**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender (duh)

CHAPTER 32: PROBLEMS

They came back home to an Earth that had been overtaken by the Galra. Sendak, to be specific. God, Keith was seriously going to kill him for all the pain he'd caused and was continuing to cause them.

Sneaking past the fleet of cruisers guarding the planet had been easy. Trying to get to the Galaxy Garrison stronghold to meet up with Pidge's dad was not.

As they walked through the ruins of Plaht City, the devastation of the Fire of Purification's invasion hit them all in full. Buildings had been toppled. The trees and grass were long dead. The buses Keith used to take as a kid were crumpled and thrown on their sides. The juvenile detention center was dark and abandoned, doors blown open and windows smashed. The fire station where his dad had worked was empty, stripped by looters and the alien invaders.

But what was most concerning was how quiet everything was. Not a single human soul was in sight, casting the once thriving city into an eerie silence. All the people who had been left behind on Earth while they'd fought Zarkon – innocent lives like Hutch, Ms. Lisa, Ms. Debbie, Jane, Lance's and Hunk's and Pidge's and Mari's and Shiro's families, and countless others…they were all gone. Whether they were captured, forced into hiding, or killed was anyone's guess.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Galra drones and sentries emerged from the ruins and swarmed them. Bayards were in hands in seconds and blaster fire filled the air. But with every enemy they brought down, only more seemed to appear. Keith grit his teeth, his frustration rising as the sentries pinned them down from both sides. They'd only been on Earth for a few hours, and they were already getting their butts kicked by Sendak's stupid robots.

Suddenly, the screeching of wheels pierced the air and two Garrison trucks barreled onto the scene, crashing into sentries as they went. When they pulled to a stop, their hoods dropped and the drivers emerged, pistol and rifle blazing. More drones and sentries dropped, scattering bits of alien tech across the street.

"Stay down, we got this!" one driver ordered, taking out opponent after opponent with her partner's help.

Keith reached up to slash the last drone hovering about his head, but she swiftly blasted it out of commission, beating him to it. He whirled on her, his irritation getting the better of him.

"I had it," he growled, and she cast him an unimpressed look.

Her partner tsked, and the sound made Keith bristle. He marched over to him and the other paladins, his rifle cradled in his arms. "Drones send distress signals when attacked," he snapped. "Our weapons neutralize those signals. So unless you wanna deal with a swarm of those things, let us handle it."

Keith stiffened. He knew that voice. He knew that scowl. This was James Griffin. His old bully, his old enemy before Shiro had really entered his life. He was still here, alive and working for the Garrison.

Of all the people to save them now, why did it have to be him?

He and James glared at each other for a long moment. Then James' expression relaxed just a tad as he pulled his gaze away and jerked his head towards their two vehicles. "Now let's get out of here before more show up," he pressed, leading the way.

"Not a very kind welcoming party, is he," Scarlett muttered, and Romelle and Allura nodded in agreement.

Everyone hesitated, looking to their leader for the go-ahead. Keith regarded James for a second longer before letting out a quiet huff. "Let's get moving," he ordered, and they hurried to do as they were told.

Keith was quick to take the shotgun seat of the second driver's car – he would absolutely NOT be sitting next to James for the half-hour it would take for them to reach the Garrison. Pidge, Hunk, Lance, and Kosmo hopped in after him, leaving Shiro, Allura, Coran, Romelle, Scarlett, and Mari to ride with James. A few minutes of tense silence passed, everyone seeming to hold their breath until they finally broke free of the city remains and began to venture out into the desert.

"Hello, Garrison runaways, alien allies, and Officer Shirogane!" James' comrade suddenly exclaimed, making Keith startle next to her. "I'm one of your lovely drivers, Lieutenant Nadia Rizavi, a senior cadet and one of the best pilots in the Galaxy Garrison. Now, if you look on your right and left, you'll see nothing but desert and all the dust and rocks it has to offer. Oooh, it's so exciting to be back home, right?"

Her comms crackled, but no one answered. Hunk, Pidge, and Lance shifted awkwardly in the backseat, and Rizavi pouted at everyone's lack of enthusiasm.

"Geez, tough crowd," she muttered. "Just trying to lighten the mood."

"It'd be better if Sendak wasn't here," Lance grumbled, but whether she heard him or not, she made no indication.

From the other car, Allura awkwardly cleared her throat. "Are you a pilot of the Garrison as well, then?" she tentatively wondered, trying to make casual conversation with their own driver.

"Affirmative. Name's Lieutenant James Griffin," James stated flatly, and there was no missing the unfriendliness dripping from his tone. "You'll call me Griffin."

