Arus, Love, and Peace Revised Edition
Return of the Ex
Disclaimer: Voltron, Defender of The Universe isn't mine…it belongs to World Event Production and whoever they feel licensing Voltron to. The original characters like Lawrence, Diana, and Asher are all mine though. Enjoy!
It's been a week since Diana returned to the Castle from Smythe House and she was spending a late night in her new office. It was one of the busiest weeks in Diana's life. Keith spent the week testing Diana's strength, intelligence, flying, and fighting abilities. Unsurprisingly, Diana managed to match Lance's scores—not to mention that Keith's tests were the easiest thing she hadbeen through this week. Diana's week was also spent learning to manage Castle Control with Coran. The consoles were the easy part—having to remember all theregions of Arus that challenged Diana the most. The demands get more intellectually draining after that. To help ensure that Diana didn't miss her meals, Nanny made sure to feed Diana while giving Diana a refresher course in Arusian culture. Not to mention that immediately after his shifts at Castle Control, Diana spent at least 90 minutes in Coran's office getting a refresher course over Arusian history. After dinner and her last refresher lesson in her office, Diana spent the rest of the day fine-tuning her plans to restart Arus' public health infrastructure. On top of that, she only had a reprieve when she spent an evening reminiscing with Nanny's nephew, Asher Hys, over their shared summers at the castle.
Diana sighed as she glanced at her watch and saw that it was 10 PM. Diana was ready for bed and looking forward to her schedule being significantly lighter starting tomorrow. Diana turned off everything in the office and grabbed her small bag filled with personal things. Taking one last glance at the office, Diana turned the lights off and blindly turned around before bumping into a muscular body. The same muscular body pulled Diana closer, keeping her from hitting her back against her office door. Diana felt some familiarity with the body but dismissed it before speaking.
"I'm so sorry for bumping into you," Diana apologized before looking up to see Lance's face. No wonder the body felt familiar. Diana silently enjoyed Lance's strong embrace and the familiar smoky scent that filled her nostrils. On top of that, it was the first time Diana felt Lance's surprisingly smooth leather jacket, the softness of Lance's favorite blue turtleneck shirt, and the starchness of his trousers. The sensation delightfully overwhelmed Diana's senses.
"No need to apologize—I enjoy embracing beautiful women," Lance remarked with a smile. Even though Diana looked tired, she still looked as beautiful as the day they first met over two week ago. Diana had her naturally curly hair down and it framed her face perfectly. Diana's eyes still held a sparkle as she rolled her eyes at Lance's statement and her lips were barely parted, perfectly plump. Lance also enjoyed how perfectly fit Diana's maroon blouse and black slacks were to her body. "Truthfully, I missed seeing you and had hoped to bump into you all week," Lance continued. "Why do I get the feeling that you've been trying to avoid me?"
Diana chuckled in response. "I don't think anybody can avoid you, Lance," Diana finally replied with words. "I've been so busy this week. Keith putting me through my paces was nothing compared to what Nanny and Coran had in store for me this week. Uncle Coran was training me in Castle Control and giving me a refresher on Arusian History in his office. Nanny made sure that I didn't skip meals and gave me a refresher on Arusian Culture in my office. The last few nights were mostly spent working on my plans to restart the public health infrastructure. I hadn't had time for anything else. Except for one evening that I spent reminiscing about my past summers at the castle with Asher Hys."
"So, Asher did manage to bump into you after all," Lance responded to Diana's last comment first. "I'm sorry to hear about your busy week. That's why I said I never want to have an office."
Diana laughed before speaking. "And once again, everybody says the same thing until they get an office. But I'm glad that we met up again," Diana said as she took a step back from Lance after he guided Diana away from her office door. "I wanted to thank you again for getting all those supplies in the Davi-Smythe Lands last week. You have no idea how grateful the people were."
"I might have an idea of it," Lance said before grinning. "I brought back 5 gifts last week and surprisingly, more gifts have found their way here." Diana chuckled before responding with words.
"And I can't thank you enough," Diana replied, mentally telling herself to calm down and not fall into Lance's charming spell so easily. Lance gently reached out and tipped Diana's chin towards him. Diana had to mentally tell herself again to calm down on the romantic vibes.
"Well, if you really want to thank me…" Lance started before lowering his head to where he was just a couple of breaths away from Diana's mouth. In response, Diana licked her lips before Lance continued. "Let me walk you to your room." Lance let go of Diana's chin and took a couple of steps back. Lance savored the few seconds Diana allowed thedisappointment show on her face.
"I can do that," Diana said with a smile. "No further than the door, Lance. I mean it."
"Who me? I'm a perfect gentleman," Lance responded with a smile. "I would never think to push a woman past her limits."
"I'll bet," Diana said as she rolled her eyes at Lance again. As they took the stairs to their floor, Lance told Diana about his week. Some of Lance's stories had Diana laughing while others had Diana gasping in shock. Occasionally on their short journey, they would stop and talk to some of the overnight staff, guards, and eventually a couple of officers. They walked through the Voltron Wing and past the rec room before finally making it to Diana's room in the Royal Wing. Diana turned and leaned against her door before speaking to Lance. "Thank you for the wonderful walk to my room."
"My pleasure, Diana," Lance responded as he casually planted an arm over Diana's head and leaned closer to Diana.
"What are we—in high school?" Diana asked as she ducked away from Lance and entered her door code. "Have a good night, Lance. I'll see you tomorrow."
Lance reached out and pulled Diana gently back to him. "I can't wait until we share a bed," Lance whispered in Diana's ear, making Diana tremble in response. Diana turned to see Lance's bright smile as he let her arm go. Without pause, Diana quickly slapped Lance before crossing the door again.
"You rogue!" She called out as the door closed behind her. Lance heartily laughed as he rubbed his cheek. A few moments later, Diana could hear Lance walk away from her door and she couldn't do anything else but shake her head at the situation as she laid down on her bed. "I'll have to give it to Lance, he's persistent. But I refuse to fall for his roguish charms." Diana said to herself as she kicked off her shoes and closed her eyes.
It didn't take long for Diana to fall into a new routine at the castle. Surprisingly enough her new routine included spending more time with Lance. Her day started at 5 in the morning with the strength training Keith wanted her to go through. She was originally partnered up with Allura forthe first couple of days of training—who also needed to maintain a more consistent strength training schedule. After sneaking several looks at each other, Keith decided on the third day to team Lance and Diana as workout buddies—with the side benefit of allowing Keith to spend more time with Allura.
