Chapter Text
Pidge felt an intensity build within the paladin bond. But with her own emotions running wild, she was unable to determine the source. Taking a deep breath, she calmed her mind and concentrated on the view in front of her. Her mind raced as Green virtual hugged her and took flight without her paladin. She wanted to scream for her lion, all the lions to stay, but she knew it was pointless.
Lance’s marking glowed and he smiled. “Allura wants us to know that the lions are needed elsewhere, that we will be okay without them.” He reached up and run his fingers over his mark on his left cheek. “They will be missed as are you are Allura.”
After a moment of silence, Keith turned right and gave his attention to Lance. His voice held a note of sadness that echoed in the open space. “If you need anything, we are here for you.”
Dropping his hand from his face, he smiled. “She would want us to see this as a happy moment. She is beyond our reach, but she will always look out for us.” Glancing back at the Castle, Lance smiled at the approaching Coran.
“Where are the lions going?” Coran panted, as he reached the team, he eyes scanned their faces for answers. “When will they come back?”
Shiro stepped forward and smiled. “They had to go. It was time.” When Coran started to cry, Shiro held up his hands. “Coran, let’s toast the fact we don’t need them. They will be able to help others.” Shiro lead Coran away, but turned back toward the others. “All of you are welcome to board the Atlas tomorrow. We will get you home.”
Hunk’s stomach grumbled causing him to rub the back of his head with his hand. “Guess, I’m hungry. How about you Lance.”
Lance smiled at his longtime friend. “Let’s get you food. I helped Coran put the food away earlier, I know right where it is.” He faced Keith for a moment and whispered. “Thanks for the offer, but I feel this is a good thing. We can all move on with our lives now.”
Hunk and Lance walked away chatting about what food they would find.
Pidge turned to Keith and found him deep in thought. She pivoted to leave, but heard him step toward her. “I’m fine,” she snapped.
“It is okay to be sad and miss…”
“Keith, save it. I’m going back to bed.” Pidge stormed out not stopping when he called her name.
By the time she got to her room, she let the tears fall. Her chest tightened as she collapsed to her knees causing her to clutch her shirt. Powerless to stop the onslaught of pain, she quietly sobbed in the dark. Out of nowhere a strong but silent comfort wrapped around her from the Paladin bond. When she focused hard, she found Keith at the other end.
Pulling herself to her feet, Pidge grabbed her picture of her night stand of Matt and her at the Garrison before the Kerberos mission. The thought of going to bed only lasted a few seconds as she sat down. She knew sleep would never come for her mind would focus on Green. Her mind drifted to, ‘the others were happy, why can’t she?’ Concentrating on the Paladin bond, she felt a familiar sadness. Her crying stopped as did her chest pain so she headed toward the door.
Before she knew it, she stood face to face with Keith. Something about his red pajamas and dishevel hair made her hesitate when he opened the door wider and motioned for her to come inside his room. Her voice matched her uneasiness, “did I wake you?”
Keith chuckled as he gently touched her shoulder and pulled her into his room. “I was not asleep.” He closed the door and waited a moment for her to get her bearings. “Besides, I may not be the Black Paladin anymore, but I am still your friend.”
Moving deeper into his room she stopped next to his bed. His words triggered Pidge to tighten her grip on her picture. Whispering more to herself than him. “You will always be the Black Paladin to me.”
He sat on the edge of his bed across from the door and patted the spot to his left. “Well, thank you. That means a lot coming from you.” The confused look caused him to elaborate. “I would have thought you preferred Shiro to me as your leader.” He watched her as she surveyed his room. “Did you want to sit and talk?”
Pidge sat next to him and they both let out a sigh. “I thought you had more weapons in here.”
He laughed again as he leaned back on his elbows. “I have what I need.” He pointed at his knife from his night stand. Then, got a better view of her picture an asked without thinking. “Why are you carrying Matt’s picture?”
She handed it over without a thought. “Just comparing old me to new me.”
His eyes scanned it and then passed it back. “I like the short hair. It suits you better. But long is cute too.”
“Thanks.” She set the picture on the edge of the bed. “Do you think Allura realized you liked her?”
“No. She seemed happy with Lance, so I didn’t want to complicate things. I know we weren’t meant to be. I moved on and am ready to find my place.” Sitting back up, he twisted slightly to see her face better. “Do you want to tell Lance about your feelings?”
“No. It seemed selfish. Plus, I’m not sure that is what I want now. I’m not sure what I want, but I am comfortable being just friends with him.”
“Pidge, I’m sure if the lions need us, they will be back.”
She offered a weak smile as she twisted to face him better. “We say we won, but we didn’t. We lost Allura, our lions, Ryner, many allies and friends. What will become of us if the Paladins no longer have lions? Can we call ourselves Paladins anymore?”
