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Lance - Epilogue

"You'll be okay in there?"

Lance doesn't answer immediately. To tell the truth, he's not sure. It's been a little while since he and Pilar talked, and since then he's spoken on the phone with Florona three times, but seeing her in person is... it's not the same. What if she doesn't even recognize him? What if she's changed? What if he freaks out again and has to start from the beginning?

"I'll be right there with you," Pilar promises, squeezing his left hand reassuringly. On his right side, Keith hovers uncertainly.

"Don't worry," Lance says, slipping his hand out of Pilar's so he can cup Keith's face. "It'll be alright. I'll be back in a little bit, okay?"

"Okay," Keith agrees, still sounding unsure. He's been a little on edge since Lance and Pilar picked him up earlier, but he's been doing his best to make Lance feel better, regardless.

"I'll take care of him for you," Pilar promises Keith with a wink. "C'mon acere, she's waiting for us."

"Good luck," Hunk says, patting Lance on the back as he walks by. "We'll be here when you get back."

"Say hi for us, though!" Pidge adds.

"I will," Lance agrees, smiling through his nerves. And then he's stepping through the door, into a soft mint-colored room with a huge window, a plain white bed, and a medium-sized desk. And there's Flora, sitting at the window and smiling at him like he's her favorite person in the world.

"Lance!" she cries, rushing over and pulling him into a hug. "You're here!"

"You're pink!" Lance exclaims in response. It's not exactly what he'd planned to say, but it's the first thing that comes to mind. "When did that happen?"

Florona pulls back and runs her hand through a lock of soft pink hair. "One of the nurses helped me do it a few weeks ago," she explains happily. "Do you like it?"

"It's awesome," Lance says. A lot better than that unnatural black from her rebel phase last year, his brain supplies. "I didn't know they'd let you do stuff like that here."

"It's not a prison, Lance," Florona says jokingly. "But enough about that already. You have to tell me everything. I haven't seen you in forever! Come on, sit down."

Lance shoots a glance at Pilar, who gestures to herself, then the door. He hesitates for a second, then nods decisively.

"So, how are Hunk and Pidge?" Flora asks as Pilar slips away. She'd asked the same question the last few times they'd talked, but Lance had never known what to say. This time he's prepared.

"They're good," he says, taking a seat on the other side of the bay window. "Hunk won the egg drop again, and now Pidge is even more intent on beating him next year."

"That sounds like them," Flora agrees with a laugh. "What about you? Is everything going okay?"

"Um... Yeah," Lance says after a second. "I mean, it was a little hard for a while, but everything worked itself out."

"Tell me about it," Flora prompts imploringly, propping her chin on her fist and leaning forward.

"Well, you know how I used to be super into Lotor?" Lance starts. "A lot of the school kind of found out and made fun of me and stuff."

"That sounds like the Garrison," Flora sighs, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry. Did you get through it okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Lance assures her. "And it doesn't even matter anymore."