Time seemed to fly as the girl taught herself to utilize the gun properly. She'd kill to have a weapon like this. Sure, she liked her bow and the small blade she normally used, but a big gun like this could do some real damage.

    Matt, after some time, found himself loosening up. He spoke to her easier, he didn't feel so stiff and was laughing and smiling freely. After taking down a few more training bots, the girl looked to the analog clock up on the wall very obviously made by Pidge. It displayed Altaean time and Earth time, the Earth time reading 10:15.

    "Oh no!" Y/N hollered, rummaging around the room to find a safe place to leave Lance's gun. Once she did, she raced out of the room, dragging Matt along with her and down the hall. The place she'd entered earlier today was a ways away.

    "Forget it, Lance. She's not coming..." Pidge sighed, dragging off Hunk. "Her and Matt are probably sleeping already."

    "Hey, no, c'mon she's probably just running late!" He whined. Lance wasn't giving up that easy.

    "I'll wait with Lance. You guys go start the movie." Keith said nearly emotionlessly while everyone else left.

    "I see what you're doing here... Keith." Lance narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brows, looking to the raven haired boy suspiciously.

    "Doing what?" He rolled his eyes in exasperation.

    "Trying to intervene!" Lance snapped.

    "With what?" Keith crossed his arms.

"Me and Y/N!" He exclaimed. "Unless you're just trying to actually spend time with me!"

    "We're here! Sorry, we got caught up training!" The girl barrelled around the corner, skidding to a halt just in front of them, Matt following close behind.

Matt and Y/N paused, eyeing Lance and Keith a little suspiciously, both of their faces tinged a little red.

    "It's ok, c'mon." Keith shook off whatever he and Lance had been talking about quickly and bent over a little, offering a piggyback to Y/N. The girl hesitated at first but then seemed to accept that maybe everyone here really was good and were trying to be her friend. She accepted it happily and Keith took off down the hall.

    "Keeeiiith!" Lance yelled angrily, taking off after them. "All of the piggybacks you've denied me, and this stranger gets one first day here?! How's that fair??!"

"She's not complaining in my ear, that's why!" Keith shout back.

Matt contentedly watched the situation unfold from behind. Y/N hadn't spoken much to the Garrison, or her past, and he wasn't sure she ever would. But just like everyone else here, it seemed there was a spark of hope amidst her laughter.

    When they finally made it into the hall where the movie was already playing, Keith dropped the girl from his back. She yelped as she plummeted towards the floor, only to be caught by a soft plume of blankets and pillows. Lance immediately jumped in beside her and nestled his way into the blankets. Keith, from the opposing side of the girl tried to climb in.

    "Ah-AH Keith! This spot was created for the honorary guest only." He forced.        

    Keith mumbled something. "So why are you sitting in it?"

    "Because I made it." Lance retorted back like it was obvious.

    "Guys shut up." Pidge snapped as the sound of the movie beginning boomed. Matt situated himself beside Pidge, nearly falling asleep on contact to the couch from sheer exhaustion.

    Keith shot a death glare to Lance that made even Y/N cringe a little.

    "What did you do to make him hate you so much?" Y/N whispered to the boy at her side. Lance gulped.

    "He's always a grump." He muttered, burrowing himself into the blankets and focusing on the screen before him. Y/N wasn't even going to question it.

    As the film played, Y/N fell in and out of consciousness. From facing a suddenly self aware planet to making a whole new group of friends, she was tired. Her bones ached with every move and her muscles stung.

Y/N was jolted awake by a hand tugging at her sleeve. "Pssst, Y/N." The girl cracked open her eyes and looked to her right. Lance sat with a wide smile and Y/N pushed him away, trying to get up. In her attempt, she fell victim to her tried body and collapsed to the floor.

    Keith was the first to reach her, seeing as how it was only him, Lance, and Matt left in the room. Matt just lay there completely passed out. "Exhaustion finally catching up to you?" He asked with a small smile, gripping her arms and hauling her up.

    "It shouldn't be—" Y/N stated in awe at her weakened body. Never before had she felt so ill and fatigued.

