It was early June, and the university campus was already blooming with color—rainbow flags lined the walkways, chalk murals announced Pride events across the quad, and the Student Union had a table set up offering free pronoun pins and iced coffee.

Katie Holt—now more comfortably going by Pidge again—walked across campus, earbuds in, a "they/them" pin gleaming on the strap of their messenger bag. Their hair was shorter now: a soft, curly undercut they’d finally dared to try last semester. It framed their freckled face nicely, bouncing a little with every step.

They were on top of the world, technically—top of every class, on the Dean’s list for the third semester in a row, and recently offered a prestigious internship in tech development. They’d reunited with Matt and their dad, and things at home were finally… stable. It felt surreal sometimes. No space war, no interdimensional distress calls—just coding, late-night ramen, and the occasional dorm fire drill.

Still, this morning was dragging. Bad cramps, fatigue like cement in their limbs, and a gut-wrenching irritability that not even the overpriced Pride-themed iced latte could fix. Pidge rubbed at their temple as they sat on the engineering lawn, tablet balanced on their knee. They had class in ten minutes, and the air was too hot, their bag too heavy, and everything was just a little too much.

Their phone buzzed.

📱 Group Chat – Paladorks 🚀🌈 Hunk: "Yo Pidge!! Did you see the queer sci-tech panel happening this weekend? I signed us both up 😎 (don’t fight me I know you’ll love it)" Lance: "Also who wants to crash the dance after and embarrass ourselves 💃🏽🪩" Allura: "Pidge, darling, remember to rest. You deserve it." Shiro: "Proud of you, kid. Seriously. Also drink water."

Pidge snorted and actually smiled, eyes stinging a bit with exhaustion—but warmth too. They replied with a quick: Pidge: "I’m gonna cry. I love y’all. Also Hunk I swear if you make me socialize I’ll hack your favorite snack recipes and replace them with bland tofu."

Hunk: "You say that like I don’t already love tofu. Also… drink your tea and go nap. Period pain trumps coding today."

The professors would understand. Pride month or not, even heroes needed rest days. They lay back in the grass, arms behind their head, curly hair fluffed against their hoodie, and let the sun warm their face.

For once, the universe wasn’t on fire. Just their uterus.

And somehow, that was enough.