He reached out and wiped a tear away causing her to shy away. Keith only smiled as he pulled her into a hug and she started to cry again. “We will always have a bond. We will always be Paladins to the depths of our souls no matter if we have lions or not.” He stroked her hair and held her close as she wrapped her arms around him. “Ryner would be proud of what you did for her people. Allura said she could never repay you for giving up your game for her happiness. Lance values your friendship more than you can see. Green would never leave, if you truly needed her.”
When she finally pulled away, Pidge noticed the tear on his cheek. She reached up and wiped it away with her finger. “Thank you.” Glancing down she noticed the front of his shirt was wet from her tears. “I’m sorry for…”
Her eyes found his as he chuckled. “Pidge, tears are the least of my problem. Typically, my shirts see sweat, possibly blood. My shirt could handle a little water.” He waited a moment while checking their bond. “This is the part where I say something that might upset you.” At her nod yes, he continued. “You can be fearless in a fight, but when it comes to friendship you seem afraid. You need to work on trusting others.”
“I have friends. I trust people.” Defensively she snapped as she shifted away from him.
Keith frowns as she glances toward the door. “Just think about it. The next time someone asks to hang out, you might find it fun to interact with something other than a computer.”
“Really? What about you?”
He stood up and snatched a pillow from the side of the bed, threw it to the left side of the head board. Then, he walked around the right side of the bed. “You are welcome to stay and talk, but I need to get comfortable.” Keith stretched, yawned and then pulled back the covers. He crawled inside and repositioned the covers on his side. “I am making friends, but it is weird. Some of them want to hang out because I’m a Paladin or cause I’m half Galra. It can be hard to see the difference.”
Pidge moved to lay next to him and snickered. “Your bed is to soft. How do you sleep like this? It is like we are on clouds.”
He laughed at her as she covered herself with his blanket. “Maybe the guardian spirit of the sky, likes to sleep on clouds.” She yawned as he resisted the urge to repeat her. “The guardian spirit of the forest likes strange places. Anywhere that is uncomfortable, such as the floor, chairs, under desks and my personal favorite, the lunchroom table.”
She snorted as she finally stopped moving. “I don’t try to go to sleep at any of those places. I just have a hard time shutting my brain off to go to sleep. Next thing you know, I have a kink in my neck and my leg is asleep.”
“I sleep better here than on my mom’s ship.” He blushed slightly when he realized he said it aloud. “Please don’t tell her.”
“Your secret is safe.” She was lost in thought for a moment, then sighed. “Is the ship uncomfortable or unfriendly?”
Keith snorted as he sat up on an elbow. “It weird, different than the Castle. Zethrid wants me to know that she is sorry for what happened to you. She wants to send you a gift to apologize for the torture she inflicted on you. Not sure what that would look like anyway. Ezor said to stick with her original apology and let it go.” He chuckled again when Pidge grimaced. “Kolivan and my mom are great, very supportive. Side note, I think they are friends with benefits.”
Pidge covered her laugh with a cough and had to sit up to calm her body down. “Wow. What’s that like?” She glance back over her shoulder.
“Actually, I would be okay if they were in a relationship.” Waiting for her to get comfortable, he realized she had a blush on her cheeks. “Relationships are different for Galra. It sounds complicated and very frustrating.” Yawning again, he covered his mouth this time. “Axca asks me questions all the time about Terrain mating rules, like I know. If I didn’t know any better, she either likes Veronica or M…” He froze with his eyes wide as he tried to figure out what to say.
Pidge smiled at him and then smirked. “I don’t think it is Matt, I bet it’s James.” She snickered as Keith moved closer. “I have no proof yet, but I bet Matt and Veronica are together. I saw them kissing once. Afterward they act really weird around each other in public, especially if they know I am around.”
“Does Lance know?”
“I’m not telling him and don’t you either.” Mortified at the thought of telling Lance about his sister’s interest, Pidge shook her head no. “Is Hunk seeing Shay or Romelle?”
“No clue.” Easing back down to his pillow, Keith shook his head. “What about you, do you think you will love again?”
Smiling and blushing, Pidge stared at the ceiling. “I can see falling in love with someone who loves me back. One day, I would get married, have kids, visit planets and help others. All as long as I get to be me.”
His voice sounded proud and in awe of his friend. “A little genius named Pidge, who’s not afraid to kick butt. A force of Nature.”
“Katie.” Her eyes met his and neither could look away. “My name is really Katie, not Pidge.”
“Yes, I know.” His eyes searched for something, but she couldn’t tell what. “We had just got the Red lion back from the Galra ship. You said Katie Rose left the building. Before that I wondered if you were a girl. However, in that moment, I knew. I figured if you wanted everyone to know you would say something.”
Her blush darkened and she stared at him. “What about you? Do you want to get married someday, have kids?”
“Not sure I would be good at it. For the right person, probably. Depending on what she wanted.”
Without thinking she reached out and touched the start of the scar on his face. “It makes you look dangerous.” She traced the scar until she reached his chin. “Thank you for tonight. I needed this. I didn’t expect to feel this way. Green’s departure will change my life.”
“For you any time.”
