Seasons change, years go by and moments pass before you even realize they will be memories from a time long-
“Hey stranger.”
Katie glanced up from her book, brown eyes meeting blue as Lance took the seat across from her.
He held out a coffee cup to her, which she gladly accepted while shutting her book.
“I’m surprised to see you out this early.” She said “Usually you don’t leave home until noon.”
Lance shrugged, “We were out of coffee.”
Oh shit.
“I’m sorry I completely forgot to grab some yesterday.” she groaned.
Lance smiled “It gave me an excuse to go to the store.”
She nodded. “How was it?”
“Quiet.”
She gave a small hum of approval. “I’m glad.”
Lance opened up to say something but hesitated when the old speakers of the coffee shop left some background static as an employee was changing out the record.
He froze, panic starting to become visible in his expression and Katie knew she had to act fast.
“Lance.”
Nothing.
Shit.
She stood up, and moved closer to him, placing her own hands over his ears as she tried to talk to him, to drown out the static.
“You’re here. I’m here. We’re okay." She pressed harder against him, trying to apply some form of pressure to ground him. "You aren't there anymore."
It was like a silent prayer she was repeating over and over, somewhat hoping it would work.
Eventually the static stopped once the record had been changed and after a few minutes, Lance let out a shaky breath as he took hold of her hands from behind him.
“I need to go.”
She nodded. “I’ll come with you.”
He didn’t protest that.
-
Nobody talked about the accident. It was like an unspoken rule had been established the moment the news came out.
Lance could only remember snippets from the aftermath of it all.
The various sounds of the hospital as he briefly regained some form of consciousness before fading back to darkness.
Moments of Katie coming in and talking to him, some things he remembered, other times it sounded like gibberish.
He remembered the feeling of nothingness as clear as day however. To exist, but not exist. To feel like you are walking on an invisible tightrope between life and death and the moment you lose balance, the choice has been made.
It’d be over. Lights out.
That’s it, the end of you.
He wasn’t sure how he got out of that limbo, one minute he was there and then the next thing he knew he was blinded by foggy hospital lights.
Pain had hit his body all over again, it was like jumping in a frozen pond during winter, cold as ice and excruciatingly electrifying.
The 'chaos', otherwise known as their families meddling, had started in the late fall after Lance was given the all-clear from Samuel. It had seemed relatively easy initially- Go out, pick out a ring, light some candles and get on one knee to ask her the big question that would change their relationship- hopefully for the better.
Except there was one flaw in his plan and even now, ten miles away from his family home with Katie sitting right next to him, he wasn't sure how exactly he was going to ask. To make matters worse, he made the mistake of telling Veronica about the ring who then relayed that information back to his mother and before he even had a chance to speak, almost the entire Serrano clan was in on his secret.
Of course, he knew that they meant well and he was glad that they were excited, but it still didn't stop the weekly "Have you proposed yet?" question from being asked. And as much as he adored his family, part of him was worried about what they would do the moment they stepped foot out of the car.
"Ance-"
He snapped out of his thoughts once he heard Katie speak to him. "Hm?"
"You okay?" She asked softly, concern adamant in her tone."We missed the turnoff like five minutes ago?"
"Oh shit-" he muttered before doing a U-turn in the middle of a back road.
He felt his cheeks burn from the embarrassment and any mindless thoughts had long since been thrown out the window. Once they were back on track, Katie asked him again. “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah!” his voice gave a little crack and he quickly tried to cover it with a cough. “I was just thinking about how good it’ll be to see my mom again. I promise I’m alright.”
Katie raised a skeptical brow at that but thankfully to his relief, she didn't push the issue further. The rest of the car ride settled back into a comfortable silence and by the time they reached the turnoff for his road, his strangeness had seemed forgotten.
Rows of snow-covered rose bushes lined the driveway and he couldn't help but smile once the faint blue of his childhood home came into sight.
"I hope your family doesn't mind me intruding on your holiday.." Katie mumbled.
That took him by surprise, truth be told he didn't even think Katie would think that she was imposing.
"What?" he asked. "You aren't intruding. In fact, they're probably going to be buzzing around you."
Katie gave a slight hum but didn't say anything else. He knew that sometimes she'd get a bit anxious, especially when it involved socializing. So instead of trying to say anything, he reached over and took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles
"They love you. Trust me."
-
The moment they had parked the car, Sylvio and Nadia came barreling out of the house, closely followed by Veronica and his mother.
"Lance!" His mother exclaimed and wrapped him up in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you home."
"It's good to be back." he gave a contented sigh.
His mother took a step back, taking a moment to look at him before clapping her hands together and then turned her attention towards Katie.
"Katie! It's so good to see you again!" she exclaimed as she walked over to her, giving her a hug as she had just done to Lance.