Diana and Lance had similar workout styles so it wasn't too hard to adjust tohaving a new workout partner. Under Lance's increased observations, Diana pushed her limits harder. Lance not only commented on her form, butit seemed that he took pleasure in commenting on Diana's body—something that she was conscious of, especially early in the morning. It also didn't help that Diana was never a morning person. It wasn't too long before Diana came back with snarky comments of her own and whenever she had enough of Lance stating how sexy Diana's body was, she would slap him before going to either the indoor track or increase the inclines on Lance's treadmill. After about three weeks, it didn't escape Diana's attention that her body was slightly more muscular and toned. It also didn't escape Diana's attention that Lance's body was getting more muscular as well.
Even with his new routine of getting daily slaps from Diana, Lance was falling deeper into his attraction to the new teammate. Although Diana's body caught his attention first, it was her mind that was holding his attention happily captive. After their workout and breakfast, Lance would see Diana in Control 3-4 times a week since she was alternating the morning shifts with Coran. The team was amazed with Diana's keen insights during their practice runs and her analysis even helped both Pidge and Allura improve their flying abilities. Lance suddenly had to be more alert during practice when Allura started to consistently hit his lion more. He couldn't prove it-but Lance's instincts were telling him that Diana was probably helping Allura through extra lessons when nobody was looking or listening. Allura's flying and accuracy improvement didn't escape anybody else's attention either.
Diana would take her lunch at Control, so it was often during their shift changes before Lance and Diana would talk again. After briefing Lance about her shift, Diana apologized for both the comments she made during their workouts and the daily slap. Lance would laugh and state that he hadalready forgiven her a long time ago and that he knew she wasn't a morning person. He pointed out that their morning exchanges were making their bodies better and that he wasn't going to stop anytime soon. Lance also pointed out that he loved their conversations because they sharpened his mind. Diana would chuckle before leaving Lance at the dais.
But it was oblivious to everyone what was Lance's and Diana's favorite time of the day—even though they would never admit it out loud. Their favorite time of the day was all those late nights when they would meet in the library. The late-night sessions at the library started after Diana shared her thoughts on Lance's natural teaching ability. During that conversation, Keith agreed to Diana's thoughts before sharing that Lance would personally train the group Garrison was sending their way. A few days later, Keith proudly told Lance about his new responsibility. After privately celebrating a step towards his professional goals, Lance pulled Diana to the side before dinner that night. "Since somebody outed my dream, I'm going to need that same somebody to meet me in the library late atnight."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Diana said, feigning innocence. "It's not my fault that Keith figured out how well you are at teaching. Besides, why me?"
Lance chuckled before responding. "You're not that good of an actress, Diana. But you do make an excellent point—Keith probably planned to have me train the Garrison soldiers once he heard we were finally getting more help." Lance paused for a moment to admire Diana. "You get to be the lucky vic—person because I know your best ideas come during your late-night sessions in your office. You have the keenest instincts I know besides my own. We can even bounce ideas off each other. Not to mention that Allura's abilities improved since you arrived on Arus."
Diana smiled at Lance's answer. "Fine, I'll meet you for late-night sessions at the library. Just don't get any ideas."
As Diana stepped away from Lance, he called out his response. "Too late. I always get ideas." Diana gasped before calling Lance a rogue.
Diana was surprised how Lance consistently kept a business demeanor when it came to their library sessions. Diana gave Lance some insights and ideas about training and Lance gave Diana some great ideas about different public health projects across Arus. Before Diana knew it, those library sessions endured Lance to her and she looked forward to the uninterrupted mind sessions. Lance wasn't surprised that he fell into Diana's spell even more—he was just surprised how Diana was able to give her all during the daytime and still be mentally sharp for their sessions at night. When she wasn't in Control during the day, Diana would spend time with Hunk and Pidge wherever they were working that day and also spent time with Dr. Gorma in the Med-bay. Lance was even more amazed that Diana also had a dedicated time blocked away for Allura, Coran, and occasionally Nanny. Some of that dedicated time with Nanny included Lance's presence to help prepare for the Debut Ball that was just around the corner.
It was during one of their night sessions in the library when they received two pieces of news from Galaxy Alliance/Galaxy Garrison about a month before the debut ball. The first piece of news was Keith's petition to promote the members of the Voltron Force was finally granted—Lance was promoted to Captain; Hunk, Pidge, and Allura were finally commissioned as 2nd Lieutenants. And to Diana's surprise, she was also promoted to Captain herself—since she was going to be the liaison between the Voltron Force and the team that Garrison was sending to Arus. Lance and Diana cheered at the news and kept calling each other captain for a few moments. The Voltron Force was also formally permanently assigned to Arus. "Finally! I thought I was going to have to petition Garrison to station us here permanently. Allura better be celebrating hard tonight."
"I doubt it. Keith's so straight-lanced he would never…" Diana said without thinking.
"You've been around me too long, Diana. You're already about to move your mind next to mine in the gutter." Lance joked before Diana said that her mind would never take up residence in the gutter. After going back and forth a few moments about where their minds like to stay, Lance and Diana settled down to read the second piece of news—Garrison was sending a team to Arus weeks earlier than originally planned. Lance shared his excitement out loud as Diana looked to see who was joining them on Arus and was shocked to see that she'd be working with The Highbars again.
Diana was initially pleased because of her strong relationship with The Highbars, it'll be easier for her to handle her military duties. The next thought Diana processed was that she would be able to finally interact daily with her favorite group of officers and their sergeant. Diana smiled brightly before her mind came up with another thought. With The Highbars coming to Arus, it meant that her ex-boyfriend Captain Lawrence Wiley was moving to Arus. Which meant that she was going to have to get used to seeing Lawrence in her daily life in a matter of weeks. She frowned for a few moments before Lance asked a question that took her out of her thoughts. "They're actually sending The Highbars?"
"That's what it says here," Diana said with a smile, laughing to hide her displeasure about seeing Lawrence again so soon.
"They're one of a handful of teams that could give us a run for our money with a little extra help. It's going to be fun to teach them how it's really done," Lance said with a devious smile. "So do you know them?"