    "You're human, it happens." Keith laughed.

    "Hey, mullet." Lance sounded harshly. "Let her go to bed."

    Keith raised his hands in defence. "Fine. I'll show you to your room."

    The raven haired boy nodded to Y/N who followed without question. Lance gaped. "Keith has manners? Since when?!" He exclaimed, throwing himself down into his pile of blankets.

Y/N and Keith laughed a little at Lance writhing around for whatever reason as they left the room.

    "Hey, Keith?" Y/N piped up, looking to the boy she walked beside. He mumbled in response.

    "Do uh—" She bit her lip. "Your leader... the tall one? With the robotic arm?"

    "Yeah? Shiro?" He asked.

    "Yeah. What's--what's his real name? Full name?"

    "Takashi Shirogane. Used to go to the Garrison, just like the rest of us." He explained.

    "He was the one who went missing on the Kerberos mission, right? With Matt?" Her voice suddenly quickened. Keith stopped walking.

    "Yeah... Why are you asking?" He raised a brow in question at the panicked looking girl.

    "Ummm—" She darted her eyes around, shuffling her feet in distress. "He's, well...I don't know the word for it. He used to look after me. I lived with him and Adam. They took me in."

    "He WHAT?!" Keith yelled out, then gathering himself and lowering his voice to a whisper. "He's your...I don't know...guardian?"

    "Well, kinda. Sorta. Adopted I guess?" She tried to explain.

    "We need to talk to him right now." Keith stated as he reached for Y/N's hand and began dragging her down the hall.

    The next thing she knew, they were at Shiro's door, Keith knocking furiously. "Shiro! Meet us in the meeting hall. We need to talk."

    A grumble came from behind the door, but Keith didn't care. He led Y/N back to the domed room which looked up to the starry sky and he sat her down on the couch. Matt still lay there, completely overtaken by sleep.

"Go away Keith, I am sleeping in peace." Lance called out, without even looking to be sure it was Keith as he and Y/N entered the room.

"Wow, great sleep you're doing." Keith let out an exasperated sigh. "Talking and all. Multitasking?"

"Shut up." Lance spat. He got up quickly and turned but then immediately settled down when he realized Y/N was there too. "Oh--Why are you guys back?"

Shiro filed in just behind Y/N and Keith and came to sit with them.

    "What's going on?" He said sleepily.

    "Shiro—" Keith started, but Y/N cut him off.

    "It's me, Ash." Y/N's eyes softened as she looked to Shiro, referring to the name she used to call him by. A name only she had ever called him.

    "You've changed a lot." She released a sharp breath, hoping for any response from her brother.

    "And you haven't changed one bit..." He rose sternly, walking and towering over Y/N. Keith readied to intervene. Shiro didn't look happy.

    "How'd you end up on Aturdir? I thought you were still at the garrison? With Adam?" He stared down with hurt eyes.

    "Things changed..." Y/N frowned, Shiro knowing exactly what it was she was talking about. "After you disappeared, I didn't believe you were dead. I started breaking in, searching the records--"

"Y/N--" Shiro winced.

"No family left, other than you and Adam since you took me in. No one to contact if I went missing...caught digging in confidential files?" Her eyes had become glassy but she tried to laugh it off. "Sending me away was too easy for them."

"Adam?" Shiro asked.

"He tried to stop it," Y/N forced a smile. "He's still back home."

    The black paladin knelt down and took the girl in his arms. "I--I'm not...I'm not upset that you're here. It's just..."

"I know." Y/N held him higher. "This isn't what you would have wanted. It's okay. I'm glad you're here, though."

"Wait wait wait, I'm lost--" Lance shook his head and threw his arms out. "Explain. How'd all this happen? Shiro's like your dad-brother?"

"I lost my family and wasn't sure what to do. The Garrison offered education, a place to sleep and food for any student lucky enough to be accepted." Y/N broke away from Shiro. "So, I applied. Somehow, I got in. When I showed up alone on orientation day, Shiro recognized me. Our families used to know one another. And from there? Well, I'm just lucky he and Adam had big enough hearts and enough patience to bring me into their life."

