Chapter Text
When Keith had sent a message asking if it was ok if he brought a couple of guests with him the next time he was on Earth, Lance was intrigued, and maybe a little worried. So, understandably, when he’d replied to agree- because it was Keith, who never asked for anything- he had casually asked if the guests were anyone he knew. He’d been stewing on the answer ever since.
‘No. It’s complicated. I need to explain in person.’
Seriously- what the heck did that mean? Complicated was never a good thing when someone was talking about other people. Especially not when the person saying it was Keith- one of the bluntest and ‘to the point’ people Lance had ever known.
Eventually he came to the begrudging conclusion that either the guests were Blade members that needed to stay close to Keith for some reason, or… and this possibility filled his guts with a churning storm of bad that he didn’t even want to question… Keith had somehow managed to get involved with someone (or someones, plural) seriously enough that he wanted to introduce them to his old teammates.
It was messing with his head. It had been almost a year since the last time he’d seen Keith. That was plenty of time to get really serious with someone. Sure, Keith hadn’t mentioned that he was dating anyone, but, it’s not like the guy was known for his sharing and communication skills. Brave, smart, capable, and noble he was. A talker? Not so much.
So, now he was standing in a fallow field near the farmhouse to greet Keith when he landed a ship Lance had never laid eyes on before. It was bigger than a Galran or Altean shuttle, but not massive by any means. It actually kind of reminded him of a turtle, with its high, domed roof, the protruding cockpit at the front, and the four stabilizers poking out at each corner as it settled smoothly onto the ground. Lance suspected that this thing wasn’t exactly the fastest or most maneuverable spacecraft, but it was weirdly cute.
It powered down and within a few minutes a hatch opened in the side and he spotted Keith. “Hey,” he called, but Keith was already disappearing back into the ship. Weird. He could hear voices and some clunking, but he couldn’t make out what was happening. “Keith?” he called again, moving around to the hatch, “do you need help with something?”
“Hang on!” he called back. There was some rustling and Keith’s voice was definitely closer when he spoke again, although it was clear he wasn’t talking to Lance this time. “Just stay put. For like five doboshes. Yes. Exactly. Okay? Well then, yeah.”
“Sorry,” Keith said a minute later, hopping out of the ship with a large duffel bag slung over his shoulder. “I just wanted to give you a heads up about the… uh... guests I mentioned… Like I said, it’s complicated and I don’t have a heckuva lot of time at the moment, so quick and dirty for now, details later. Yeah? - Alright. So I was with some of the Blades and we were clearing out this old Druid installation… and I was on my own and hit a dead end- big locked doors. My Galran still isn’t that great, but you know… they have those helpful handprint interfaces, so I just hit the panel and waited for the doors to open. Except… they didn’t, so I hit the thing again and-”
He was interrupted by a shrill noise that sounded remarkably like a-
“IT WASN’T ME! NOT MY FAULT! I DIDN’T DO NUFFIN!”
Keith sighed, looking over his shoulder, “ALRIGHT, FINE!”
More rustling came from inside the ship, this time accompanied by muttering, the voice was higher pitched than any of the Blades that Lance had met, so it was probably someone new. It was almost drowned out by that shrill wail which was now identifiable.
“Keith? Is that a-”
A hovering, roughly egg-shaped thing appeared, and Keith reached in, pulling out a small, very irate, dark-haired baby. Before he had time to process that, another dark head poked out of the hatch, “I didn’t do nuffin… promise.”
“I believe you, bud,” Keith said gently, tucking the baby up against his shoulder and holding out his free hand, “come on out. It’s okay. Come meet Lance.”
“Lance?” the little voice perked up, “like, Lance from your stories? That Lance?”
“The one and only,” Lance said, finally recovering from what he was seeing. Kids. Keith’s guests were children. “And I cannot wait to find out what stories you’ve been telling about me, Mullet.”
The child grabbed Keith’s hand and rushed to his side, practically hiding behind his leg. “Sorry, he’s kind of shy,” Keith chuckled.
“Am not,” protested the little boy, “Kolivan said: proh-seed wiff caution and may-tay cover in new vi-roh-mints.”
‘Shy’ mouthed Keith in a move so much like Shiro that Lance nearly did a double take.