"I know them well," Diana said, letting Lance's excitement wash away her last thoughts about Lawrence. "And I know their leader very, very well."
"That's great because I wanted our late-night sessions to continue," Lance announced. "Although it's times like these we should be leaving on a date together," Lance paused and noticed Diana's nonchalant look. "It's a joke, but not a joke."
"It's ok, Lance," Diana said with a smile. "Believe it or not—I have never been on a date with no strings. It's always been a date with the expectation of a committed relationship right after."
"Really? No casual dates at all?" Lance asked. "I can take you on a date now and get back before curfew. No strings attached, I promise!"
Diana laughed. "I'm not falling for that, sir. I've been promised that several times before."
"But see, I'm better than the average guy," Lance responded. "I keep my promises."
Diana chuckled and thought about Lance's idea. "Since our concentration is pretty much shot tonight…" Diana started. "I'm going to give you what you think you want. Do some research and if you can find something I really would like to do as a first date—I might finally take you up on one of your offers." Lance smirked as he made his way around the table to sit by Diana. "I'm still not going for a committed relationship. I'll do a casual date and that's all."
"Challenge accepted. I'll have that date," Lance promised as he lifted Diana's chin and lowered his face to a breath's length.
"Nice try—but you're not that hypnotic, Lance," Diana smirked, fighting the strong romantic vibes she was feeling from Lance.
"I don't have to hypnotize you at all, Milady," Lance said, smiling. "You're going to accept a wonderful date with me all on your own." Lance and Diana stared into each other's eyes, falling into a powerful and quiet spell. Diana and Lance found themselves unwilling to look away and only broke away from their intense stares when they heard several footsteps enter the library. Lance quickly ran back to his original seat as Diana tried to get her self-control back when four different voices spoke out.
"Did you hear? Arus is officially our home now!" Hunk cheered.
"And we're finally getting more help from Garrison!" Pidge yelled.
"I finally got my commission!" Allura cheered as she took the chair next to Diana before hugging her tightly.
"And we're all officers now," Keith said with a quiet smile. "1 Commander, 2 captains, and 3 lieutenants. We're all elite." The group laughed as Diana and Lance quickly put their things into their bags. It was obvious that the rest of their evening was going to spent a quick celebration with friends. Lance quickly remembered seeing Nanny testing a new recipe in the kitchen during his Control shift earlier. He also remembered that Nanny left the cake out in the open after she frosted the cake.
"I guess this calls for a group celebration," Lance said with a smile as he stood up. "Let's go to the kitchen and get ourselves a snack. There's a nicely cooled and frosted cake waiting with our names on it." The group shared a big smile as Hunk asked how Lance knew about the cake. "I might have watched Nanny cook, cool, and frost a new cake. She also seemed to forget about said cake and left it out where I could see it on camera. Like I said, that cake has our names on it." The group laughed as Hunk and Pidge raced off to see who would be the first to make it to the kitchen. Keith and Allura followed behind them a few moments later. Lance and Diana walked together a few feet behind their friends sharing a smile. Just before they made it to the kitchen Lance tilted his head so he could whisper in Diana's ear. "So about earlier…I'm wearing you down, hmm?"
Diana let out a chuckle as she tried to hide the fact that Lance's whisper sensually affected her. Diana reached up to Lance's ear to whisper her response. "Only in your dreams, Captain." Lance laughed as they walked into the kitchen.
"Dreams do come true, Diana," Lance replied as Hunk moved the cake to the middle table. Pidge was walking to the table with plates and forks in hand. Keith and Allura were taking down the glasses and getting milk from the fridge respectively. "Especially my dreams," Lance said in a lowered voice so only Diana could hear. Diana walked away to get the napkins to hide her blush. Lance followed and grabbed the pie server next to Diana. "And I just love that blush you're trying to hide," He added in a whisper and moved so it would look like he was trying to corner Diana.
"Hey! Stop trying to corner my teammate and come here with that pie server stat!" Hunk said as the room erupted into snickers. "Remember, we're trying to enjoy the cake before Nanny realizes her mistake of leaving it where Lance could see it in the cameras!"
"Like I said, the cake has our names on it," Lance said as Diana's face slowly returned to its normal color. Smirking, Lance joined the team at the table "Besides, this cake is the last thing on her mind right now as she's trying to go to sleep." Diana grabbed the napkins and finally joined the team at the sizeable round table. Allura sat to Hunk's right, followed by Keith on her right. Lance sat on Keith's right, followed by Diana. Pidge sat at Diana's right and there were two empty spots between Pidge and Hunk. With a smile, Hunk took the pie server and cut the cake into 8 slices. Before anyone could enjoy a slice of cake, everybody froze in their seats as two sets of footsteps entered the kitchen and Nanny's voice hit their ears.
"Don't stop just because I walked in," Nanny said with a humph. The group turned to the door to see Nanny and Coran sharing a bemused look at the door. Allura and Diana shared sheepish grins while Keith, Hunk, and Pidge shared the same we're-busted look. Lance gave Nanny and Coran his best finder's keeper smile. "Coran and I just happened to want that same late-night snack you're about to eat."
"And I see that you thought enough to grab extra plates, glasses, forks, and napkins," Coran said as they joined the team at the table. Coran sat next to Pidge and Nanny sat next to Hunk.
"We are blessed to have such considerate young people, Coran. I believe our future is going to be even brighter than before," Nanny said as Hunk served everyone a piece of the cake while Diana stood up to pour milk into everyone's glasses. For the next 30 minutes, the group enjoyed Nanny's new cake and suggested that it be served for dessert at theupcoming debut ball. Nanny took all the compliments and stated she'd have to include the team in future tastings. "And those tastings will happen at a more decent hour. For now, it's time for everyone to get some sleep." Nanny and Coran left the table as Lance moved everything to the dishwasher. Everyone else except Diana left the kitchen immediately. Diana stopped at the door as Lance closed the dishwasher before starting the cycle. Lance turned to see Diana waiting at the door.
"Is everything ok, beautiful?"
Diana fought the blush that wanted to make a return appearance. "Everything's fine. I just wanted to thank you for just being mindful enough to help cover the blush you gave me."
"Am I mindful enough to have a date with you tomorrow night?"
