"I'm gonna freak out."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am. I'm gonna freak out, and no one can stop me."

"Lance, if you freak out, I will slap you."

"AGHH!" he groaned dramatically, and Katie cackled. He'd been pacing in her room for several minutes now, and it seemed that his newest tactic to calm down was rolling back and forth on her bed.

His back was toward her, and he was curled up in a little ball. Just as she was starting to wonder if she should check on him, he shot up with wide eyes.

"But what if she hates me and won't let us date? What if she thinks I'm not good enough for you? What if I get nervous and start speaking in Spanish? What if-"

Katie rolled her eyes, walking away from the mirror and pecking her anxious boyfriend on the lips. "Sweetheart, you need to calm down," she instructed gently, but firmly. "I'm nervous about meeting your family, too, and that's going to be worse. You only have to meet my mom."

Lance waved a hand. "Yeah, but you'll be fine with my family because I've told them so many good things about y—"

She put a hand over his mouth and raised an eyebrow. "And I've told my mom plenty of good things about you," she replied, her hand moving to smooth through his hair.

He leaned into her touch, and soon she had him gathered against her chest, stroking his back soothingly. "It's going to be fine," she whispered. "And if it's not, who cares? We'll still be together."

Lance mumbled something in Spanish, and from the tone of his voice, he wasn't exactly taking her promise as a vote of confidence.

Smiling softly, Katie leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "I gotta get changed now— meet me out in the hall?"

"Of course," he replied. Lance got up from her bed and stretched, and she couldn't deny that she let her eyes wander a bit over his form. He must have felt the stare, because he turned around and winked. "Enjoying the view?"

"Nah," she snickered, then pushed him toward the door. He gave her a pout when she shut it, and she laughed.

Katie went over to her closet and picked out her official Garrison uniform, the Voltron pin she added to the side gleaming proudly. Within a few minutes, she was changed out of her baggy pajamas and into her uniform. She checked to make sure she looked fine in the mirror one last time before she stepped out, unsurprised to find the rest of the gang waiting with Lance.

"Hey, hey, we're ready to go now!" Hunk cheered.

Katie shook her head. "You guys didn't have to wait for me, that's Lance's job."

"We're still a team, though, so we thought we'd wait together," Keith said stubbornly, and everyone grinned. Even though he was sometimes awkward at showing it, they knew that Keith valued their kinship probably more than anyone else on the team.

"And we always will be," Shiro added on. Lance and Katie shared a look, smiling brightly.

Katie took his hand as the group started down the hallway together. "You still nervous?" she asked quietly.

He squeezed her hand, and that's when she noticed that his eyes were twinkling with excitement (though a hint of anxiety peeked through). "Nope! I decided that you're right— we'll still be together no matter what, so I shouldn't be scared."

"Yup, he's still freaking out," Hunk snickered.

Keith crossed his arms. "Completely."

Lance gave an exasperated look. "Guys, I thought I told you not to-"

Katie burst out laughing and flung her arms around her lanky boyfriend. "You'll be fine," she giggled. "Besides, I don't know what Keith's acting so tough for. We all know that his girlfriend is gonna be there-"

"She's not my girlfriend," Keith grumbled. "She's just-" he sighed suddenly, staring off into space with a dreamy look that Katie had seen on Lance's face a thousand times before. "She's just Charlotte."

"Charlotte, hm?" Shiro asked. "That's a pretty name."

"Yeah," Keith whispered, then shook his head and blushed.

Hunk was smiling at everyone now. "I'm so happy for you guys," he said with his usual cheer.

Katie returned the smile. "What about you, though?"

"Yeah, when are you and Shiro gonna find someone?" Lance hopped in.

Shiro held his hands up in resignation. "I don't think I'm up for that at this point in my life, but I'm not shying away from it either. Whatever happens, happens."

Hunk nodded. "Same here. I think it'll all work itself out with time, you know? Like you two!" he said with a meaningful look at Lance and Katie.

Suddenly, they were at the doors to the backstage. All of the younger paladins shared a look before their eyes drifted up to Shiro, who gave them a smile.

"Come on, you all remember your lines, right?" he asked, and they all nodded. "Then it'll be fine. We've faced worse than an assembly."

Lance gave a nervous laugh, and Katie squeezed his hand reassuringly. Keith stuck his tongue out in disgust at them, and the whole group burst out laughing.

Chuckling, Shiro opened the door and gestured for them to go ahead. "Let's go, team."

Keith and Hunk filed through, but Lance still looked frightened. Katie glanced over at Shiro, then leaned up to peck her boyfriend on the lips.

"I'm gonna be right here the whole time, okay?" she whispered.

Lance took in a deep breath before he gave her a nod. She smiled and walked through the door, ignoring the fond chuckle Shiro gave as she passed by. The backstage area was dark, but she could see the light of the stage glowing ahead of her. She walked forward and joined her teammates on the stage, grinning proudly out at the audience. Lance followed suit, and she looked at him subtly to see if he was smiling.