Katie shifted awkwardly as his family started to jump from him to her. Sylvio and Nadia were tugging on her jacket, trying to drag her back to the house while his mother began talking her ear off. All he could do was mouth a quick "sorry." Before she was out of his sight.
"They haven't been able to shut up about you two all morning." Veronica chuckled and held out her hand, offering to help take some of their bags.
He grinned at that. "What can I say? We're just two phenomenal people." that earned him a jab in the rib.
"Mom had strict words with Abuela before you guys arrived." Veronica started "Hopefully she'll be able to hold her tongue long enough for you to propose first."
"I hope so." He chuckled and both of them made their way towards the house.
-
It had barely been ten minutes since they stepped foot into his parent's home and already the pair of them had been swept away in different directions. His mother insisted on showing Katie a full house tour (despite the fact she had already stayed at their home on more than one occasion.) All the while his Abuela cornered him in the living room, digging for answers.
"Lance!" she exclaimed and pulled him into a soul-crushing hug. "Look at you!"
All he could do was smile as she pinched his cheeks before stepping back to give him a once over. "You've matured so much."
Without giving him an opportunity to thank her, she had already grabbed his hand and was dragging him towards the dining area. He figured that she was either going to make him have a snack or she was going to really start her interrogation.
"Take a seat, take a seat." she fussed.
He was already screaming internally.
"Abuela, if you're going to ask if I've asked her, I haven't."
Disappointment was clear on her face but she was quick to shrug it off once she caught sight of Katie entering the room, with his mother following her from close behind.
"Well that concludes the house tour!" his mother exclaimed. "You two must be starving no?"
He nodded. "Very."
Abuela clapped her hands together and ushered him to stand. "That won't do in the slightest. Come with me!" she exclaimed.
-
Dinner, for the most part, went by uneventfully much to his relief. While he had been in the middle of eating some of his mother's garlic knots, Luis had mentioned going to the Christmas night market the following day.
Everyone seemed to beam at the idea and it was quickly decided that they would go.
Once dinner was taken care of and everyone was beginning to wind down, Lance managed to sneak out to the porch for a brief moment alone.
Veronica had managed to wrap him into helping her doing the dishes earlier and the conversation they had was still hanging over his head.
"It doesn't need to be perfect you know," she said, breaking the silence.
"What?" he asked
"Your proposal," she whispered, "We can all tell you're causing yourself unnecessary stress."
"But what if I say something wrong?" he sighed "Or what if she refuses to marry-"
Small footsteps caught him off guard and he turned around to find Nadia standing behind him with an empty glass. She tilted her head innocently at him "Who's refusing to marry who?"
Fuck.
Veronica quickly swooped in before he had a chance to say anything. "Oh we were just talking about a show we've been watching. Did you want some more water?"
The younger girl nodded, seeming to believe Veronica's excuse and got her drink without any further questions. Once she had left the room, the pair of them let out a breath they had been holding.
"Nice save." he chuckled.
"Thanks, you owe me one.”
-
The following day went by fairly quickly, much to Lance's surprise. Katie and him had woken up earlier than the rest of the Serrano clan and had spent the morning making pancakes for them, which was met with great delight, especially from Slyvio and Nadia.
Before they had a chance to clean up after breakfast, however, his mother was already shooing them out the door, claiming that Lance needed to show her the town. Of course, that confused Katie, considering she had been to his town on more than one occasion. But of course, he knew that this was his mother's way of getting him out the door in hopes of him proposing. She had never been the sutle even if she tried hard to be.
So they had spent the last two hours driving around town before finally stopping at a local bakery for lunch.
The warmth hit them immediately as they stepped foot into the building, and the aroma of freshly made bread made them more eager for their lunch.
Once their orders were placed they managed to find a small table that was tucked away behind a corner. It was a perfect spot for them.
"I'm glad it hasn't snowed today," Katie commented as she sat down.
He gave a hum of agreement. "It would have made driving a lot more difficult that's for sure."
It was cozy within the bakery, leaving the pair of them feeling very content.
"I hope my family hasn't been too much," Lance chuckled "I know that they can be a bit overbearing at times."
Surprise took Katie's face and she put her mug of hot chocolate down. "What? No! They have been nothing but sweet!"
Relief washed over him, as he got her reassurance. They hadn't made any attempts at trying to wingman his proposal, not yet at least.
"I'm glad." He reached over the table and took her hand in his.
Everything felt peaceful. They had some delicious food, warm drinks and it was relatively quiet inside. There wasn't an awkward silence but instead a comfortable one between them. It just felt right.
It felt like the right moment to do it.
"Katie," he breathed, trying his best to hide his sudden nerves.
She nodded, patiently waiting for him to continue.
The back of his neck felt warm, and he could only imagine what his cheeks looked like. He hadn't even started his speech yet and he was already getting flustered.
