Not Giving Up

Minds Are Made Up

Keith is lying in bed, alone and suddenly feeling very worried. This is not how he imagined his return to Earth would go. In fact, this is not remotely even close. What is he going to do? What happened? How did he get so far off track in his life? When did he even start imagining a life with Pidge? When he left, he needed space. What a joke. If he could only go back and tell himself to never leave. To bind Katie to him in a way that nothing could break them apart. But he couldn't go back. He was so screwed.

*Knock, knock, knock*

He refuses to get up.

*Knock, Knock, Knock*

Still nothing.

*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*

FINALLY he gets up and opens the door. "Hi mom."

Krolia strides in and slams the door. "What IS going on?"

Keith flops back into the bed burying his head under the pillow. Where does he even start? She walks into his room, grabs a chair and pulls It near his bed. He's back at the Garrison in one of the rooms they have and he absently wonders if Griffin is nearby. Fuck.

"Keith, I've heard from other Blades that your Pidgeon was hurt and that another boy has been caring for her. This cannot be right, how did we not hear of this?"

Keith growls lowly and rolls over. "Mom something seriously went wrong." Then he launches into the whole story. At the conclusion, his voice breaks and he tries to explain how he's feeling. Finally he just stops. He covers his face with his arm and just tries to regulate his breathing. Nothing is working. He has suffered less at the hands of the enemy.

Krolia however is putting pieces together. She is hesitant to tell Keith that she believes Acxa is at fault here. But she feels like the girl has some designs on her son but nothing concrete. After looking at her son, she decides to investigate further before bringing her suspicions up. If she is wrong, she does not want to implicate the girl. If she is right, that is for his mate to determine the punishment (with some careful direction from her). Right now she needs to focus on him and how he is feeling. It is time for her to be his mother.

"Keith, look at me. What do you want to happen?"

"I love Katie, more than anything. But mom, I really messed things up and she...she...deserves the best. And Griffin, mom, he is the best, he was the best student in our class, he always said the right thing and made the right choices. Teachers loved him, everyone knew he was going to be someone amazing. When Shiro came to test us for pilots, the teacher recommended him and ...and then there's me... stealing, fighting, arguing...mom, what if she is supposed to be with Griffin?"

Krolia feels her heart breaking. After everything, how could her son still doubt himself so much? She has failed him but NO more. His father was a great man. He knew how to risk everything for what he loved. She had risked everything and unfortunately it didn't work in the end. But not for her boy. He will get this happy ever after that she has heard about, that earthlings write stories of.

"Keith, do you really think this Griffin is the 'best'? Did the red lion not choose you? Did you not put your team over your own desires? Did you not put yourself in danger to save the many?"

"Well, yeah, but...so did she. Green chose her~She ultimately chose us before she looked for her family~She saved me! And I'm not the funny one, or the smart one, or the good one, or even the kind one...I'm the angry one, the brash one...the MULLET one. She deserves the best and the brightest, and I honestly don't think I'm it. Maybe this is fate saying, back off and let her"

"NO!!!! You are the passionate one, the brave one, the ok, I cannot fix the hair but that can be cut! YOU are the best and the brightest and I am so sorry that you do not see that!! But you are also Galra. And Galra do not quit, we do not forfeit, we not give up. And if this girl is yours, we do what we must. We fight. We persevere. We continue. Because I can tell you, this special person, this love, is not easily replicated. I loved you and your father. There is no other so if you have this chance this opportunity, do not give up. Do not yield!"

Keith looked up and really looked at his mom. It was this moment that he realized he was not some accident or some mistake, but he came from love. The love he used to think was fake or made up. The whole fairy tale thing wasn't real but love was. His dad loved his mom and he never found another.

"Do you think... I'm really fit to be...hers?" Keith haltingly asked.

Krolia looked at him and stated, confidently, "Yes."

Keith smiled and said "Thanks." Tears in his eyes he stated, "I'm not giving up!"

Pidge on the other hand decided to do what she does best. Follow the data. She looked at all of Keith's and her own electronic devices and started to follow the trail. She hit a bump and started to get aggravated when the incessant knocking finally registered. She got up and opened her door to find Hunk. He smiled and waved peanut butter cookies in her face, with the sweetest smile.

"Hey, so I thought you might need some help and I know how you get so I also brought you food!"

Pidge inhaled that sweet sweet smell and sighed. "Did Keith send you?"

"NOOOOOO. Pidge, you know that I'm your friend as well right? In fact, first."

Pidge smiled and said, "How could I forget." She hugged him (sneakily, grabbing the cookies) and pulled him into her room.

As they got comfy, Hunk couldn't help but ask, "So, what the hell happened?!?"

Pidge froze, "I don't know. But I promise you I will find out."

Hunk shuddered for a moment cuz an angry Pidge is scary as hell, then smiled and returned, "There was never any doubt. Let's get to work! Tell me what you need." While Pidge was scary, he was not marshmallow either. NO ONE messed with his friends. He would help them and pity to whoever was at fault.

Pidge looked at Hunk and felt a moment of peace. If her friends can save the universe, this was in the bag!