Speed Demons

Part 10

Here we are, season three. Since this season is shorter and generally less important than the others and there isn't really much going on from the perspective of a single character. I'm probably going to gloss over a lot of things, and by the end of the chapter, I'll be well into season four.

Pidge/Katie

I remembered the events of the day after we got back to their own reality vividly. I had gone to sleep that night still excited by the prospect of the alternate reality theory being true.

I had gotten up, brushed my hair and teeth, and walked to the lounge. Percy had been there. He had his knees pulled into his chest and hands clutching his hair, which was even more dishevelled than usual. There was a blank look on his face, but tears were pouring from his eyes as he rocked back and forth. "She tried to save me, she tried to save me, she tried to save me..." he repeated over and over.

I ran to him. "Percy?" I said gently, "Are you alright?"

He stopped shaking and looked at me. "Katie?"

"Yeah," I breathed, "it's me. Did you have a nightmare?"

He looked away and nodded, wiping his tears. "I don't want to talk about it though."

"That's fine." I sat next to him silently for a few minutes. "What did you think about the other reality we went to?"

He shrugged, "the Alteans we met sounded like the Galra. It was strange, and the other reality, in general, was fascinating, but the ends don't justify the means."

"Well of course. But what about Slav? He was like ours, but a badass." I said with a smile

"Okay," he said, "that part was pretty cool." It was silent again for a few minutes. Percy pulled a few pieces of copper wire and started braiding them together in strange ways. I watched curiously, as he folded them into the shape of a flower. It was beautifully made, but he inspected it closely, before completely unwrapping it and trying again.

"What'd you do that for?" I asked him, "It looked amazing!"

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? One of the petals was the wrong size. Didn't you notice?"

"No," I said smiling. "I didn't."

Once he had gotten as far as he had the last time, he retrieved his dagger and started slowly removing pieces of the stem. He used the extra copper wire to tie a little bow right below the petals. He folded the stem down and wrapped the end around a leather cord, before handing it to me. He smiled.

"It's for me?" I asked him.

"Yeah?" He said, but it sounded more like a question. "Who else would it be for?" He tied the cord around my neck. The flower was small, maybe an inch wide.

Keith walked in at that moment. "Hey, Perce!" He said. He was holding a wooden case in his hand and a pair of notepads in the other. "Wanna play chess?"

"Sure!" Percy replied, "Wait? Have you had our set this whole time?" He asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I had it in my backpack from when he brought it to the canyon, but we haven't had a chance to play at all so..." he sat down in front of them and began to set up the board.

"Any wagers today, brother?" Percy asked, "Or are you too scared."

"Loser has to clean Kaltenecker's stable." He challenged,

"You're on." It wasn't often that I got to witness Percy and Keith really being the brothers they are. They were both very entrenched in the complex rules of the game but had opted to discard the clock, not only because Percy would have an unfair advantage, but also to make room for some not-so-friendly banter.