"No, you rogue," Diana answered before turning to leave the kitchen. "As I said earlier, research something I would want to do for a first date and I might just entertain going on a casual date with you." Diana left the kitchen as Lance turned off the lights and decided to patrol the hallways before going to bed himself. Lance promised himself that he'd have that date by the time The Highbars landed on Arus.
Meanwhile, on Earth….
Lawrence was sitting in his office with his lieutenants and his sergeant. Lawrence just received the orders that confirmed that he and The Highbars were going to join Keith's command in Arus. "It's official, we're going to Arus. It'll be the permanent post for The Highbars and we're going to be under Commander Keith with Diana serving as a liaison between the two teams. We're scheduled to leave two weeks from today."
"Well, luckily we were planning for a new move anyway," Lieutenant Leanne DiLantis stated as she sat up straight in her chair. "Headquarters is nice and all—but it's time for a change of scenery."
"But the families aren't going to be happy for the change. It'll be months to a year before we can get the dependents relocated." Lieutenant Carle Deutech pointed out. "Nobody wants to be away from their families that long. Hell, my wife just enjoyed being in my company again this week."
"But we'll finally get to spread our wings." Sargeant Edward "Sarge" Evers smiled. "Which was something that not only we—but all the dependents wanted anyway. Florida's been nice but we needed our own space for a long time."
"Besides the initial supplies we need for Arus, we'll be carrying a few other things. The customary gift for the monarch, Princess Allura. A few care packages for the Voltron Force. Finally, something we can consider a gift for the Davi-Smythe Lands region. The Alliance heard that Diana wanted to restore Smythe House—so they awarded Diana an unlimited grant. Basically, it's to thank Diana and her family for their service and to help strengthen the bond between the Davi-Smythe Lands, Arus, and the Alliance."
"She's not going to believe us," Leanne said with asmile. "She's going to look for the fine print and exceptions. Then, she's going to try to find a way of not accepting the gift. On top of all that, Smythe House is her family's ancestral estate." Leanne paused before speaking again. "She's not going to let us help her. They should have just sent more supplies for the region."
"Good luck with presenting her with the grant. I'm not going to do that—I know better," Carle and Sarge said together. Lawrence turned to look at Leanne to see if she'd handle presenting the gift to Diana. Leanne shook her head no. Lawrence growled as his officers failed to hide their amusement.
"Chickens," Lawrence responded with a frown. "Fine, I'll present the gifts. I don't understand why you're backing out of presenting the grant anyway," Lawrence paused for a moment as the group rolled their eyes at him. "First of all, Diana will only glance at the details. Second, she'll accept the gift with a smile. Lastly, she'll let us help her with the renovations." In response, the room erupted in laughter as Lawrence's frown deepened. Sarge stopped laughing enough to remind Lawrence that they were talking about Diana and pointed out to Lawrence that his attitude might be one of the reasons for the break-up. Once the laughter stopped, the room was quiet again.
"So…do you think Diana is ready to see you daily again?" Sarge asked seriously after a few quiet moments.
"The bigger question is whether our Captain here is ready to see a post-breakup Diana?" Leanne added. Sarge and Carle responded that Leanne made a good point seeing that Lawrence wasn't taking the break-up as well as he thought he was. Lawrence even made an unwritten rule not to mention Diana or their relationship around him.
"Anyway, let's wrap this up," Lawrence said with a warning tone. He asked several times for his leadership team not to mention Diana in his presence. And each time they ignored it. Their continued refusal always got on his last nerve. "Sarge, confirm what we'll need for the trip to Arus and what we'll need for the first quarter we're there. Leanne set up the meeting for the single troops. Carle, you get to set up the meeting for the troops with dependents. I'll finish filing all of the other paperwork needed to get things rolling," Lawrence paused to look at his officers again. "Meeting dismissed." The group saluted each other before Lawrence was left alone in his office.
With a sigh, Lawrence pulled out a picture he had of Diana and stared at it for a few moments. Lawrence took the picture of Diana roughly about a year ago and it was one of the rare moments that he just had to record. It happened the morning after they attended a gala together. Diana surprisingly agreed to stay overnight at Lawrence's apartment and just finished having breakfast when he took the picture of her sitting on the window seat looking at him. The sunlight in the background brought out the reddish-brown highlights in her hair while capturing the sparkle in her uncharacteristically lighter brown eyes. The sunlight also made her blue camisole top sparkle in the picture while Diana's sultry smile could warm even the coldest blood.
Every time he looked at the picture, it reminded Lawrence how much he wanted Diana to be the love of his life. The night she stayed at his apartment was amazing. They kissed, cuddled, and spoke sweet things until they fell asleep. Those were the moments when Lawrence knew he was ultimately in love with Diana and promised that he would do anything to keep Diana in his life as his only love. Little did he know that a couple of months later he would be called away on a mission that took way too much time to complete. "Hopefully, I can reconcile our romantic relationship on Arus," Lawrence thought before putting Diana's picture back in a drawer and started working on the papers he needed to finalize for the move to Arus.
Two and a half weeks later, on Arus; the Voltron Force, Diana, Coran, Nanny, and the castle's Honor Guard were waiting for the ship carrying The Highbars to land. The ship was sighted in orbit roughly about 15 minutes ago and everyone made their way to greet the new soldiers. Diana, Allura, Keith, and Coran were waiting in a line a few feet away from the rest of the team and Nanny. The Honor Guard was standing a little further away. It wasn't too long before the ship was visible on the ground and everyone on the tarmac watched as the ship landed in front of them.
A few minutes later, the Langley landed on the tarmac. It wasn't too long before The Highbars walked down the ramp and stopped between the ship and where Diana, Allura, Keith, and Coran stood. They all placed their backpacks next to them as Lawrence, Carle, Leanne, and Sarge walked down the ramps and stood in front of their team and placed their duffel bags next to them before all The Highbars saluted their welcoming committee.
With a smile, everyone representing Arus on the tarmac saluted The Highbars back before both groups cheered. Lawrence, Carle, Leanne, and Sarge met Diana, Allura, Keith, and Coran in the middle before bowing to Allura. "Welcome to Planet Arus and the Castle of Lions! The people of Arus have been waiting years for this wonderful day."