“Kolivan usually has the right idea,” Lance said evenly, his face plastered with a huge smile. His mood was suddenly so much better than it had been when he’d come out here. Also- who would have thought that Keith of all people would be good with kids? But, he was. The baby had settled almost the instant Keith had picked it up, and this little boy obviously felt safe with him. “But my family’s farm is pretty safe and boring as long as you don’t make one of the animals angry.”
“Austin,” Keith prodded, “this is my friend, Lance. You wanna abandon your cover long enough to shake his hand?”
“Austin?” That was a decidedly human name… but then, now that he thought about it, the little boy seemed pretty human. He hadn’t gotten a great look at his face though, and that mop of hair completely covered his ears, so he could be Puigian, or Altean.
Keith nodded, smiling brightly, and the little one crept out from behind him, sticking out one pudgey hand. Lance closed the distance between them and got down on one knee so he’d be on the kid’s level, taking his hand and shaking it. “It’s very nice to meet you, Austin. You can call me Lance… or Best Red Paladin Ever… I’ll answer to that, too.”
“Ego,” muttered Keith and Lance could actually hear the eyeroll.
“Are not!” insisted Austin, who finally tipped his face up to make eye contact, and holy crap! Lance’s eyes flew from Austin’s face to Keith’s and back again. There was no mistaking those eyes, or that angry little pout. His brain made the connection a nanosecond before he heard Austin’s stubborn declaration, “Daddy’s the best!”
“Uhhh... okay… sure…” he answered, still gaping at the kid. He was seriously like a tiny Keith. How had he not spotted that right away? It was unnerving.
Keith laughed, “you know that counts as agreeing that I hold the title of Best Red Paladin Ever, right?”
“Yeah, well… uh… he’s a kid,” Lance sputtered.
“You wanna meet Gaia?” Austin said suddenly.
“Well, that depends- is Gaia the baby?” Lance asked, acting playfully suspicious.
The little boy rolled his eyes and it was ridiculously adorable. Like, take how annoying Keith’s eyerolls were, then triple that, and convert it to cuteness. That’s how adorable it was. “Um… yeah?”
“Is Gaia as cool as you ?” he asked, looking skeptical.
Austin paused at that, visibly pondering, “well, she doesn’t do much ‘cept cry an’poop… but she’s cute.”
It was really hard not to laugh at that, or at the affronted look on Keith’s face as he scolded the little boy. “Austin! She’s just a baby- that’s all any baby can do.”
“She sounds kinda boring,” Lance whispered conspiratorially, determined to win over this kid, no matter what it took. “I bet she can’t even play pirates,” he snorted, “pffft.”
“She can’t ,” Austin said, as if it was the biggest revelation of his life, “she can’t play nuffin ‘cept peek-a-boo.”
“Bor-ring!”
“This was a mistake,” muttered Keith. “I can’t believe I didn’t see this coming.”
“I guess I should probably meet the baby, though, huh?” Lance sighed, “I don’t want to be rude, and I bet your Daddy loves her a lot, right?”
Another eyeroll- Lance was seriously weak for this kid’s eyerolls, they were too cute- and a wry little quirk of his lip, followed by a resigned sigh, “yeah. He does. C’mon…”
Austin grabbed him, the little pudgy hand wrapping around two of his fingers and leading him over to Keith and the baby. “Thaz’Gaia,” he said, pride starting to leak into his voice, “my sister. You wanna hold her?”
He looked to Keith questioningly- he had no idea what this baby was like with new people, and he suspected that Keith would be a pretty overprotective parent. It was weird how quickly he was adjusting to this whole ‘Keith and kids’ thing, wasn’t it? He was pretty sure he should still be more freaked out.
“You can hold her,” Keith chuckled, shifting his weight so Lance could lift the baby.
He settled her into the crook of his arm with the practiced ease of a doting uncle and fiddled with the blanket until she was cozy and the corner of the trim wasn’t falling into her face. She looked to be about six months old and she was chewing on her fist. Dark, full eyebrows were drawn together over eyes that were screwed tight and a dainty little button nose. Her black hair stood up in a wispy mohawk that felt like a kitten’s fur when he brushed a thumb over the top of her head.
Oh, she was sweet.
She had that irresistible ‘milk and baby powder’ smell that always made him think of Niamh, Nadia and Sylvio. “Well, hello, Gaia,” he cooed softly. At the sound of his voice, she relaxed her face, blinking up at him. He shifted so the sun wasn’t in her eyes and she yawned so big she made that little squeak that babies do. These kids were stealing his heart in little chunks! Her fist found its way back to her mouth and she opened her eyes properly, watching him. “Oh. Oh wow… look at you…” He was a goner. She had huge , serious eyes, and the irises were purple. Not purply-grey like Keith’s and Austin’s but a true violet color, and they were ringed by thick, curling lashes.