Rizavi made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat. "Geez, you're so rude. Would it kill you to be nice to her?" she scolded him. "This is why you don't have a girlfriend yet."

James let out an audible sigh, presumably more than used to her prattling and spritely nature. A beat of silence passed before he addressed Shiro.

"It's great to see you again, sir," he said. "We're glad to have you back."

He sounded noticeably kinder than when he'd spoken to Allura, full of nothing but respect for his idol and superior officer. Keith rolled his eyes, but said nothing about it as Shiro responded.

"It's good to be back," he replied, polite and at ease with his former student. "Thank you for your help, Griffin and Rizavi."

"Of course, sir!" Rizavi chirped, just as James said, "It was no problem, sir."

The rest of the ride dragged by in relative silence, leaving Keith to his own thoughts. He stared out across the desert landscape, taking in its warm and familiar hues. He could see the mountains and canyons in the distance, reaching up for the pale blue skies. Somewhere out there were the remains of the Blue Lion's caves, all its carvings no doubt destroyed from when Lance first ejected them from the earth. And of course, assuming it hadn't been wrecked in the invasion, the little shack he'd shared with his dad was also out there, waiting for him to return.

Unfortunately, it would have to wait a little bit longer.

Keith couldn't remember seeing Lance and Pidge so happy before. Their families had been amongst the welcoming party outside the Garrison, and when they had unloaded from James' and Rizavi's trucks, they clung to their loved ones, tears streaming down their flushed cheeks as smiles lit up their faces.

Shiro and Mari were a bit different. They didn't cry. They looked more shaken and relieved as their parents embraced them and fretted over them. Keith watched as Mari's friend, Magdalena, tackled her in a suffocating hug until her other friend, Jia, pulled her off. Released, he helped her to stand so she could reconnect with them. The outsiders in everyone's reunions, he, Kosmo, Allura, Coran, Scarlett, and Romelle could only observe their joyful reunions in silence.

And then, there was Hunk. Awfully quiet and crestfallen without his family here, he lingered by their vehicle, forcing the tiniest of smiles as he engaged in conversation with Sam and Colleen. Keith watched him carefully, his heart aching for him. Hunk had been so excited to return home, to see his parents again. He didn't deserve this sort of extra agony, not after everything he'd done to help them get home.

Kosmo nuzzled his snout into Keith's hand, sensing his worry. He absentmindedly scratched him behind the ears, promising himself he'd find a time to console Hunk later.

"Cadet!" Iverson barked, pulling him from his thoughts and nearly making him jump. Only, he wasn't addressing him – he was speaking to Maggie. "Watch your language!"

Keith hadn't caught what she'd said, but she obediently stood at attention and grinned nonetheless. "Yes, sorry, sir!" she and Jia replied in unison.

Iverson sighed. He turned to Keith then, making him go rigid and shift on high alert. "And you, Cadet."

On instinct, Keith saluted him, the years of Garrison training coming back to grip him like a vise. "Yes, sir."

He braced himself, waiting for Iverson's lecture. The last time they'd met, he'd sabotaged a military operation and punched the senior officer in the face, after all. If he knew Iverson, he was still pissed about it, no doubt. Still, Keith's gaze didn't waver from his, more than ready to take the beratement and apologize. If they were going to work together to defeat Sendak, the last thing they needed was for bad blood to remain between them.

But, to his surprise, Iverson's brow unfurrowed, his harsh expression falling away. "I…owe you an apology as well," he stated finally, sincerely. "I've heard about all you've done. I was wrong about you. It's an honor and privilege to see you again."

Keith blinked, almost unable to believe his ears. Iverson…was apologizing to him? After he'd been such a crappy student and had assaulted him twice? It relieved him almost as much as it surprised him. Maybe this meant Iverson hadn't hated his guts in all the time they'd known each other. He supposed he wasn't the only one who had grown and changed over the last few years.

A small smile pulled up the corners of Keith's lips. "Thank you, sir," he said. "I guess I wasn't exactly the best cadet back then. I probably owe you a bit of an apology too."

He held out his hand in truce and Iverson took it, more than happy to forgive their past conflicts. Kosmo padded forward, sniffing at Iverson curiously.

"Ah, and who's this little fella?" he asked, his face breaking out into a grin as the wolf let him rub his back.

"Oh, Kosmo likes you," Coran mused as Iverson happily caressed the cosmic creature. "But be careful. If you touch him, he could zap you to a different universe. Seriously."

Iverson paled and straightened, suddenly very reluctant to interact with the wolf, and Keith stifled a chuckle. Kosmo didn't seem perturbed in the slightest by the older man's shift in reaction, and proceeded to move on to inspecting the Shiroganes' cat, Kage.