"Thank you, your Highness. We're pleased to have the pleasure of being the first full detachment to serve the Alliance on Arus. The Highbars are at your service." Lawrence bent down and kissed Allura's hand before returning to his full height. Allura and Lawrence walked together as he introduced his leadership team to her. "This is Sargeant Edward Evers," Sarge smiled before bowing to Allura again and said that Allura could call him Sarge. Allura smiled and said out loud that she hoped he'd enjoy his stay in the Castle of Lions. "And this is 2nd Lieutenant Carle Deutech." Carle smiled and bowed to Allura before Allura said that she apologized for taking him away from his family on Earth. Carle responded that it's part of the job and that his family will join him here soon enough. "And finally, this is my right-hand woman, 1st Lieutenant Leanne DiLantis." Leanne smiled and bowed to Allura again before Allura complimented Leanne on her excellent record and hoped to pick up some pointers from her. Leanne responded that she hoped to learn from Allura as well.
Allura then complimented Lawrence on his record as well before leading him and his leadership team so they could be introduced (and in Diana's case, re-introduced) to the main leaders. Allura started with Coran. "This is our Royal Advisor, Coran Smythe—he's also the Duke of Davi." Lawrence shook hands with Coran before shaking his hand. Lawrence then stated it was an honor to meet Coran not only because of the titles but alsobecause of how often Diana mentioned her uncle. Coran chuckled and said it was a pleasure to meet a distinguished officer. Carle, Leanne, and Sarge all shook Coran's hand and said it was an honor to be working with him and meet a member of Diana's family. Coran smiled and told them he was always available to help them with anything on Arus.
Lawrence was then introduced to Keith. Lawrence saluted Keith as Allura introduced them. "This is Commander Keith Kogane, captain of the Voltron Force." The men shook hands. Lawrence stated how honored he was to be serving under Keith's command. Keith smiled and said he was happy to have more help. Carle, Leanne, and Sarge also shook Keith's hand and stated how much they admired Keith and looked forward to working under him. Keith commended the group for their service record.
The group was then finally reunited with Diana. "And you all know, Marchioness and Captain Diana Smythe-Williams. She'll be working closely with you here on Arus." The group saluted Diana before speaking.
"It's always a pleasure to be in your presence, Diana," Lawrence greeted before shaking, then kissing Diana's hand. Lawrence was still holding Diana's hand when Diana responded.
"It's nice to be working with you again, Lawrence," Diana said with a smile, fighting back the old romantic vibes she was feeling from him.
"Congratulations on your promotion,"
"Thank you, it was a pleasant surprise," Diana said as Lawrence finally released her hand. Diana saluted the lieutenants and Sarge who then returned the salutes. Diana was then quickly hugged one by one before they congratulated Diana on her promotion. After being released from the hugs, the officers spoke.
"I'm so glad that I'll be working closely with you again, Diana," Leanne said with a smile.
"Same here. Have you been taking good care of Lawrence?" Diana asked.
"As much as he lets me," Leanne said before laughing with Diana.
"Which is no easy thing," Carle added. "But I was thrilled to hear that I'll be reuniting with one of my favorite people in the galaxy."
"I'm sure it's not an easy thing with Lawrence," Diana answered before chuckling with Carle. "How's the family?"
"Sad that they don't get to stay in the castle with me. Mad that he's left out of an adventure so far. Resigned to the fact that she'll have to do everything by herself again the next few months."
"We'll take pictures of the castle for the twins," Diana started. "Next time I'm flying around, I'll take pictures for Junior," She continued. "We should have her and the family visit in a few months and she can enjoy Lady Hys' legendary hospitality and your company before the big move."
"I miss hearing your quick solutions," Carle said with a smile and a laugh before making room so Sarge could have his time with Diana.
"I finally made it to Arus," Sarge said with a smile. "And I'm glad that getting stuff done will be much easier with you around again."
"Welcome, Sarge," Diana said with a smile. "The room assignments are done and getting printed out now." Sarge chuckled as Diana continued answering Sarge's unspoken questions. "We have the enlisted staying with some of the other enlisted. The officers with the officers. I think you'll like your roommate."
"We'll see. I haven't had a roommate in years." Sarge went to stand behind Lawrence.
Lance was watching all the interactions from where he was standing with Pidge, Hunk, and Nanny. He was happy about the salute greeting they shared. He was amused by how Lawrence and the team gushed about Keith and Coran. Lance even loved seeing the interactions between Diana and the officers of The Highbars. The only thing Lance didn't like so far was Lawrence's interactions with Diana. Lance remembered what Diana said about her last boyfriend and then what she said about The Highbars a couple of weeks ago. It finally dawned on him that Lawrence was Diana's last boyfriend. Lance could tell that Lawrence wasn't over the break up with Diana yet—and it was even more evidenced when he kissed Diana's hand and released it several moments later. "I don't like him, I don't like him at all."
"Who?" Hunk asked. "Their captain?" Lance nodded his response to Hunk's questions.
"You haven't even met the man yet," Hunk pointed out.
"Don't need to. My instincts."
"Or maybe you might be jealous because he's pretty familiar with Diana," Pidge pointed out as he eavesdropped on the conversation between his teammates.
"I never get jealous. Just something about him."
"Or maybe you're seeing a reflection of yourself and now you want to be conscious," Pidge added as he shrugged his shoulders. "Just don't act out on your instincts right now."
"Fine, I won't," Lance promised as he watched Diana walk to address the rest of The Highbars while Lawrence and his officers were walking towards them. Lance mentally straightened himself up and was ready to be introduced to The Highbars officers. Allura smiled as she approached Lance first.
"It's my greatest pleasure to introduce you to our newly promoted Captain Lance McClain. He's second-in-command of the Voltron Force," Allura introduced Lance to the group. "Lance, meet Captain Lawrence Wiley, Lieutenants Leanne DiLantis and Carle Deutech, and Sargent Edward Evers," Allura stated moving her hand to each person respectively. Lance and the soldiers saluted each other before shaking Lawrence's hand.
"Nice to meet you. I heard that you're a great marksman."
"I'm one of the best," Lance said as he took his hand back. "I heard that you're not too bad at marksmanship, yourself."
"I don't miss," Lawrence said. "I would love to see your skills at work."
"Same here," Lance replied before Lawrence shook his head in understanding. Lawrence stepped away while Leanne approached Lance next.
"It's an honor to meet you, Captain," Leanne said as she shook Lance's hand. "Your piloting skills are legendary."