“Told’ja,” Austin said, his voice so resigned and long-suffering it made both the adults laugh.
“I’d still rather play pirates with you,” Lance said seriously, “but she is a beauty, that’s for sure. Those eyes!”
“Think you can carry her to the house?” Keith asked, “so I can focus on Austin and her carrier?”
“Yeah- absolutely I can carry this little Princess! Can’t I, Gaia? Yes I can! We’re gonna be fine on our walk, huh? Yes, we are!”
“I can’t wait to see your place,” Keith said as they started walking. The last time Keith had been here, the old stone barn that Lance was converting into a separate residence for him on his family land hadn’t been ready to live in. It had pretty much been a disaster, actually. Stripped down to the bones and ready to be rebuilt. Since then, the work had been completed, and Lance had been living there full time for several months.
“It’s still pretty basic,” Lance warned him, “I’m taking my time with the personal touches because I want all my stuff to mean something, so I’m not like buying a vase just because I need something to go on that shelf, you know? But I’ve got plenty of space for you guys- and the lack of knick knacks will make it easier to kid-proof the place for your visit.”
Keith looked chagrined, “I… uh… probably should have told you that needed to be done, huh? Sorry. I’m… still getting used to this.”
Lance waved him off, “don’t worry about it. I’ll put up anything that is breakable and get Luis and Lisa to send up some of the toys that their kids have kicking around. I’m guessing Gaia is not really able to get into stuff, so it is mostly keeping Austin occupied, right?”
“She can sit up on her own, and she does this butt-scoot thing sometimes, but she doesn’t get very far with it. They’re both pretty chill, actually,” Keith glanced over at Austin who was very industriously pushing the floating carrier, stopping every so often to huff dramatically and wipe his forehead. Keith chuckled and shook his head, leaning over to whisper to Lance, “that is a zero friction, low inertia carrier- he acts like he’s plowing a field or something.”
Lance smiled, “that’s adorable. I wonder what he is pretending to be doing.”
“I’m sure he’ll tell us all about it when we get to the house. He loves talking about his ‘ventures’.”
“My folks were talking about having everyone over tonight for dinner- I’ll tell them to dial it back. I don’t want to overwhelm him, since he’s shy.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that. So far, he warms up to people pretty quickly, but he’s never really had to deal with a crowd before… and most of the people he knows are Blades.”
“So, a bunch of humans would be really, really different for him- got it. I can cook, if you like. Then maybe a couple of my siblings could drop by after the thing at my folks place? Instead of us going over there, I mean.”
“Let’s see how he does with your place and then make that decision.” Keith peeked over his shoulder at the baby, “she likes you.”
“Uh, yeah! Of course she does. The ladies love Lancey Lance,” he answered, waggling his eyebrows playfully at the baby. “You love me, don’t you Gaia? Yes, you do. You do! See? She loves me.”
“You’re still cool with us staying for a while, right?” Keith sounded unsure, “I’m starting to realise just how much of an imposition we could be now…”
“Keith, dude. My house is your house. My house is Pidge’s house. My house is Hunk’s house- you picking up what I’m putting down? The Voltron family is my family , you will always have a home with me. Plus, I love kids, so these guys are a bonus, not a hardship. Got it?”
He laughed, his relief visible, “got it. Thanks, Lance.”
He waved off the thanks, he’d meant what he’d said about the kids being a bonus. Gaia squirmed in his arms and he shifted her from a cradle hold to his shoulder, the way Keith had been holding her, and she settled down, her little fingers fiddling with his hair and ears as they walked.
“No Kosmo this visit?”
“He’s too valuable on missions- saved more than a few lives when we’ve had to retreat. Since I’ll be more than a day or two, he stayed with Mom and Kolivan. He’ll probably appreciate the break from affectionate little fingers pulling at his fur, too.”
“Well, I’m not going to complain about missing your space wolf after a whole year if he’s out in the universe saving lives…"
Keith rolled his eyes, “I’m sure he misses the guy that sneaks him entire steaks, too Lance.”
“Good. He’d better.”