Suddenly, Keith's skin prickled and he could feel a pair of eyes on him, boring a hole into the back of his head. He pulled his attention away from Kosmo and Iverson and the others, his gaze landing on James. He was behind Keith, still hovering on the edge of the gathering next to his vehicle. When their eyes locked, James' scowl deepened and he tugged off his helmet, but he said nothing. Didn't even try to engage with him or Iverson as he marched towards the facility.

Keith's own frown returned. Was James still jealous of him? He was sure he'd been ecstatic when he was kicked out of the Garrison. He'd gotten to do what Keith couldn't and had become a senior fighter pilot. Or was it because Keith was a paladin now? Because he was some chosen hero of the universe. Because he'd turned his life around and had real deep space adventures that James' couldn't even fathom. Or maybe he was just standoffish by default after they'd spent so many years apart. Whatever his deal was this time, they clearly still had some lingering tension between them. It was almost like nothing had changed.

"He's still like that," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else, but it had drawn Mari's attention. She tilted her head at him, a hint of worry in her eyes, before her gaze locked onto James' retreating form.

"What's his problem?" she wondered. "You have beef with him?"

She'd sounded casual enough, but there was no missing the concern creeping into her tone. Keith shrugged, unsure of how to answer her.

"Sorta."

She regarded him for a second longer, but she didn't press him for the details. He was grateful for that. He didn't want to burden her with the problems of his past, especially not now. What was done, was done. He and James were both adults now. They were both on the same side of a bigger crisis, this war with the Galra. And if James couldn't grow up and get over whatever issues he still had with him, then that was his problem.

Just as one problematic person disappeared, another emerged. A young man in a white hazmat suit exited the building and swiftly approached their group. Beneath his mask, Keith could see his messy brown hair and narrowed eyes. He looked familiar somehow, although Keith was sure he'd never met this guy before.

But Mari seemed to recognize him. She stiffened at the sight of him, and that alone put Keith on edge.

"Speaking of beef…" Jia hummed, and Maggie tsked.

"Aaren, you are so late to the welcoming party," she gripped.

Aaren? The Aaren from Mari's memories? The Aaren who had liked her and had kissed her without consent the day before Shiro returned to Earth? The Aaren Keith already despised despite not actually knowing him? Even now, Keith couldn't help but glare at him, his hands fists at his sides as he watched him carefully, taking in his every movement.

Aaren didn't seem to notice his bubbling hostility. In fact, his eyes seemed to skim right over him and Mari and the others as he threw Maggie a glower and turned to Iverson. "Preparations for the decontamination process are ready, sir," he dutifully reported.

Shiro frowned. "Decontamination?"

"The admiral insists on it," Iverson sighed, helpless if not exasperated with the decision.

"It's nothing dire, sir," Aaren said, turning to Shiro next. "We don't have time to waste quarantining you. The best we can do is a shower and new clothes while we sterilize your...outfits."

"It's armor," Mari blurted.

Aaren's attention flicked to her. He stared at her for a long moment, much too long for Keith's liking. Then he slowly nodded. "Right. Armor," he corrected himself.

As if finally sensing Keith's glare, he briefly glanced at him. For just a split second, a wary fear flashed across Aaren's eyes, but he was quick to hide it as a tight smile pulled up his lips.

"Welcome back to Earth, Mari," he said, sounding a bit clipped. But before she could respond, he produced a tablet and tapped on it impatiently. "Now, let's get the decontamination process moving. We don't have all day, people."

Another handful of his hazmat suit-clad colleagues exited the building. They stood in front of them, splitting into two groups.

"Boys, you're with me," one of them announced, his hands placed authoritatively on his hips.

"Ladies, if you'll follow me," another one gently encouraged the girls, gesturing towards the entrance to the building.

No one moved right away, hesitant to leave and face whatever the decontamination process really entailed. The medical team took that as their cue to step in and swiftly guide them away from the welcoming party, ushering Lance away from his family and pulling Pidge away from her dog.

"No! Bae Bae!" she cried, desperately reaching for her canine friend while a medic held her back. "I want more cuddles!"

"She'll be right here after you get cleaned up, Katie," Colleen promised her, and Pidge pouted, sagging in defeat.

Another woman tentatively inched towards Keith, stopping him from stepping inside the facility. "Your, erm, wolf will have to be washed, as well, sir," she said, glancing nervously at Kosmo by his side.

Kosmo stared at her, unimpressed. He liked playing in the water, but he'd never had a bath with soaps and intense scrubbing. Not that he really needed one. No matter what sort of messy environments the cosmic creature got into, he never seemed to get smelly.

