know my history with you guys. I know I…wasn't the nicest guy in the world back then. I made a lot of mistakes, said things I shouldn't have, but…I hope you can see that I'm different now."

Keith, Lance, and Hunk blinked.

Assuming that he was in the clear, James reached down and grabbed his things. The Paladins were still staring at him, and he simply inclined his head. "If you'll excuse me, I promised Katie dinner."

He walked out, only allowing himself to release the breath he'd been holding after the door shut behind him.

As he made his way back to his room, the awful feeling from earlier only grew. James knew who he'd been. He knew he'd been a jerk. He knew he let his ambition drive him to do things he shouldn't have. But he'd changed…couldn't they see that?

A wave of sickness ran through him. Did Katie know? Did she know who he'd been? Had they told her? Warned her to stay away from him?

Anxiety shook his heart like a bolt of lightening, and all of the happiness about their date tonight was suddenly replaced with dread.

What if…what if she'd asked them to do that?

"You know I can tell when you're upset, right?"

James looked up, and Katie grinned. "You're like an open book," she teased.

He hummed, slipping off his chair to come forward and wrap his arms around her from behind. He nuzzled his nose into her hair, inhaling and exhaling slowly. "Only with you," he murmured.

Katie giggled before she spun around on her seat to give him a knowing look. "Talk to me, James. You've been quiet ever since you walked in. I know something's bothering you," she observed.

Hesitation gripped him, but he fought against it. Better to get it over with now.

"Something…" his eyes darted to the ground, "Something happened earlier."

She nodded understandingly. "Go on."

James sighed. He took her hands in his, playing with her adorable little fingers as he figured out how to word things correctly. Finally, he said, "The other Paladins confronted me in the training room. They wanted my word that I'd treat you right."

Katie visibly bristled. "I'm gonna kill them," she muttered. "I'm gonna kill them, and no one's gonna stop me."

"Katie—"

"No!" she protested, getting up from her chair. "They had no right doing that! It's completely ridiculous! They're being too over protective, like always, but they have no right taking it out on you!"

James shook his head. "That's not the point."

Her head tilted, and her eyes took on that concerned gaze that usually made him feel better. "Then what is?"

Anxiety shot through his heart again, but then she lifted one hand to cup his face. James leaned into the touch, letting it calm his worries so he could begin to think again.

"I…I think they did it because of who I was when I was younger," he admitted. Katie's eyes showed her confusion, and he continued, turning his attention to the ground. "I, um, wasn't the nicest guy. I…made fun of Lance and Hunk, and…and said something really awful to Keith."

He dared to look up. Katie seemed nonplussed, and that almost made him even more terrified. Her face always told him how she felt— it had to be a bad sign that he couldn't read it now.

James swallowed nervously. "It's all really stupid looking back on it, but I was a really big jerk, and I shouldn't have made fun of them, especially Keith—"

"What did you say?"

James' heart stuttered. Katie's expression was so neutral…the dread began to build again.

"I…I told him he was only in the program because of Shiro…and then said something about how he didn't have parents."

His girlfriend nodded. "And what happened?"

James felt like he couldn't take this anymore. He felt horrible, having to recount all of this to the one person whose opinion he valued more than anything. He knew that she deserved the truth, but he never thought it'd be so painful.

"He, um, he punched me. We didn't really talk after that."

"Huh…" Katie trailed off, and then all of the sudden, she was smiling. "Sounds like it's even, then."

He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. "Wha— What?"

"I said, it sounds like things are even between you two," she repeated. He registered that she was intertwining her fingers in his, but everything seemed hazy, and he wasn't sure if this was actually happening.

Katie's hands squeezed his, and he was brought back to reality.

"James, we all make mistakes," she said. "You're different now, I know it."

His eyes were stinging, and he wished they weren't. "I-I, yeah, I am, b-but I just—"

"You were worried they'd told me," she finished for him.

James shook his head rapidly. "No, no, it's— I…you deserve to know the truth, Katie, and…I'm not perfect, and I have a lot of flaws, and I don't want to keep those from you because we're together now, and I—"

"James," she whispered, and his rambling came to a stop. "I accept you, flaws and all. Though I'm not really sure what flaws you're talking about," she teased.

The weight that had been sending him straight into the floor lifted. "Well, for one thing, I can be really uptight when I'm stressed," he confessed.

Katie just shrugged. "Most people are."

His heart began to warm. "And, I, uh…I'm too type-A? Rizavi says I'm a stick in the mud."

"So?" his girlfriend questioned. "I don't think you're a stick in the mud, so it doesn't matter."

A laugh escaped him. "I guess…" he trailed off, trying to think of anything else important. "Oh, also, I really hate anything lemon flavored."

Katie giggled, her eyes glittering. "I don't think that's a flaw, silly."

"Still," he shrugged, "There's more."

Her smile widened, and she ran her thumbs over the back of his hands. "James, I like you just the way you are," she insisted. "I know you're a perfectionist, and that's why you see all of these flaws, when I just see you. And I like you."