"Thank you," Lance replied. "I look forward to working with you these next few weeks," Leanne responded with a smile and stated she was looking forward to the next few weeks as well. Carle smiled as he shook hands with Lance before sharing that he was looking forward to learning from Lance. Lance told Carle to save that thought until a few weeks from now after Lance finishes training them. Carle laughed as Sarge finally shook hands with Lance. Lance immediately felt a kindred spirit with Sarge and the two easily shared a joke before the group was introduced to Hunk. Lance listened as the other introductions were made for a few moments before getting the notification that the room assignments were finished printing. Lance quickly walked back into the castle for a moment to meet with the guard who was delivering the assignments. After a quick thanks, Lance walked back to the tarmac.
"Lance, can you make sure that Diana gets the officer assignments?" Coran asked, noticing that Lance had the room assignments in his hands.
"Sure," Lance replied as he walked to where The Highbars were still standing. Diana just finished talking with all the members of the group and noticed that Lance had the assignments in his hands. "Captain Smythe-Williams, I have their room assignments here. You get to show the officers their rooms,"
Diana quickly smiled to hide her displeasure at the change of plans—she really wanted to keep a little distance between her and Lawrence. Something in the back of her mind kept saying that she was going to receive a surprise she wasn't ready for. Lance caught the slight slip but didn't say anything as Diana spoke to the team again.
"Captain McClain has the honor of showing you to your rooms," Diana said with a smile. "He's also a better tour guide of the castle than I am."
"But you stayed here before!" One of the troops yelled out.
"In the old castle. This is the new castle," Diana responded before sticking her tongue out. The team laughed as Diana took the officer room assignments from Lance. As Diana walked to the officers, she stopped and spoke with Sarge for a few moments before sharing a quick laugh. Diana walked and joined the officers while Sarge made it to Lance's side. Sarge stated he'd worry about his room later and was eager to make sure his team was settled in their new rooms. Lance nodded and the group walked towards the castle.
Meanwhile, Diana returned to Coran's side with the officer room assignments in her hand. Diana made it in time to see Lawrence handing Allura a plaque that highlighted how Arus was a full member of the Galaxy Alliance along with a box filled with some of the best things from Earth. Allura thanked Lawrence for presenting her with the gifts and smiled at the thought of enjoying some of the goodies in the comfort of her room later. Keith discretely told Diana that Lawrence made sure to bring care packages for the team—including one from her own grandmother. Diana discretely thanked Keith as Allura hugged her gifts tightly.
Lawrence immediately noticed that Diana returned to the group and smiled at the opportunity to finally give Diana the gift the Alliance wanted her to have. "We also have a gift for the Smythe and Smythe-Williams family," Lawrence said with a smile knowing that with Coran and Allura present, Diana would accept the gift more openly. Lawrence handed Diana the manilla envelope. Diana opened the envelope and gasped in surprise. "The Alliance bestows this unlimited grant to the Smythe family, particularly Diana Smythe-Williams so that Smythe House can be fully renovated." Lawrence paused for a few moments as he watched Diana process receiving the gift. Diana handed the envelope to Coran so he could see the documents and the cards. "The gift was done to help celebrate Diana's recent promotion while hoping to instill a sense of reconciliation between the Davi-Smythe Lands and Arus with the Alliance." Lawrence hid his smirk as Coran handed Diana the envelope again.
"This is a great honor and gift…but I couldn't possibly accept—"
"Diana, this grant will solve the financial issues you were trying to work around," Coran interjected. "And by using the grant, we can use more of the resources put aside for the house on the people and recovery efforts." Diana sighed softly in response.
"Are there any conditions for this wonderful gift?" Diana asked.
"As you glanced through the documents, no strings attached. Galaxy Alliance and Garrison simply hope that this will help restore the faith between Arus and Galaxy Alliance. Even more so in your mother's homeland of Davi-Smythe."
Diana sighed again before speaking. "Thank you for this wonderful gift. We gladly accept it. In fact," Diana started. "I'll reach out to the villages and cities to see if we can gather the craftspeople to help. Smythe House belongs to the people of Davi-Smythe Lands more than it does to my family."
"My team can handle the project," Lawrence said as he ignored the I-told-you-so looks from Carle and Leanne. "Let us help." Let me help Lawrence silently pleaded.
"I'm firm on this. It was the people of Davi-Smythe who built the house and I can't let them miss being a major part of the renovation process," Diana replied firmly. "With the combined group of craftspeople and the soldiers, we can effectively finish the process sooner."
"They did say that you can use the grant in any way you please," Lawrence said with a smile. "Send the word out. We can start the project as soon as the day after tomorrow."
"One thing that's certain with the renovations-we know your ship will have to land outside of Smythe since it's the largest city closest to the house," Coran pointed out.
Lawrence nodded his head in agreement before turning to face Diana again. He could tell that Diana was still processing the gift and all the possibilities it gave her with the house. "You'll enjoy this labor of love with us onsite?" Lawrence asked Diana. The question made Diana speechless as she was hearing notes of a double entendre in the question.
"I…I…" Diana started to say. The words she wanted to say just seemed to be lodged in her throat.
"Yes, she'll be onsite personally," Coran answered for Diana with a smile. Diana smiled back at Coran in gratefulness before facing Lawrence again.
"I'll be there personally," Diana repeated. While it was true that she was due for a break from her routine at the castle, she wasn't looking forward tospending so much time with Lawrence already. Coran, Allura, and Keith welcomed the officers again before leaving the group to head to different parts of the castle. Diana turned back to the officers with a pleasant smile on her face. "I know you all are probably a little tired right now—but please give me the pleasure of escorting you to your rooms."
"We'll love that," Leanne said. "And maybe later you can give us a full tour of the castle?"
"Of course," Diana said with a smile. The group walked into the castle and Diana gave them a quick abridged tour of the castle before taking an elevator to the officers' floor. Diana highlighted the shared lounge and introduced Lawrence, Carle, and Leanne to some of the officers taking advantage of a few quiet moments. Moments later, Diana stopped at the second door on the right from the open space. "Carle, this is your room. Your roommate is Lt. Sean Davi." Diana knocked on the door, which was quickly answered by an older gentleman. The lieutenant saluted the officers before speaking.