It wasn’t long before Austin came running over, still pushing the empty carrier ahead of him. “Daddy! Dad! Dad! Dad! Look!” he gushed, pointing over the low crest of the hill, “that house is made of rocks ! Look! Look! Piles of rocks! It’s soooo coool!”
“Lots of houses are made from stone,” Lance said, mildly confused.
“Not Galran houses,” chuckled Keith, “he’s really only ever seen ships, bases, and a couple of Blade outposts. We haven’t actually spent much time on the surface of ANY planet.” He scooped Austin up into his arms, “that’s Lance’s house, bud. That’s where we are going to be sleeping tonight.”
“Your house is made of rocks !” Austin announced excitedly, like Lance had not been aware of that. “Lots and lots of rocks!”
“I know!” he answered enthusiastically, “soooo cool, right?”
Austin nodded, “yeah. Soooo cool!”
“Hey Keith, my house is soooo cool,” Lance said, grinning.
“Because it is made of piles of rocks, I know!” He tickled Austin’s ribs, making the little boy squeal with laughter and squirm helplessly. Lance couldn’t help but smile at them- he couldn’t remember ever seeing Keith so happy, and Austin was an absolute treasure. Gaia apparently thought that they were just as amazing because she made the first sound Lance had heard from her since Keith had pulled her out of her carrier- a high-pitched shriek of laughter that dissolved into bubbly giggles and delighted clapping. Oh man, she got cuter ? How was that possible? These kids were the best!
The laughter continued until they reached the doorstep, by which point, the tickling had been replaced by Keith flipping Austin upside-down and carrying him by the ankles for a few minutes at a time. Gaia had discovered Lance’s Altean marks (he suspected that they’d started to glow as they walked) and kept trying to grab them off of his face. Other than a couple of minor scratches and one baby-thumb to the eye it was mostly endearing. Especially when she’d lean in close, her little mouth pursed and brows furrowed in curious confusion. “You realize that once my mother meets these guys she’s claiming them as grandkids, right?” Lance laughed, elbowing Keith lightly.
“As long as she doesn’t try to out ‘grandmother’ Krolia,” Keith replied, setting Austin down, “I suspect that competition could get pretty intense.”
“Hard to picture Krolia as the grandmotherly type,” he answered.
“Well, she’s a Blade of Marmora grandmother, so probably not what you are expecting.”
“Oh god, did she give these babies knives, Keith?”
“M’not a baby ,” Austin said suddenly, “m’ big !”
“Okay, big kid Austin, did Krolia give you a knife?” Lance asked him.
“Noooo,” Austin looked at him like he was nuts, “she jus’helps me fight!” He hopped around, flailing his little fists and kicking at nothing, his whole face twisted into a mask of concentration. Mental note, get some video of Austin’s ‘fighting’ before they left.
Keith smiled proudly and shook his head, “bud- look at your fists and tell me what’s wrong.”
Austin stopped, holding his clenched fists in front of him and studying them, “ohhhhhh! My fumbs! Fix’em, Daddy!”
Keith crouched and gently guided Austin’s fingers into position with his thumbs outside the curled fingers. “There you go… now, be careful of your stance and try again.”
The next bout of ‘punching’ and ‘kicking’ didn’t look much different to Lance but Keith gave Austin a serious nod and a thumbs up before reaching for the baby. “Okay, munchkin, come to me so Lance can unlock the door and let us in.”
“Aww,” he sighed, relinquishing the little girl, “I could have just given you the keys.”
“I know,” Keith answered, “but I don’t want her getting overwhelmed either. She’s a pretty happy baby, but when she has had too much, she’s a nightmare to calm down.”
“Kind of intense, huh?” teased Lance, “I wonder where she gets that…”
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Sharpshooter.”
“Oh man, no one has called me that in years ,” Lance mused, opening the door, “alright guys, welcome to my home. Austin, if you see something you think is cool, just ask me okay? I don’t want you getting hurt by accident.”
“Kay,” Austin said easily, walking past Lance like he owned the place.
‘Watch him,’ Keith mouthed, pointing two fingers at his own eyes for emphasis. “Shoes off at the door. Earth rules.”
Lance shot him an expression that clearly conveyed ‘you think I’m an idiot? I know kids!’ without actually saying anything. It was nice to know he and Keith could still do the whole ‘no talking on stealth missions’ thing, even after all these years.
They all peeled out of their footwear, and Austin made a break for it the second he was able to, racing around the living room and into the kitchen commenting on each and every thing that caught his attention.