Keith placed a protective hand on Kosmo's head, rubbing him between his ears. "It's okay. He's not dirty," he assured her.

She shuffled from foot to foot, uneasy and unsure. One of her older colleagues sidled up to her, arms crossed. "It doesn't matter," he stated flatly, insistently. "Let us wash him or he won't be allowed to enter the building."

Keith scowled at him, but the man remained adamant, pursing his lips in challenge and daring him to argue against him. Lance, Hunk, and Shiro paused in the hallway just behind the guy, attentively watching and waiting in case he started giving Keith trouble.

Keith sighed. The damn ruling adults around here were still the same: hard-headed, arrogant, and smug towards anyone younger than them. He almost felt bad for the girl, who seemed to shrink in her superior's shadow. For his sake and hers, he decided he wouldn't cause a scene over this. It was just a bath, after all. Starting a fight over something like that wasn't worth it.

"Fine," he ground out, and he hated how the man smirked in triumph. Keith ignored him though, looking down at Kosmo and granting him an apologetic frown. "Be good, bud. Cooperate with them. I'll come find you later."

Kosmo blinked at him in silent understanding. But from the way his tail swished, restless and playful, Keith got the feeling he would be anything but good and cooperative. Nevertheless, Keith didn't stop him as he padded next to the woman.

"Thank you, sir," she said, smiling in relief. "We'll take good care of him."

Keith nodded. As they walked down another hall away from him and the other paladins, he could hear her superior reprimanding her.

"You need to grow a spine, Tammy," he barked. "I don't give a damn if he's a paladin, he can't just break the rules."

"I-I know, I – " There was a familiar zapping sound, followed by Tammy's gasp. "What the – Where'd he go?"

Another zap. Another startled yelp, this time from the man.

"I-It can teleport?" he shrilled.

Keith smiled. Good boy.

It felt strange to be back at the Garrison, wandering the bland halls of his teenage years, seeing the same crisp orange uniforms worn by cadets, passing the familiar faces of his old teachers and classmates. They stared at him just as they had back then, when he'd been a well-known troublemaker, a genius in the simulator, and Shiro's mentee. But now, instead of jealousy and disdain, awe and hope filled their gazes. They were surprised to see him, Shiro, Lance, and Hunk back on campus, alive after having survived their harrowing adventure in deep space. And of course, there was Coran, the first alien they'd ever seen up close and in person. He didn't seem to mind their staring though. As always, Coran walked with purpose, unbothered or perhaps reveling in the fascination he was eliciting from the humans.

Aaren and his team shoved them into the communal showers, confiscating all of their clothes and armor and weapons to be sterilized. The water was warm, and Lance whooped as he let it run down his face. Keith had to admit, he understood his delight – it had been weeks since they'd all had a normal shower, forced to bathe in freezing lakes and rivers on stops they made during their trip home. The hot water felt great as they washed off the sweat and grime of their brief fight in Plaht City.

They were given cadet uniforms to wear, even Coran. He was pleased with how the orange nearly matched his mustache, but he complained about the rest of the earthy colors. He claimed they washed out his dazzling aura, and wore it with reluctance. The only one who wasn't forced to wear the thing was Shiro, who had been provided with a gray officer's uniform. He stared at himself in the mirror, frowning at the floppy right sleeve.

"Need a hand?" Keith asked, gesturing to it, and he ignored how Lance giggled and went, "Ba-dum-tss!"

Shiro granted him a small smile. "Yeah. In more ways than one," he chuckled. He paused as Keith took the empty sleeve and began to neatly roll it up to his shoulder. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Keith snapped the button shut, pinning the extra cloth firmly in place. His eyes wandered to the three golden stripes adorning the uniform. "They kept your rank," he noted.

Shiro nodded to the two stripes on Keith's uniform. "They kept yours, too," he said, almost relieved.

"Not bad for a drop-out," Lance mused, and Keith rolled his eyes.

"I was kicked out."

"That's even worse."

Lance gave himself one more look in the mirror. He grinned, satisfied with what he saw. "Alright, let's get outta here!" he cheered, spinning on his heel. "You ready to go, Hunk?"

From the edge of the room, Hunk was still unusually quiet, having removed himself from their banter. He was fully dressed and waiting by the door, hands clasped together as he stared at the floor. He didn't answer, too lost in his own troubled thoughts.

Lance's smile fell in an instant. "Hunk?"

Hunk blinked, startled, and looked up at him. "Hm?"

"You ready to go?" Lance asked again, gentler this time, not even bothering to hide his rising concern.

"Oh. Um. Yeah," Hunk mumbled without even a hint of enthusiasm in his response. "Let's go."

