"We are not together!" Katie Holt enunciates for possibly the fiftieth time that day to the gaggle of annoying classmates currently huddled over her school desks. "Look, he's annoying, he only cares about what girls think, and he puts absolutely no effort into whatever he does. We're never going to be together like that, okay? I don't understand why so many people are accusing me like this today."

So many lies spilling out of Katie's mouth so fast. But telling even one person at the amazing school that is the Garrison would result in a plethora of rumors.

Of course she'd only just joined the school as a first year, gained a reputation for either having a too-smart mouth, a capacity for being possibly the most talented pilot slash engineer or being an introverted sister of legend Matt Holt who really refuses to talk to so many people.

Katie slash Pidge was strange like that, you know?

"Then explain this!" one of the guys excitedly holds up his phone, showing a picture.

Shit...is that it?

Lance, hands entangled in Katie's hair, Katie's hands travelling up his shirt, their lips messily locked and bodies pressed up against each other, a picture taken in the dark night behind the school dorms.

...SHIT.

"I-uh-that's not me," she weakly tries, causing an outburst of laughter from the group.

"Yeah, sure, Katie. That's definitely not you making out with Lance McClain, two years your senior, hot and definitely dumb?" another one questions sarcastically.

Ah, yes. Katie's technically in the same grade as Lance, upgraded because of her precocious ability.

They're not together, are they? However uncharacteristically Katie, she had just wanted some fun with a senior, a tall, cute, and surprisingly nice guy that she'd been assigned work with. She wasn't expecting a date, cute hugs and kisses. Just some fun.

They aren't together, she reminds herself.

She reminds herself that she wasn't thinking about how kind and sweet Lance always was, actually intelligent even if didn't appear so, how he always made her laugh. Their little stolen cuddles and kisses when nobody was looking.

Her heart beats a little faster, scaring her.

What does she want?

"How did you get that picture?" she weakly breathes out. The classmate gestures for her to tap at the screen, which she does. A scroll later and she has her answer.

Goddamnit.

~~~

"Lance McClain has done it now," someone laughs, someone sitting right next to Lance. He holds back an annoyed growl. Who the hell decided to hack his account and post whatever the hell that was? Yeah, he's since deleted it, but there's such thing as screenshots and social media, and the FUCKING GARRISON.

"Who in their right mind even does that with Katie Holt? Matt's going to roast him alive when he finds out."

"She's definitely not ugly...I'll say that. I see why McClain went for that."

"But she's like...top of the class with Kogane. Wouldn't they make a better pair than with the class clown?"

"Depends. Lance's got that hot goofball thing going. Kogane's the mysterious one. How about Garret? He's really cute."

"True."

"You guys know I'm right here, right?" Lance snaps wearily, flopping his head down on the desk. The not so well-meaning classmates just snicker.

"We don't really care."

Hunk, sitting beside Hunk, can only give him sad eyes. Hunk has never really a confrontational guy, you know? But they're not wrong; Hunk is really cute.

"Look, Katie's great. But we're not together. That picture never should have surfaced," Lance fights.

"Katie seems to enjoy denying the rumor vehemently," another classmate remarks. Lance nearly wants to break the table. "Understandable. Not like someone smart-and arrogant-like her would go for bottom of the class Lance McClain-"

"-shut up now before I actually feel like punching you for saying things like that about her," Lance threatens, cutting in. Hunk pulls Lance up.

"Excuse me sir, Lance isn't feeling well. Can he be excused?"

Iverson, no stranger to the rumour or to quiet back-of-the-class talks, shrugs and lets him go. Something tells him that the boy needs it.

Lance knows the guy is right. Katie's only meeting with him for her own fun. But how the hell is he supposed to tell her that he actually wants it to be more than just fun?

He wants to believe that Katie wouldn't care about him being a total failure in the Garrison while she's this new superstar. He wants to believe that.

Maybe that's why she wants it no-strings-attached.

With a start, he realises what he wants.

He wants to be together.

~~~

"Why did you post that?" Katie questions quietly, hoping that she's conveying enough seething anger even without explicitly saying so. Lance, looking a little remorseful, sits across from her.

"If it's of any consolation, I didn't actually post that. And once I found out, I deleted it."

Katie seems to breathe out strongly, as if relieved, letting out a sigh.

"Oh," is all she answers with.

Lance is leaning on the ladder of his bunk, Hunk gone off somewhere, Katie sitting beside the ladder, looking up at him.

"Are you upset?" he asks. She shakes her head.

"No."

What's with all the one word answers, he wonders? Is it an insult to her, being found out for their little 'affair', for lack of better word?

"Does anybody tease you about it?"

"Only that I'm apparently 'dating' a guy who's two years older than me, but other than that not really."

Katie finally notices how downcast, disturbed Lance looks.

"Who teased you?" she sighs, looking rather 'done' wth the whole situation. Lance can't blame her; he is too.

"Just a couple of people in my class with Iverson. Said that you must be upset that you'd been found out. That you wouldn't be caught dead with me," Lance spits out, a lot more bitterly than he probably should have. Katie, startled, lets out an audible gasp.

"Who the fuck said that?" Lance is surprised at how vehement that sounds. "Who the fuck decided to declare my thoughts and feelings for me?"

"What, don't you agree with it?" Lance questions. Pidge sharply turns to him, her hair bouncing.

"What?"

"Look at you!" Lance exclaims. "You're pretty, a genius, the most talented student the Garrison has seen in years. You're better than Kogane, goddamnit, because you're actually tolerable-!"

"-no, no, shut up! I know where you're going to go with this," Katie cuts him off, glaring angrily.

"-yeah, because you know everything, and I'm the dumbass who got into your class out of sheer luck-"

"-see, see! Look," she says, standing up and grasping his face between her hands. Lance can't deny the blush that appears. "Look at yourself. You're an amazing, smart, clever guy. The Garrison relies on booksmarts, like me. You're smart in a totally different way; I've never met a guy like you, who's somehow so funny and kind and sweet and-"

Katie abruptly stops, letting go of him and sitting down, shielding her face from him.

"-I never thought I'd admit it, but I want us...I want us to be together. Like a couple. Not some teenagers just making out in backyards and dorms. Hell, I don't care what they say, and I don't think you should care for a second because they're totally wrong-I want the whole teenage lovey-dovey drama romance shit."

Then she stops.

Lance, blushing red, heart beating amazingly fast, can't stop a stupid grin from appearing on his face.

So he slides down, sits next to her, and kisses her. Holds her face in his hands, kisses her gently and not like the numerous makeouts they've had throughout her time at the Garrison. Kisses her like she's someone to him. Not like they're just two people looking for some action.

It's beautiful.

Slowly, Katie breaks off, looking fazed, dazed. Then she smiles, jumping and wrapping her arms around him.

"So yes?"

"I thought that was obvious."

~~~

"Holy shit."

"No way."

"Are they actually-?"

"I'm pretty sure it's confirmed now."

Katie and Lance on her bed, Katie completely on top of Lance, both of them with messed up hair, askew clothes, lips and bodies pressed together. And like the cherry on top, Katie is sticking out her middle finger for the whole world to see.

The Garrison is scandalised.

"Captioned: I'm with this guy, and the rest of you can all fuck off now."

"It's beautiful."

Lance quietly high-fives Katie in the corner, the two of them grinning like doofuses at each other, doofuses in love, goddamnit, witnessing the chaos going down at lunchtime.

"Well, at least we know one thing for sure now!"

"What? Katie Holt is actually a rebellious badass, Lance McClain is the smoothest bitch we've ever met-"

"-no, dumbass. They're definitely together."