“So, the bedrooms are upstairs,” Lance said cheerfully, gesturing to the stairwell, “and so is the big bathroom. This is the living room, kitchen is through there, office is under the stairs, as is the half-bath, and there is a veranda through the kitchen. Pretty simple.”
There was a bang from the kitchen, and Keith sighed, “Austin? What was that?”
“These doors are weird ,” Austin called back, “they smell funny!”
“We should… check on that…”
“They’re just normal doors,” muttered Lance, heading to the kitchen. Austin was chewing on the corner of one of his cupboard doors, “woah, bud! You aren’t a beaver!”
“They taste funny, too,” Austin chimed in helpfully, “whazza beaver?”
“A beaver is an earth animal that eats trees, bud,” Keith explained, tugging him away from the door, “don’t chew on doors. That’s a new rule, got it? No chewing on doors. Any doors.” Lance fought the urge to snicker, especially when Keith looked at him over Austin’s head, his expression obviously ‘can you believe I just had to make that a rule?!?!’.
“Don’t look like trees…”
“They are mahogany,” Lance explained, “mahogany is a kind of tree, Austin. They cut them down, and sliced them up and then they made my cupboard doors out of them. The uhhh… doors, and the stairs, and the veranda- they are all made of wood.”
“Daddy? This house is weird! It’s made of trees and rocks!”
“That’s what most houses on Earth are made out of, buddy. That’s just how it works here.”
“You’ll figure it out. We had the hardest time getting used to living in space at first. How about… you pick out which bedroom you want and then I get you a snack?” Lance suggested, “and then maybe we can go outside and play pirates for a bit. Sound good?”
“Yeah!”
“Alright! Did you know I give the best piggyback rides? Ask your Daddy, he knows! This one time, he hurt his foot and I had to piggyback him all the way to his Lion!”
“Really, Lance? The Gadbupor mission?!?!”
“Can you think of any better missions that involve my awesome piggyback rides to tell this little guy?” Lance countered, just daring Keith to suggest something.
Keith paled, “nope. That’s definitely the best example. Lance is right, bud, he is good at giving piggyback rides.”
“Better than Kolivan?” Austin asked skeptically.
“You’re going to have to tell me that. I’ve never gotten a piggyback ride from Kolivan.”
Lance crouched and Austin clambered up onto his back, clinging happily. “Okay! Go!” the little boy cheered, so he did. He led Keith upstairs and gave them a basic tour, then insisted that the best way to choose a guest room was to jump on the mattress, earning him a glare from Keith, but the sheer glee that Austin pumped out as he bounced on the beds was well worth it.
Eventually, Austin chose the room next to the bathroom, the one with the soft blue walls and the navy and red quilt, that overlooked the juniberry fields. Keith dropped the duffle bag onto the bed with a sigh. Lance had actually forgotten he was still lugging that thing. “The dressers in all the guest rooms are empty,” Lance said, “feel free to unpack and make use of them, Keith. It’ll be easier than trying to dig out clothes for three people from one bag.”
“That’s a good idea. I can do that while Gaia naps a little later, though.”
“Fair enough,” he replied, “alright, Austin. I believe I promised you a snack, right?”
The rest of the day was a complete whirlwind. Lance had called his parents while Austin had discovered the joy of fresh, ripe mangoes and filled him in as best he could about the situation, bowing out of the big family get together. His mother had offered to send food up to them, but he’d declined. He was perfectly capable of making a meal for his guests. Then, after pretty much having to hose the sticky fruit juice off of Austin and changing him into an entirely new outfit, he’d taken the little boy outside while Keith put Gaia down for a nap and unpacked.
Since Austin was reportedly shy and had only just met Lance, they’d stayed close to the house (and therefore Keith). Lance declared that the veranda was the pirate ship, Austin was the Captain, and they were questing for treasure in the garden. Lance had fashioned hats out of Christmas wrapping paper for them to wear, and they’d found a couple of sticks to use as swords. Eventually, Lance pretended to mutiny and a daring sword fight ensued, with Austin obviously winning. Lance staggered around the veranda for several minutes, really dragging out his over the top death scene until Austin didn’t know whether to crow triumphantly or laugh at his antics. Finally, he fell backwards onto the grass clutching the ‘sword’ (stick) in his ‘chest’ (tucked against his ribs by his arm), with one final gasp and letting his tongue loll out to one side.