"Lady Diana! I'm honored to host Lt. Deutech," Lt. Davi said with a smile before extending his hand to Carle. Carle smiled back before Davi took his bag and placed it inside. Lt. Davi urged Carle inside the room and pointed out his side of the room. "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be back in there in a few moments." Lt. Davi closed the door before facing Diana again. "I'll treat him like family. By the way, thank you for all the supplies you and Captain McClain gave in Davi a few weeks ago. It relieved a great stress for the city."
"It was our greatest pleasure," Diana said with a smile as the lieutenant quickly bowed to her before joining his new roommate. Diana turned and led Leanne and Lawrence two doors down and on the left side of the hall. "Leanne, this is your room. Your roommate is Lt. Aida Kitt." Diana knocked on the door which was also promptly answered. The young officer quickly saluted the party before hugging Diana.
"Lady Diana! I'm honored to see you and of course, my new roommate!"
"Lt. Aida Kitt please meet Lt. Leanne DiLantis—your new roommate." Kitt hugged Leanne before taking her bag.
"Come in Lt. DiLantis! You have the left side of the room—and it has the better views, too. Get comfortable!" Kitt closed the door behind them without saying another word. Lawrence laughed a second later as he was finally left alone with Diana.
"It seems that you have charmed the people of Arus, Lady Smythe-Williams," Lawrence said as he took a couple of steps closer to Diana. Diana took a step back. She wasn't ready to be so close to Lawrence yet.
"It's the other way around, Captain Wiley," Diana answered. "The people of Arus have charmed me."
"After all this time and you want to revert to our titles?" Lawrence asked. "We know each other personally and nobody else is around right now." He stepped closer to Diana.
"True as it might be, you used my title first," Diana said. "Besides, it's like we're starting over from day one."
"Or we could start from day 182," Lawrence suggested as he placed a hand on Diana's shoulder.
"We already discussed this weeks ago. We're starting back to day 1," Diana said as she turned to shake Lawrence's hand off her shoulder. Lawrence quietly sighed as he followed Diana to the room at the end of the hall. "Captain Wiley, this is your room. Your roommate is Captain Asher Hys." Diana knocked on the door and the younger, burly male version of Nanny answered the door. The captain saluted Diana and Lawrence before speaking.
"I'm honored to see you again, Lady Diana."
"It's always an honor to see you again, Captain Hys," Diana started before smiling. "Asher, are we seriously using our titles after knowing each other since childhood?" Asher's parents died when he was 5 and Nanny gained custody of him. Asher was just part of Diana's summers in Arus as was Allura, Coran, Garrett, and Nanny. In fact, Diana and Asher were each other's first teenage crushes. When Asher returned to the castle after a two-week break, he was pleasantly surprised to bump into Diana while she was walking with Coran to his office for a history refresher session. Later that night, the two quickly reconnected as friends and enjoyed an evening of jokes and insults along with catching up on the past few years since they last saw each other.
The burly captain laughed for a few moments. "Never know when my aunt or her spies roam the halls." Diana laughed in response before speaking again.
"Point well taken. Captain Asher Hys, this is Captain Lawrence Wiley. He's your roommate and a good friend of mine."
"Pleasure meeting you, Captain Wiley. Come on in and relax—your half of the suite is on the right," Asher stepped away from the door to allow Lawrence into the room. When Lawrence cleared the doorway, Asher returned to the door frame. "By the way, congratulations on the promotion to Captain, Diana."
"Thank you, Asher. We'll have to celebrate our equal rank soon. I'll see you later, Captain Hys. Enjoy your nap, Captain Wiley," Diana called out as she started walking down the hallway.
"Don't worry, your ex is in good hands with me," Asher called out behind her. Diana gasped and quickly turned around to face Asher.
"Wait a minute, I didn't tell anyone about us. How did you know?"
"I didn't…but you just confirmed it for me," Asher responded with a smile. "It was just a wild guess with a little personal experience thrown in. But mostly a wild guess."
"Bastard. I swear you've been hanging around Captain McClain too much." Diana said as she returned to the door with her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Not as much as you have, Vixen," Asher said with an amused smile. "If I didn't know better—"
"But you do, my friend," Diana interrupted. "I've said it before and I'll say it again-there's nothing going on between Lance and me."
"Not from a lack of trying on his part," Asher smugly replied. "To be honest, you're holding out a lot longer than even I thought you would."
"Because I just don't have the time or inclination to right now. Just like I just don't have the time or inclination to go back and forth with you right now."
"Allegedly." Diana rolled her eyes at Asher's response before turning to leave the hallway. "Maybe I should join the Guards betting pool on when you'll finally succumb to the Captain's charms. Maybe I'll wager when your eyes will stop rolling at the mention of McClain." Diana fought the urge to turn around and slap Asher. At least his teasing took her mind off of Lawrence for the moment. Diana took a few steps before speaking again.
"See you later Bastard," Diana called out pausing before correcting herself. "Later Gator."
"Don't take a long while Vixen," Asher called back automatically as he started to close his door. He also paused to correct himself. "After a while Crocodile." The two friends chuckled before moving again.
When Diana made it to the stairs leading up to her floor, she bumped into Lance. Lance just left the other wing after making sure that Sarge was comfortably settled with his new roommate—who just happened to have the same personality he did. "Fancy meeting you here, Diana," Lance teased. "I would never thought—" Lance and Diana started going up the stairs together.
"Stop it," Diana interrupted as she laughed. "I just survived another encounter with Asher's teasing. Although it did improve my mood a little."
"Ahh, so you're not down in the dumps anymore?" Lance asked. "I heard in passing about going to Smythe House without the comforts of Red Lion or my company?"
Diana paused on the step she was on. "How did you know? I'm starting to believe that the castle walls really have ears today."
"I told you my instincts are amazing. The castle grapevine doesn't work that well. I saw how quickly you fake-smiled. Allura does the same thing. It must be part of an Arusian noblewoman's training," Diana chuckled for a few moments. "Hopefully when you check your messages, my message will cheer you up. Give it a read and meet me in the usual place at the usual time tonight."
Diana nodded yes as they arrived on their floor. Diana started for her room when Lance gently pulled Diana back to him.
"I just wanted to say that I'm willing to wait for our relationship. I understand you're not ready for a committed relationship…probably because of your history with Captain Wiley."
"How did you know? I never mentioned his name or our relationship in the past. Also, that's why I experienced Asher's teasing this time."