Shiro was the last one to enter, and he walked up to the podium. "Welcome, friends and family. Our apologies for not bringing the lions— they wouldn't fit through the door," he joked, and the audience laughed while Pidge and Hunk groaned.

Their leader gave a little snicker when he saw their faces. "As you know, we are the Paladins of Voltron. But before that, we were regular cadets just like any other student at the Galaxy Garrison. I know that my training gave me the skills to be not only a leader, but a friend. We all had each other's backs— something that the Garrison emphasizes every single day."

There was an appreciative hum that ran through the crowd, and Shiro glanced back at the other paladins. "I'm not the only one whose experiences at the Garrison helped them in our journey, so I'll let my teammates give you their thoughts as well."

Katie noticed Lance swallow nervously as their line moved down so that he would be in front of the microphone. "I was in my second year here at the Garrison when our adventure began, and honestly, I wasn't doing so hot," he laughed bashfully. "I was just so excited to get out there and fly that I didn't want to do all the boring stuff like homework, but that's what I would look back on when I was stuck in a situation. All of those tiny things really added up in my education to make me a better pilot and teammate."

She knew that was all he'd decided to say, but by the hesitation in his eyes, she also knew that he felt he had to say more.

A true smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he looked out at the crowd with confidence. "As explorers in training, you're always excited to get out there and finally see all the things you've been reading about in the textbooks. And it's all just as amazing as you hoped, and you learn more and more every single day. And…" he trailed off, and Katie suddenly realized that he was looking right at her. "And you don't know it now, but sometimes you realize that the best thing is what was right in front of you the whole time," he said tenderly.

Katie's heart was warm, and she unabashedly reached out and squeezed his hand. She stepped up to the mic, giggling as he made a comical face and lowered it down to her level.

Katie cleared her throat and gave the crowd a sarcastic look. "Well I agree with him, obviously," she joked, holding up their intertwined hands. The audience gave a laugh, and by the look on her boyfriend's face, she knew he would've kissed her if he could.

"But he's right," she continued. "The training we received here prepared us for things we couldn't even imagine. I mean, none of us had a clue what we were getting into, but you learn as you go along. And at the end of the day, what we were fighting for were those back home. People like you guys— our family, our friends. You played a role you weren't even aware of. You were our motivation to get through the bad times and make it to the light at the end of the tunnel."

It seemed that Lance couldn't resist anymore, because within a second of her finishing her lines, Katie felt his lips press against the top of her head. The crowd awww'd, and Katie blushed.

"Alright, alright, move along love birds," Hunk teased as he got up to the mic. Lance stuck his tongue out, and his best friend just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, they're even worse off stage, trust me. But I can't blame them— after all, we've been friends since we first got assigned together!"

Lance listened patiently as Hunk and Keith made their speeches, all of his anxiety gone now that his was over. Soon enough, Iverson came up on stage to give some final thoughts, and Team Voltron exited to backstage with a relieved sigh, entirely glad that the whole ordeal was over with.

But then Katie turned toward him with wide eyes and said, "Ready to meet my mom?", and his heart jumped. He'd completely forgotten about that!

He tried to put on a courageous smile. "Sure! Let's go!"

She saw right through his facade, of course, but she didn't comment. Instead, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "You did great out there, by the way."

Lance gave her a genuine smile, then pulled her to his chest and sighed. "All because of you, querida," he hummed as he nuzzled her hair. "Now let's get going— I don't want to put this off any longer."

Katie's concerned eyes looked up at him. "You sure?"

He nodded seriously, and that's when Keith walked by and said, "If he waits any longer, he'll faint."

"Same goes for you!" Hunk snickered. "Go find your girlfriend already!"

Keith rolled his eyes. "She's not my-"

"Go find her!" the group shouted, and their red paladin just laughed before he rushed out toward the crowd.

Shiro gave everyone an amused look. "Shall we?"

"Onward!" Hunk cheered. The group walked through the door to the banquet hall together, and Lance made sure that Katie's hand was in his. He still felt a little pathetic for relying on her so much, but she was his strength when he was anxious like this. And could you really blame him? He wanted her mom to like him— he knew how much her family meant to Katie.

He looked down and saw that she was searching in the crowd. A few ticks more, and her face lit up. "I see her! She's waving!"

Lance followed her eyes, and there she was— Mrs. Holt, smiling brightly at the pair. A sense of calm came over him— especially when he noticed how alike she and Katie looked— and they made their way through the crowd of students and their families to meet her.

"That was just wonderful!" Mrs. Holt told them, reaching out and pulling Katie into a firm hug. When she let go of her daughter, Mrs. Holt held her arms out to Lance, and he blinked.

"Come on, now, don't be a stranger," she laughed. She came forward and hugged him tightly, giving a few pats on the back before she released him. "I've been wanting to meet you for a long time!"

"N-Nice to meet you too," he stuttered, immediately feeling like an idiot.