Matt sat quietly, listening. Things were making a lot more sense now. He also felt a whole new sympathy for Y/N. He also felt a new kind of hatred for the Garrison. He knew there were some things that went on behind closed doors that not even his father could stop from happening, and he wasn't sure he could forgive this one.

"How did I never know?" Keith looked completely dazed. "All along?"

Y/N and Shiro both laughed, shrugging. It kind of was mystery they'd never really crossed paths.

A few minutes of silence passed as Shiro held Y/N, lost for words as they'd found each other once again. It made Lance miss his family back on earth and made Keith yearn for the family he didn't really have. When he caught himself looking at Lance he quickly corrected himself. The whole situation reminded Matt of just a short while ago when Pidge had been reunited with him.

    "You have to stay with us—" Shiro blurted out, sitting back from Y/N. A downcast look shadowed her face.

    "They're not going to let me stay." Y/N admit sadly. "They need me."

    "Well, we need you here more." He snapped.

    "I hope you have a good plan because they won't leave without me. I'm their best, most disposable weapon. You think they're just going to let me stay?"

    "What if we pretend she's dead?" Keith blurted out.

    Everyone's mouths fell agape. Keith did have good ideas, sometimes, but they didn't always come out too clear.

    "Like... put her in the pod and make it seem like she's dead? So they leave?" Lance questioned.

Shiro pursed his lips. "It could work."

    "Except for Aturdir's burial rituals. All fighters are to be buried with the members present. Yes, that even goes for me. As long as there is a corpse, there needs to be a proper burial."

    "Ok, so what about no corpse?" Matt raised his hands up in exasperation.

    "Then they'd take something that was mine and bury it." She shrugged.

    "So...what if we pretend we incinerated you?" Keith asked.

    "We could give them your goggles!" Lance piped up excitedly and then realized no one else shared this enthusiasm.

    "As long as you've got something other than me to burn and give the ashes to them, I think it could work. How'd I die though?" Y/N scoffed.

    "Let's say... Lance killed you sleep walking." Keith snickered.

    "HEY!" Lance cried, smacking at Keith.

    "It'd be believable." Y/N laughed in unison with Keith who was trying to fend off Lance.

    "Guys—no, we'll say we had one of Zarkon's sentries invaded the ship and Y/N died heroically stopping it." Shiro suggest.

    "Pidge and I can try to rig the security footage to make it look like the bots we were fighting tonight was a sentry." Matt finally spoke up.

    "I like that." Y/N agreed, as did the others.

    "Alright, now, everyone go to bed. We need to be up early to burn some space goo." Shiro patted Y/N on the back, helping her stand.

    "Care to walk with me? I can actually show you to your room this time, since Keith never did." Lance held out his hand, bending over to the girl over animatedly.

    "Ahh—" Y/N stammered, not sure of what to do. She'd never thought about it, she didn't know where she was staying since Keith never showed her to her room.

    "Or I could just show her. We kind of had other things to deal with first. Sorry we never got there." Keith offered, standing confidently.

    "I think I can show her." Shiro said like more of an order. Both younger boys grumbled in response and sent resentful glares to one another.

    Shiro exited the hall with Y/N and Matt, leaving the two remaining paladins stood awkwardly, face to face.

    "Would you just let me--stop getting in the way!" Lance whined, making Keith roll his eyes.

    "Of what? You and Y/N? The red paladin scolded. Despite wanting to throw his fist into Lance's face, he held himself back. "You sure that's what's got you all stirred up?" Keith raised a brow.

Lance faltered, looked away and cleared his throat. "Look, man." Lance rolled his eyes. "I was the first one to show interest in her. I've got dibs!"

    "Interest, huh?" The black haired boy questioned. "Right. Sure you're not just jealous?"

    "Of what, mullet?" Lance blabbered. Keith began to walk away with a smirk. When Keith refused to answer, Lance felt a panic rising inside. Was Keith insinuating that he was jealous of Y/N--because Keith was paying attention to her and not to Lance? "Of what?! Of what!!!?"