"My instincts. Try to keep up, milady," Lance said as he tutted Diana before continuing. "I just know." Lance lowered his head slightly so he could whisper into Diana's ear. "You just don't know—one of these days I'm going to rock your world." Diana gasped in surprise again as she speechlessly watched Lance straighten up. "If nothing else, read my message." Diana watched as Lance walked into the Voltron wing before turning and walking to her room. After settling into her comfortable armchair, Diana opened up her datapad and brought up her email program first.
After sending a message out to all the craftspeople she knew in the Davi-Smythe Lands, Diana opened up the Castle's IntraMessage app and looked through the messages to find the one Lance sent to her. Diana quickly read the message before letting out a surprised shout. Diana couldn't believe it—but Lance managed to meet her challenge to him from the night they learned that Lawrence and The Highbars were coming to Arus. Lance managed to get her interested in a date with him. She was even more surprised how Lance used a bold and underline font on the "No Strings Attached" part of the date. Lance was offering the experience of having a date with no expectations of something more. Diana read the message a few more times to make sure before closing the app and looking through several responses to her email about Smythe House renovations.
Hours later, Diana arrived at her usual table with Lance in the castle library. Lance was already settled into his side of the table. His laptop was on the table with his datapad steady in his hands as he was editing some of his flight lessons. Diana smiled and took her usual seat before taking out her datapad and laptop. Lance looked up and gave Diana a bright smile.
"Thanks for meeting me…again," Lance greeted. "So…did you read it?"
"Read what?" Diana answered with a grin as she played with her datapad for a few moments.
"You know what!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Diana answered as she pretended to pull up one of her projects.
"Did you re—" Lance stopped when Diana looked up to face him with a smile. He was speechless and completely caught in the spell Diana's eyes were casting over him. Diana flipped her datapad to show that it was still on its default screen.
"Yes," Diana simply said.
"Yes?"
"That's what I said. Try to keep up," Diana replied. "Yes."
"Yes to what?"
"Yes to our No Strings Attached Date," Diana said smiling even brighter. "When I return from Smythe House. That night." Lance smiled and replied it's a date. They laughed for a few moments before digging into their projects. Diana asked Lance for his insights into a couple of regions Diana never visited before in Arus. In turn, Lance asked Diana for some of her insights regarding the lessons he was updating for The Highbars. "If you add another two rolls, they won't know what hit them."
"I think I'll take that idea. Are you sure you weren't a flight instructor? And I thought I was devious in the skies."
"My father had a turn as a flight instructor. He taught me how to fly—"
"Anything and the boxes they came in," Lawrence finished Diana's brag. Diana looked up from her datapad and noticed that Lawrence was standing next to her.
"How can we help you, Captain?" Lance asked as he stared at Lawrence. He wasn't too pleased that someone interrupted their late-night library session. Diana returned to her datapad to hide her displeasure at the interruption.
"I was looking for Diana and was told she could be found in the library this time of night."
"Well, you found me. What's up?" Diana asked, looking up from her datapad again.
"Can you walk through the courtyard with me? I have some questions."
"You could just look it up," Lance muttered under his breath. "Or better yet, wait until morning."
"Actually, I need to keep working on my new projects here," Diana replied showing her datapad and laptop.
"I insist."
"I can't go. I see that you still won't take no for an answer," Diana stated,making a note in her datapad.
"It's one of my most enduring traits, remember?" Lawrence answered, taking in Diana's purple oversized shirt and the pink camisole underneath it. Lawrence couldn't see what color Diana's jeans were but he wouldn't be surprised if they were purple or a combination of purple and pink. Lawrence also thought that Diana was probably also wearing a pair of purple sneakers, too.
Lance stood up and got Lawrence's attention. "I believe the lady refused your offer of a walk. So, you'll just have to take no for an answer."
Diana looked at Lance, then at Lawrence. Sighing, she closed the app she was using—then her laptop. Diana didn't want a scene to happen in the library—and especially a scene over her. "It's ok, gentlemen. I'm a bit tired tonight anyway. I have another early day tomorrow," Diana stood up as she put her datapad and laptop into her tote bag before standing up and pushing her chair in. Diana also released a fake yawn before speaking again. "Let's call it a night, Lance. Want to walk me to our floor?"
"Yes, I sure would," Lance said as he closed both his datapad and laptop before putting them into their respective sleeves. Lance stood up and pushed his chair in as well.
"Have a great evening, Captain Wiley," Diana said as she walked past Lawrence. Lawrence gently grabbed Diana's arm to Lance's displeasure. He was rewarded with seeing that Diana paired her tops with purple skinny jeans and her favorite pair of flats.
"Really, Diana? Titles again?" Diana released her arm as Lawrence asked the questions. "It would be my pleasure to walk you to your room."
"I'm on a different floor and wouldn't dare take you out of your way."
"I'll count it as a pleasure," Lawrence countered. Diana sighed as she could see that a scene was going to happen anyway when she glanced at Lance's face. Fortunately, Keith walked into the library and the tensions started to simmer away.
"Lawrence, can we talk in my office? There are a few things I wanted to go over with you."
"That's fine, Commander. Lead the way," Lawrence said saluting Keith. Keith returned the salute and the two men left the library. Diana released the breath she didn't know she was holding as Lance asked if she wanted to stay in the library or go to their rooms early. Diana answered she wanted to go back to her room as she put her right hand in the front pocket of her purple skinny jeans. Lance replied with an ok before walking Diana to their floor and stopped at the rec room. At that point, Lance and Diana were facing each other, giving Lance an unhindered view of Diana's oversized shirt, the camisole strap peeking through the exposed shoulder, the purple skinny jeans that hugged Diana's body, and finally the pair of purple flats.
"See you in the morning," Lance said with a smile, anticipating what Diana might wear for their early morning workout.
"See you in the morning, Lance," Diana answered with a smile. "And thank you for picking up on all of my hints today."
"All part of the package I've been trying to get you to pick up," Lance replied with a brighter smile. Diana rolled her eyes at Lance before she waved goodbye. "Anybody ever tell you that if you keep rolling her eyes, you're going to have sight issues? Can't fly any of the Lions without sight."
Diana laughed in response as she walked down her hallway. Lance enjoyed watching Diana's hips sway as she walked to her room. If nothing else, Lance promised himself that he would always find a way to make Diana laugh, chuckle, or smile-one way or another.