She pulled herself out of his bed and shook her head in disbelief. “I’m going back to my room to sleep on my floor. It has to be better than this.” She was rewarded with a chuckle. “Good night Keith.”
“Good night Pidge.”
She nodded at the door and closed it behind her. As she journeyed to her room, she passed Coran and Shiro while they discussed old times. Neither seamed to acknowledge her.
Then, she spotted Lance and Hunk off in the flowers goofing off.
She continued to her room, shut the door behind her and heaved a sigh. Unlike the last time, she felt no grief just calm. She grabbed a drink of water, chugged it and placed it by her night stand. Overlooking the room, she found it a mess.
Clothes were all over the floor, small gadgets on the desk by her laptop and sketches spilling from the table to the floor. Contemplating going straight to sleep, she opted instead to clean up tonight and sleep in the morning.
In less than twenty minutes, she had packed up the important stuff and organized her projects. Typically, she moved slower in her tasks because she talked to Green along the way. Maybe Keith had a point to include people into her life. Maybe she needed more fun in her life.
She pulled back her covers and crawled into bed.
At first, she stared at the ceiling.
Next, she closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.
When that didn’t work, she stared at the ceiling again.
Pidge closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She wondered how her family would react to her lion leaving. Her parents would be happy she was in less danger, but they knew what Green meant to her. Hopefully, Matt would be on Earth by the time she got back.
For a moment, Green sat in her hanger on Earth as Pidge worked around her. The two sharing thoughts and feelings as Pidge worked.
Then, she saw herself working alone with an empty space where Green once sat.
For an instant, she stood next to a little boy as he glared at a tombstone. Grief flowed all around him and Pidge wished to help him. The wind carried his words away from her as if they were not meant for her. But before she could reach out to comfort him, he disappeared.
Next, she stood in front of a burning building next to a rather tall man with short dark hair, bluish eyes, and a powerful build. He wore a firefighter’s outfit, but she swore she felt something else underneath, sadness. He had a strong resemblance to someone, but she couldn’t place who.
A shiver ran through her as the stranger gazed upon her, she felt nervous, but not afraid. Comfort and protection flowed from him into her and back to him.
As if time stopped, he spoke in a gentle manor. “My son has made me so proud. I wish I had more time with him, but some of us don’t get the luxury of being with those we love. Destiny had other plans for us. He became a great man and I wish for him to see what joy he brings to others. He needs to know.”
The man shifted closer and lowered himself to her level. “I am sorry for your loss, but it should not define you. We want you to remember us, what we stood for. However, we need you to remember that you did not die. It’s your responsibility to live on for us.”
He smiled at her as if he knew her biggest secret. “In time, you will recognize everything you need right here and here.” He pointed to her head and her chest. “Please tell him what I said. Let him know what he means to others. Thank you, Katie.”
Glancing up at the burning house, Pidge heard someone scream from the second floor. She stepped forward to run in, but a hand closed around her arm and kept her from advancing. The firefighter ran into the building and vanished.
Banging on her door had her jolted out of bed and run to the door. Swinging the door open, she found Lance fully dressed and a grimace plastered on his face. “Still asleep? Figures, we leave in two hours and I got the short straw to help you pack.” Pushing past her, Lance took several steps, then stopped dead.
“Sure, Lance come on in.” Sarcasm dripping from her words as she shut the door and walked back to her night stand. “I packed last night. I need a shower and I will be ready to leave in twenty.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Lance hesitated to speak. His eyes scanned the room in confusion as he processed the tidy room. “First, you cleaned. Second, we are packed. Are you okay?” He hesitated a moment, exhaled. “Are we okay?”
“Lance, of course we are. Why wouldn’t we be?” She stated in a matter a fact tone as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “Why do you ask?”
Looking over his shoulder at her, Lance attempted a smile but failed. “Well, you lost Green and she meant everything to you. Between Allura, Ryner and Green, I wanted to check up on you. You would do whatever it took to get your family back. I wanted to check that you were okay.”
Smirking, she moved to her bag and pulled out new clothes. “Lance, I’m fine, we’re fine. Maybe things were rough, but we are friends to the end, so don’t worry about us. I really do feel better.” Her legs carried her to the bathroom, but she paused in the doorway. “I was upset about Green, but after my talk with Keith, I felt better.” She watched him tense at Keith’s name so she rolled her eyes.
Exhaling loudly, Lance visibly relaxed. “So, you talked to mullet? Did he make you go for a training session afterward or before?”
She chuckled as she remembered his soft bed. “Lance, please remember, he lost Black just like you lost Red. He didn’t say anything last night, but it’s my impression he always felt disconnected from the rest of us. This has to be stressful for him.”
At his shrug, she put the nail in the coffin. “Besides, when his hair is in a ponytail, he can be considered sexy.” She heard his gasp as she entered the bathroom and closed the door.
After a quick shower and change of clothes, she stepped out to an empty room. She grabbed her stuff and left to board the Atlas and head back to Earth.