Lance and Coran frowned and Shiro's brow pinched with worry. But before any of them could comfort him, Hunk hurried to escape the steamy and stuffy room. All they could do was follow suit.

Iverson was waiting for them outside in the hall. He briefly glanced at Hunk as he leaned against the wall in front of the girls' shower entrance, waiting for the other half of their team to finish cleaning up.

"We still have time before the debriefing," Iverson said, turning to Shiro. Then he hesitated, his expression softening with something akin to pity. "Shiro, there's…something I need to speak with you about. Privately."

It wasn't an order so much as it was a request. Shiro exchanged a look with Keith, and he could see the dread beginning to creep into his dark gray eyes. Whatever this was about couldn't be good, not with how apologetic the usually hard-faced Iverson was looking now. Still, Shiro didn't refuse him, and nodded.

"Sure," he slowly agreed, struggling to hide his unease. "Lead the way."

The second he and Iverson had turned the corner and were out of sight, Lance groaned. "That can't be good."

Keith couldn't argue with that. A heavy silence settled over them, the minutes ticking by. Hunk continued to frown at the floor. Lance opened and closed his mouth several times, wrestling with what to say to him. Coran pinched his mustache, eyes closed and lost in deep thought as he patiently waited for the girls. Out of habit, Keith crossed his arms and regarded the door to the showers, waiting and waiting and waiting for them to come out so they could go to this meeting already. The sooner they could get Sendak and the Fire of Purification off of Earth, the better.

Finally, they exited, Allura, Mari, Pidge, Scarlett, and Romelle, all clean and dressed in the cadet uniforms. Lance visibly brightened as his gaze landed on the princess, his worries about Hunk forgotten for the moment.

"You guys are rocking the uniform," he complimented them.

Pidge was not impressed. "Don't lie."

"I'm not!" he promised. "I'm being a hundred percent serious."

Allura smiled at him sweetly, gratefully. "Thank you, Lance."

Mari's eyes skimmed over them before scanning the rest of the hall. "Where's Takashi?" she asked.

"Iverson had to show him something," Keith provided. "We're supposed to head to the conference room for debriefing."

She scowled. "Lovely. We get to face all the hardheads now," she drawled, placing her hands on her hips.

Keith stifled a smile, taking in how different she looked in the cadet's attire. She looked so strange wearing it, almost childish and out of place, like she'd outgrown it. Like it wasn't meant for her anymore.

He'd never seen her around on campus in the short time she had attended the Garrison. He'd never thought of seeking her out back then, too jealous and uninterested in her. But now, things were different. Sometimes he wished he had met her here. He once tried to imagine it, the two of them running into each other in the hall and realizing who the other was. She'd challenge him to a competition in the simulator. He wouldn't back down. They'd fly. He'd get nervous at how good she was for a new recruit, only for her to lose. She'd challenge him again and again, certain that she would win next time despite their difference in skill and years of practice.

She'd insist on sitting next to him in the cafeteria so he would never have to eat alone. He'd study in the lounge with her, giving her tips on her homework for the classes he had already taken. She'd help him with the research papers and practice reports they sometimes had to write. He'd show her tricks in the simulator. She'd get better at flying, becoming the best in her class. She'd be promoted to Fighter Pilot Class in no time.

She'd invite him to the roof after curfew to stargaze one night. He'd say yes. They'd point out all the constellations they could see in the sky, turning that into a competition too. He'd share how worried he was about Shiro, gone far, far away to Kerberos. She'd say she understood exactly how he felt. She'd be sure that Shiro would safely return and would continue to teach them at the Garrison. She'd remind him then that they were the next generation of pilots, and Shiro would cheer for them as he witnessed them fulfill their dreams.

Maybe she could've helped reel in his anger a lot sooner. Maybe he could've truly gotten to know her, just like he had with Shiro. Maybe they could've been friends long before their meeting in the Blue Lion's cave.

But of course, these were all only "maybes" and "what ifs." They didn't matter and would never come true, no matter how much Keith thought about it. They were here now, in the strange reality that was their current relationship situation. With him liking her much more than a friend, and her…scowling at him. He'd been staring at her too long, he realized, lost in his imagination.

"What?" she demanded.

Keith grappled for a casual reply. "Nothing," he managed. "I just…I never did see you as a cadet."

Her suspicion faded. "You didn't miss much," she admitted. "Cadet life never really suited me anyway."

Keith couldn't hide his smile now. "That makes two of us," he said, and he teasingly, knowingly, nudged her in the ribs. The corners of her lips pulled up, and she nudged him back before they followed Lance and the others down the hall.

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