"I just wanted to say that you-"
His phone began to vibrate on the table, distracting them both. And if it weren't for the fact they were in a public environment, chances are he would have thrown the phone out the window.
"Ah shit," he mumbled. "It's my dad."
Katie smiled at him and nodded for him to answer it, which he hesitantly did.
"Hello?" he asked.
Expecting to hear his father's voice, he was taken aback when it was Veronica who replied back. "Sup?"
He couldn't help but roll his eyes. "What do you want V? I was kinda in the middle of something."
"Oh sorry about that," she said dismissively "I'm at the grocery store with dad right now and he wants to know if there's any food Katie would like."
"Peanut butter cookies. Bye." He shot back and hung up on her before she had a chance to draw their conversation out even longer than necessary.
He ran his hands through his hair, annoyed that their moment was now well and truly ruined. Katie on the other hand still looked content as anything as she sipped away on her hot chocolate.
There would be another opportunity to ask her. He just had to be the patient one.
-
They had spent the rest of their afternoon back at his parent's house and decided to lounge around until it was dark enough to leave for the market. Somehow Nadia and Slyvio managed to wrap Katie into a serious game of monopoly and near the end of it Luis and Marco had joined in too.
Meanwhile, Lance was lying on the couch, beginning to feel conflicted as he tried to think of a way to propose to Katie without making it cringe-worthy. He had thought about doing it on the ice, but the chances of him losing his balance while getting down on one knee was enough to make him stray from the idea.
Before he had a chance to further his existential crisis, his mother walked in, already tying up her coat and calling for them to get ready to leave. In an instant, everyone shot up from their game and the kids went running to find their coats.
It took his family almost half an hour just to leave the house but once they were all out, Lance realized he had forgotten the ring and quickly turned on his heel and headed straight back towards the house, claiming that he forgot his keys.
Much to his relief, the ring was still in the last place he put it and he shoved the box in this jacket pocket and hurried back out.
"Did you find your keys?" Katie asked once he reached her.
"Yup!" He said and held up his keys as proof. "Are you ready to go?"
Katie gave him a nod and off they headed for the night market.
-
Twinkle lights lined stalls and hung lowly on the bare branches of the trees, making the atmosphere feel all the more magical. People could be heard shrieking with laughter as they tried to skate and the warm scent of cinnamon doughnuts was very much welcomed.
Since his family wanted to do multiple different things, they had decided to split up for an hour and meet back up in the town center. Truth be told, he was a bit relieved to be walking the market alone with Katie and he could tell that she felt a little bit more relaxed once it was just the two of them.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they walked, occasionally making sure that she wasn't cold.
"Everyone is so talented," Katie mumbled in awe, as she looked over the market stalls, taking everything in.
He gave a hum of agreement but truth be told he was paying more attention to her than he was the vendors.
"Do I have something on my face?" She asked, catching his attention.
Quickly, Lance gave a cough and shook his head. "No! Not at all. Your nose is getting a little red though."
Katie scrunched her nose up at the comment. "It's not my fault it's so cold out."
He gave a small hum of agreement "That's what happens when it snows."
They continued to browse in silence, looking at the various handmade items the locals had made. They would occasionally chat, pointing out things they liked to look of or showing them something the other missed.
The longer they were out, the colder they started to feel. They were huddling close together trying to get warm from their combined body heat and just when they were about to turn back and head for someplace warm, Lance spotted their saving grace.
A coffee truck.
"Would you like some hot chocolate?" He asked. looking at her.
At the mention of hot chocolate, she seemed to perk up. "Oh my gosh yes!"
Thankfully, much to their luck, the queue wasn't long and they had their hot drinks relatively quickly. The warmth of the cups made them both sigh out in content as they started to warm back up.
As they made their way through the streets, Lance caught sight of the lit-up gazebo in the town's community garden and was instantly drawn to it. It was like he got hit with a familiar feeling as he pointed it out to Katie, asking her to walk with it.
He felt certainty with every step he took towards the gazebo. This was the place he was going to ask. It was perfect.
Katie was in awe at the sight of the lit-up trees and the way the garden looked, it looked like something out of a fairytale. Eventually, they climbed up the stairs and Katie immediately went to the other side to continue looking at the snow-covered garden.
This was his chance, and he knew it. Quietly he pulled the small velvet box out of his jean pocket and got down on his knee behind her. It was at that moment he realized he didn't need to read out a long speech that he had been agonizing over.
Slowly he got down on one knee and held the box out and held his breath until Katie turned around. Her eyes widened the minute she caught sight of him.
Tears started to fill both of their eyes but he tried hard not to let them fall before he spoke.
"Katrina Holt." he breathed in a shaky breath. "You are the light of my life. I know I'm not perfect and I don't have much to offer you now but what I can promise you with absolute certainty is my love you and you alone."