James couldn't resist anymore. He leaned down and engulfed her in a hug, burying his head in her shoulder and holding her as tight as he dared.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and laughed. "You're adorable, James."

"I think you mean emotional," he mumbled against her sweater.

"Mmm, true." One of her hands began to thread through his hair. "But anyways, it's good that you can admit those things. Most people can't."

James shrugged. He was just so relieved she hadn't decided to leave him. He hadn't realized how terrified he'd been of the possibility until that moment.

"And besides…" his girlfriend continued. "I have flaws, too."

He snorted, lifting his head and absentmindedly brushing his lips against the top of her hair. "Nah, no you don't."

Katie laughed. "Yes, I do," she said before she pressed gently against his chest. She looked up at him, and he melted at the sheer amount of affection in her eyes. "I just hate admitting mine, so you're one step ahead of me."

"Nope," he shook his head. "You don't have any. I'm sure of it."

Giggling, she joked, "Not even staying up until three am every night?"

James grinned, and again just so overwhelmed that his heart felt like it would burst with joy, he gathered her in his arms. "Nope, not even that."

"You're ridiculous." Her tone told him that she'd rolled her eyes.

"I know," he hummed. James held her close, one of his hands moving to stroke up and down her back like he knew she loved. "Thank you, Katie," he whispered. "I was really worried about telling you."

"Well I'm glad you did," she replied softly. Then suddenly, a loud laugh left her lips. "Besides, there's really nothing for you to be worried about!"

James leaned back so she could see his raised eyebrows. "Oh?"

Katie gave him a dubious look. "What, like you were actually worried they'd follow through on that threat?"

"…maybe?" he squeaked.

"Silly James," she tsked. "Shiro wouldn't dare because he's too nice— he's just a big teddy bear."

James shrugged. "Well him I wasn't too worried about."

Katie's eyes shined with amusement. "And Allura?"

"She scared me, I'm not gonna lie. She's got that energy whip."

His girlfriend snorted. "You're in the clear— she's been trying to take me out shopping for new date outfits for weeks, now."

"Hunk?"

"Wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Lance?"

"Terrified of my bayard."

"Keith?"

Katie looked up in thought. "…okay, you might actually want to look out for him."

James groaned, hiding his head in her shoulder. "You're not helping," he whined pitifully. She laughed without mercy.

"Sorry, dear," she consoled, and his heart skipped a beat at the endearment. Katie released her hold on him so she could pat him on the head. "The Black Paladin is always the most protective," she grinned.

He sighed dramatically. "I had to go and pick the one girl who has her own private security, didn't I?" he questioned, then gave a cheesy smile. "Guess they're just trying to…guard your heart!"

Katie groaned, her head falling against his chest. "Your puns are unbearable."

"And yet you stay with me," he chuckled.

She looked up and winked. "What can I say? You're too cute for me to leave."

James' eyes flickered to the clock on the wall. "Speaking of leaving—"

"Noooo!" Katie moaned. "James, it's too early!"

"But you've already worked your allotted overtime hours," he said, dragging her up slowly from her lab chair. She made no attempt to resist, and he smiled. "Come on, to bed we go."

Katie gave him a suggestive look as he lead her out to the hall. "Don't let anyone else hear you say that— rumors might spread."

James felt his face begin to flush bright red. "Duly noted."

His girlfriend's laughter resounded in his ears, but he just marched on, fighting the urge to grin like an idiot. He didn't slip in his words as much as he used to, but whenever he did, she was still quick to tease him about it.

Which reminded him…

James eyed his girlfriend. "You know, speaking of that—"

"Do I even want to know what you're about to say?"

The MFE commander rolled his eyes. "Not that, the 'rumors might spread' thing. Do you…do you think your dad knows?"

Katie squeezed his hand reassuringly. "He hasn't brought it up," she shrugged. "I say we cross that bridge when we get to it. I think he would've said something by now if he wasn't okay with it."

James hummed in agreement, even though he wasn't so sure. He'd been thinking about it a lot lately, especially since they'd become official. It just felt so weird to report to Commander Holt knowing that they still hadn't discussed the fact that James was dating his daughter. Not to mention that his mother had always said that a gentleman asks permission, and James felt he'd be letting her down in some way if he didn't.

They arrived at her door moments later, and James felt his heart rate increase for a different reason altogether. She opened the door as usual, and he slipped inside after her. The moment the door shut behind him, Katie wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed happily.

He held her tight, letting her bury her face in his chest as much as she wished. He knew how she was. In true privacy was the one place where she felt she could let down all her walls. They didn't have to worry about anyone walking in on them now— they were free to do as they wished, to be themselves.

"Thank you for bringing me dinner," she mumbled against his shirt. "You really are the best boyfriend ever."

"I don't think you have the comparative data to make that claim," he joked.

"Oh please, neither do you," she laughed, snuggling into him more and breathing in deeply. He knew it'd been a good move to put on extra cologne. "Besides, I don't need it, anyways. I know you're the best there could possibly ever be."

His heart skipped a beat, and not for the first time, an idea popped into his head. It had been haunting him for a couple weeks now, but he never felt bold enough to try it.

