Speed Demons

Part 22

Percy

The thing about doctors is that they always insist on unnecessarily long recovery times. I was stuck in the infirmary until two days later, even when they fought Robeasts, and Voltron went to Oriande. It was needlessly boring and there was nothing to do but sit there. I watched curiously as the walls lit up blue during the Atlas' transformation process, and an entire wall just floated away. Miraculously, the room didn't lose any air. Odd.

Since the Paladins were all busy with important universe-saving businesses, I was left in the room, with nothing but a book that I couldn't read due to my dyslexia. The only person who wasn't busy 24 hours a day was Mrs. Holt. She would sit silently most of the time, completing various newspaper puzzles, keeping an eye and ensuring I wasn't ever alone. It was sweet. I knew why, it was obvious. It was a few months ago, at dinner with the Holts. I smiled as I remembered it.

"Do you know how you're as fast as you are?" Mr. Holt had asked me at the table, "I think that's fascinating, how one can push themselves to such feats."

"Oh, yeah," I said, feigning ignorance. "I'm almost positive it's genetic. Something to do with my father, I think. But I've never met him, so I can't be certain."

Mrs. Holt's eyes flashed. "What about your mother?" she asked me, and I felt both Katie and Matt flinch at the question.

I looked at my plate, "My mom... my mom passed away when I was four." Mr. Holt winced, and Coleen's eyes flashed again.

"Well then, who takes care of you?" Her voice was laced with worry. Mother's intuition, I guessed.

"Uh," I glanced at Matt. His eyes were bouncing between his mother and me as if he expected one of us to explode. Mr. Holt and Katie had similar expressions, though Sam seemed to have a spec of curiosity. "It's just... me and Keith." That was the wrong thing to say.

"How old is Keith?" She inquired, "He's an Adult, I hope?"

"He's 22," I confirmed, "A few months younger than Matt. It's luck that we even met. I ran away when I was 7. Until they found me and threw me back in with Gabe, he died when I was 12, and I ran away again so they didn't throw me in foster. Overall, I'm half New-Yorker and half something else."

I could tell she wanted to ask about him, but thankfully either Katie or Matt had been able to stop her, even if they were trying not to laugh at the New Yorker joke. Matt leaned close, trying to be discrete, and failing miserably. "I think my mom just adopted you." He mumbled, "Well done, young padawan."

My only source of entertainment throughout the process was playing chess against a computer. It wasn't hard for me to figure out that it was next to impossible to beat it. It was like playing against an entire army of Kolivans working together.

At least Katie came right after the battle. She all but stumbled into the room, plopped herself down into the chair by the bed, and buried her face in my stomach. I rubbed her head gently. Mrs. Holt raised an eyebrow. I shrugged. She stood up and left the room for now, leaving Katie and me alone.

The second she heard the door close, Pidge kissed me. She moved so that she was all but sitting on my lap. Scratch that, she was on my lap. I wrapped my arms around her, making sure she didn't fall. I was about to speak, but she kissed me again, and again, and again until we were lowkey making out. She pulled back finally, breathing hard, hands still on the back of my neck. I pressed our foreheads together. "Not that I don't appreciate the welcome, but-" She cut me off, kissing me again.

"Stop." She said, "Just stop."

"Yes, Ma'am." I sighed

She buried her face in my shoulder and stayed there for a while. "I love you," she murmured.