Katie didn't say anything as she started to approach him, her own tears streaming down her face. He took a moment to hold back his own before continuing his speech.
"So Katrina Holt, my Katie, will you do me the utmost honor and marry me?"
She only managed to give a small nod before lunging herself at him, hooking her arms around his neck and kissed him- barely giving him a second to hold onto her. Because of this, they ended up fumbling to the ground.
There was a brief moment of silence as they stared at each other in surprise before he broke the silence.
"It looks like I've fallen for you again."
Katie couldn't contain her smile as he cupped her cheek and brought her in for a kiss.
The amount of relief he felt now that the main part of the proposal was over and done with was quite rejuvenating. Also, Katie saying yes was a bonus.
Once they broke the kiss they both sat up and he grabbed the box to put the ring on her finger. It was a thin band with three small pieces of emerald in the center. It was dainty but practical- just like her. It slid on like a glove and once it was on he brought her hand up and kissed her knuckles.
"I love you" He whispered.
"I love you too" She replied and wiped the remains of her tears from her face.
They stayed seated in the gazebo for a little while longer, before getting up to regroup with his family.
-
When they approached his family in the town's center, he could tell right away that both his mother and Abuela were holding their breath. Katie and he shared a look, barely able to keep their own excitement under wraps before telling them.
"So we have something to tell you.." he started, unable to hide his grin.
Katie held up her hand, showing the ring to his family, all the while trying to hide the blush on her face.
Immediately his mother let out an excited squeal and pulled the pair of them into a tight and warm embrace. After that, all of his family took turns to hug and congratulate them.
"So!" his Abuela said with a clap of her hands once everyone had settled down a bit. "We'll need to start the wedding planning."
Both of their faces paled at that and his mother jabbed his Abuela in the side.
"She's teasing." his mother reassured.
Katie seemed to visibly relax at that but Lance still had a tiny bit of dread. They still had a week of staying with his family left. And if his Abuela had any say in the matter, they'd be walking out of his house carrying wedding planners.
"Anyway!" Veronica interjected. "Let's go ice skating and then go home."
Everyone agreed in unison, and they all followed one another to the outdoor rink. And despite his families meddling ways, his heart felt so incredibly full and from the way Katie squeezed his hand from time to time, he could tell she felt the same.
It was a perfect night and they couldn't have been happier.
Somehow Pidge ends up babysitting Sylvio and Nadia and they end up making trash robots. The kids notice Pidge's robot suspiciously look like their beloved uncle.
I really liked the way this one turned out! Thanks for the prompt!
~~~~~
“Auntie Pidge?”
Pidge continues to type away, only a few lines away from finishing this code. Though admittedly not the worst company, Lance’s niece and nephew reminded her a lot of herself at their age - curious and chatty. She’d bribed them with snacks later, but it seems even that had a limit.
She turns her chair around to see two sets of beautiful bright blue eyes - just like Lance’s - staring up pleadingly at her.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
“So,” she drags a stool to sit across him, her chin resting on her hand. “What caused your demotion?” The question makes him abruptly sit up, looking at her with surprise. She smirks at him and takes a sip of her wine, giving him a wink. “You have to give me credit, Lance. I did code the database infrastructure for the Celestial Intelligence Force. It’s not that hard for me to pull up information on anyone in the facility.”
He thinks quietly for several moments, unsure of what to say without breaking any non-disclosure protocols. He knows his case file is sealed and with the extra politics involved, it was unlikely that he is ever going to be reinstated to his position any time soon. If it weren’t for Shiro’s intervention, he was sure he’d be deskbound in some backoffice, organising paperwork from the previous century. He belongs out in the field, doing what he does best; protecting the innocent.
“Failure to listen to orders,” he finally admits, looking to her with a wry smile. “I hope this doesn’t make you feel unsafe with me.”
He ran a hand through his hair, visibly frustrated. They had been arguing for over an hour now. Truth be told she was surprised that none of her neighbours had come to complain yet. Of course, they hadn’t been yelling at the beginning either.
“You don’t think I already know that?!” her voice rose, her own masked frustration beginning to show. “Who do you think you are to question me!?”
“I’m you’re boyfriend!”
The tension between them was suffocating, and she had to dispel it the only way she knew how.
“If you were my boyfriend, you wouldn’t be interrogating me like one of your suspects.”
It hurt. A lot. But she had to minimize the damage she would one day create, sooner, rather than later. That didn’t mean the process was any less difficult.
“I think we’re done.” She whispered.
Lance opened his mouth to speak, but the words died out just as easily.
“I guess we are.” His words are bitter, cold.
Not her Lance.
She nodded her head, every part of her shook as she turned on her heel and held open the balcony door, not meeting his gaze. “You should go.”
Part of her hoped he would deny, protest even. Hoped that he would stay and talk it out with her.
But instead he grabbed his coat and shut the foyer door without another word.
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