But then she was leaning back from him, smiling up at him with those twinkling honey eyes, and he knew that he would regret it if he didn't, especially after he'd been so scared he would lose her tonight.

Slowly, James leaned down and ever so carefully pressed his lips to her cheek. It was just as soft as he'd imagined. His face felt like it was on fire, and he felt hers begin to heat up as well before he pulled away.

Wide eyes stared up at him, and something within him stirred, knowing that he already wished for so much more, but also knowing that he needed to be patient. He wanted to get this right. He couldn't rush it.

James leaned down to set his forehead against hers. "Goodnight, Katie," he murmured.

She blinked, and he wondered if she was aware that her grip on his shirt tightened. "G-Goodnight, James."

His heart was still racing when he left.

The next morning, James Griffin took in a deep breath. He could do this. He would do this.

Steeling his nerves, he lifted his hand to the door and knocked.

"Come in!" was the muffled response.

'You got this,' he told himself. James turned the handle, then walked in.

Commander Sam Holt turned in his chair to face him. "Ah! Officer Griffin, what do you need?"

"I, ah, I came to talk about a personal matter, sir."

The higher ranking man's eyes had a knowing look to them. "I see. Take a seat, why don't you?" he offered, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk.

James sat down, trying to relax his tense shoulders as he did so. His superior still had that air about him, like he knew what this was about, but was content watching James sweat it out.

"So…" Commander Holt trailed off. "What is the personal matter you speak of?"

The MFE commander swallowed. "It's about your daughter, sir."

"Ah, I see." His expression became serious.

James nodded. He'd practiced what he planned to say over and over again this morning. Here's hoping he didn't screw it up.

"Sir, I believe you are aware of the relationship between your daughter and me."

Commander Holt didn't say anything.

James felt his confidence waver. "Well, I-I wanted to ask your permission. T-To date her, that is. We've, uh, we've been officially dating since the first of the month, and I didn't feel right about it without talking to you, sir."

His superior stared him down for several seconds before a small grin came onto his face. "I have known for some time, Officer Griffin," he confirmed.

The MFE practically jumped out of his chair. "O-Oh."

"Don't worry," Commander Holt chuckled. "If I had any problem with it, I would have said something."

James' shoulders relaxed. "That's what Katie said," he laughed awkwardly.

The Commander's smile widened. "Of course it is, she knows her dad well. And I do appreciate that you came to me for permission. Now," he straightened up. "I assume I don't need to give you a speech about how to behave?"

"No, sir," James replied immediately. "I've already gotten that from all the Paladins and the Green Lion."

Commander Holt stood up from his desk. "Well then, if the giant cat approves, so do I," he joked.

James let out yet another nervous laugh as he got up from his chair. Commander Holt came around the desk and held his hand out. James took it, shaking firmly.

The Commander leveled him with a serious look. "Katie may be a grown woman now, but she's still my little girl. Remember that."

James inclined his head. "Always, sir."

"Good," his superior said before clapping him on the back. "Now get going— I know you're on first shift. Don't want to be late!"

"No, sir," James chuckled, reaching for the door. He paused before he left, taking one final look back. "Thank you, sir."

Commander Holt smiled. "Make her happy, that's all I ask."

James nodded and walked out, his shoulders slumping in relief. He'd done it…wait, he'd done it!

He laughed out loud. Wow, he'd actually done it!

'Told you I listened, Mom,' he thought. 'You would've liked her, too, you know.' His heart ached a bit at the thought of Katie meeting his parents, a moment that he wished for every single day and a moment he knew he'd never get.

James shook the bittersweet thought from his head. It wouldn't do any good to dwell on the past. He had a shift to get to— and a surprise gift to plant in Katie's lab before she got there.

When the Green Paladin arrived at her lab that morning, she was in her usual state of barely-awake. She may or may not have stayed up for an extra hour after James walked her back, but he didn't need to know. She'd be able to get through the day just fine, like always.

Katie settled down at her station, glancing over the notes she'd left spread out the night before. Her foggy brain took them in slowly…then noticed a sticky note. She raised an eyebrow. Well that hadn't been there before.

There was a simple arrow drawn on it, and when her eyes followed where it was pointing, her heart squeezed happily.

She got up from her chair and walked over to the counter. On it lay her favorite sweater of James' (the navy blue one he always looked so good in), and on top of that was a little envelope.

Katie took her time slipping the sweater on and sniffing the collar. She'd never get over how absolutely intoxicating his cologne was. She took the note back to her desk, sitting down and opening it with a knowing smile.

Dear Katie,

I'll be busy all day today, so please think of my sweater like a hug from me. (I sprayed extra cologne on it just for you.)

Yours,
James

P.S. Hope I wasn't too cheeky last night!

The memory of his lips, far too warm and far too sweet, brushing against her cheek left her face burning. James was always one to take things slow, and given it was the first serious relationship for both of them, it was something she appreciated.

But then she could hear his voice saying goodnight, his tone slightly lower than usual, and Katie groaned, covering her face with her hands.

If only that man knew what he did to her.

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