Katie burst out laughing and wrapped her arms around his waist. "He's a little nervous," she mock-whispered to her mom.

Mrs. Holt waved a dismissive hand. "Oh please, there's no need to be. I think you two are just adorable."

"Mooooom," Katie groaned. "We're adults! We're not adorable!"

"Yes you are!" a voice shouted from a few feet away.

Lance's eyes lit up, and he practically vaulted himself toward the incoming party. "Mamá! Papá!" he called. All at once, the McClain family was wrapped up in a giant hug, his little siblings clambering around his feet, and his parents holding him tight.

"Mi hijo, you're going to get kicked out pulling a stunt like that!" his mamá scolded.

"Ah querida, let the boy have his fun," his papá chuckled. "I remember you being quite the flirt when you were his age!"

His mamá opened her mouth to say something, but she was cut off.

"So that's where he gets it from."

His parents turned in sync, and Lance watched as his mamá's eyes filled with tears. She rushed forward and took Katie's face in her hands."Oh mi hijo, she's even more beautiful than you described!" she cried.

Lance blushed. "Mamá, let her go-"

"I wanna see her!" Sebastian shouted.

"Yeah, me too!" Mia pouted.

Katie's eyes turned upon hearing the shouts, and she grinned. "Hello, you two! Hmm, let me guess…you're Mia," she said, pointing to his little sister. "And you must be Sebastian!"

The two nodded, absolutely delighted that she already knew their names.

"And we know who you are!" Mia claimed.

Katie gasped. "Really? You do?"

"Yeah, you're Lance's girlfriend, Katie!" Sebastian told her.

She put a hand over her heart in feigned shock. "Well how on earth did you know?"

"Because he never shuts up about you," his papá cut in with a chuckle. Lance gave a bashful look, but he happily wrapped an arm around his querida when she came to stand by his side. "It's nice finally to meet you."

Katie grinned. "It's nice to meet you guys, too." Her eyes flickered over to where her mother and his mother were now talking rapid fire. "Oh quiznak, what do you think they're saying?"

"I don't know, and I'm not sure I wanna know," he joked, and she laughed before she tightened her grip on his waist.

The day went remarkably well. Matt joined them for lunch, and their families had a blast catching up on how school had been and getting to know each other. Seeing Katie interact with his family made Lance's heart swell, especially when he saw how sweet she was toward his little siblings. Their families being together, laughing and having a good time…well, it all seemed how it should be.

That evening when they got back, Lance just couldn't believe how well it had all gone. He felt dazed, chatting rapidly with Katie as he walked her back to her room.

"-but can you actually believe it!" he exclaimed.

She gave him an amused look.

"They all got along so well!"

"I know, dear."

"And mi abuella even called to talk to you!"

"Which was very nice of her."

"Right?!" he cried as they walked through the door to her room. He shut it behind him and fell back against it, staring up a the ceiling. "I can't believe we got through it," he whispered.

Giggling, Katie came forward and took his hands. "I told you we would, sweetheart."

"I know, I know," he chuckled. Lance cupped her face tenderly, still wrapped up in his bliss of a wonderful day. He smoothed over her cheek with her thumb, then twirled one of her curls around his finger. "Were you nervous?" he asked.

"A little bit," she admitted. "But I figured that if they were anything like you, then I'd have nothing to be afraid of."

Lance's eyes dropped guiltily. "Sorry I didn't have that same confidence."

"Sweetheart, it's okay," she murmured, coming up to peck his lips. "I completely understand why you were worried, and honestly, it was pretty cute." He wrinkled his nose, and she gave a laugh. "And besides, we made it through, didn't we?"

His blue eyes widened. "We…we did," he agreed. Suddenly, his energy was renewed, and he whirled around to pump his fist into the air. Katie laughed, and he took her by her hands and spun her around. "We did it, we did it, we did it," he sang as they danced around messily.

Katie let out a gleeful laugh, and his eyes lit up before he caught her lips in an excited kiss. It sloppy and all over the place and silly and they kept giggling and bumping noses, but after a minute or two, he let her go and gave her a final twirl.

Her bright eyes looked up into his, and she smiled as she said, "Now you just have to meet my extended family!"

The thought hit Lance like a train. He groaned and fell back onto her bed in a faux-faint. He heard her giggle, and before he knew what was happening, he was being tickle attacked.

"Come on, it won't be that bad!" she teased.

Lance rolled his eyes, and the two snuggled up together happily, still panting from all the excitement the past few minutes had brought.

Once he had finally caught his breath, Lance opened his eyes and gazed at his girlfriend lovingly. How had he been so lucky to get a girl like her? She filled his life with so much joy and excitement and fun— he couldn't imagine what it would be like for a second without her.

Looking back, he would realize that this was the first time that he had those kinds of thoughts. And maybe, just maybe he'd start admitting that he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life.

But for now, he cleared his mind. Lance wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close, nuzzling his nose into her hair before he drifted off into a light sleep. This was how things were meant to be.