He’d rolled his ankle and knocked his head against a rock, but it was so worth it to see Austin lose his mind over the victory. The kid raced around and squealed and punched the air and jumped up and down from sheer excitement. It was quite possibly the most loveable thing Lance had ever seen aside from Sylvio, Nadia and Marco’s daughter Niamh. He was just such a happy little guy. “Okay, Captain,” Lance said at last, “we need to get started on dinner. Do you have a favorite food? And don’t say mangoes!”
He clapped his mouth shut so fast, Lance heard his teeth click together. Yup- he’d been about to say mangoes. Nailed it. His little brow furrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest exactly the same way that Keith did- it was precious. “Uuuuuuummmm,” he drawled, “I like rypirk rolls, and czanti noodles? Oh! The flat, round, bread thing that Daddy makes sometimes- peep’saws!”
“Do you mean ‘pizza’?”
“Yeah… that’s what I said. Peep’saws.” He rolled his eyes again and Lance had to stifle a laugh.
“Well, pizza is an Earth food and I have everything we need to make one. Sound good?”
“Really?” his purple-grey eyes got huge and lit up with excitement.
“Yes, really,” he laughed, “I’m going to let you in on a little secret, bud. By the time you guys leave, I’m gonna be your favorite Paladin… other than your Daddy… because I am awesome.”
“Yeah!” Austin nodded enthusiastically, “you are awesome!”
“You know it- hey has your Daddy taught you fistbumps yet?” He could tell just from Austin’s face that he hadn’t so Lance took a few minutes to show the kid how- including the explosion.
After that, the whole evening became a blur. Austin was an enthusiastic ‘helper’ who managed to make slightly less of a mess than Lance expected, but still needed a full bath after getting pizza sauce all through his hair. He was already in pjs and fighting with his father about whether his hair ‘needed’ to be brushed or not by the time Veronica and Rachel stopped by with tamales for the next day’s lunch and a basket of toys and clothes that Luis’ kids had outgrown.
Rachel wouldn’t stop melting over Gaia, who was endlessly amused by Rachel’s peek-a-boo skills. Veronica spent the time catching up with Keith, and while Austin quietly people watched, tucked up close to Keith, Lance was able to gently comb out his long hair.
The girls headed out just as the little boy started to nod off, crawling into Keith’s lap and sticking his thumb in his mouth as he wound the other hand up in Keith’s shirt. Lance changed the baby and fed Gaia a bottle while Keith got Austin settled away, and when she dozed off, he tucked her into her egg-like carrier to sleep.
By the time Keith returned, Lance already had a beer waiting for him. “Think he’s going to wake up?” he asked.
Keith shrugged, “hard to tell. He’s pretty beat, but new bed, no engine noises… could go either way. Gaia isn’t sleeping through the night yet, so I’ll be up at least once before morning anyway.”
“Okay, I’ve gotta say it- it is seriously weird that you are the first one with a family! My money would have been on Shiro or Hunk,” Lance smiled at the sleeping baby, “but you know what? The whole fatherhood thing? Suits you.”
Keith actually blushed, and it was weirdly cute. “Thanks. It wasn’t exactly how I pictured things going, but… they are my whole world. I can’t imagine life without them.”
“They are amazing. Austin is one of the most hilarious, adorable kids ever. Super cute, smart as a whip… and funny. He’s great. When he was showing off his fighting skills? My God,” he shook his head, laughing, “the cutest!”
“He thinks you are pretty amazing, too,” Keith replied, “told me all about being pirates. He really had fun.”
“Good. That was the whole idea.” He took a swig of his own beer, “okay- seriously though. I have theories!”
“I’m guessing you mean about the kids?”
“Yeah- did you rescue them from an alternate reality?”
Keith laughed, “no. No ‘rescuing’ them.”
“Alright then… pocket dimension?”
“Nope.”
“Are they the result of some kind of alien deity? Bob, maybe?”
“No,” he shook his head, still laughing, “you aren’t going to guess it.”
“I’m not done! This is my favorite- did you end up on another space whale with some Atlas crew member or something? Was it someone I know? Because Austin is what… four? And, dude, I saw you a year ago…”
“He’s essentially three and a half and no, I didn’t end up on a space whale. Now, do you want me to tell you? Or do you want to keep trying to guess?”
“I have other theories, but they are even more out there, so you should probably tell me.”
“Alright,” he shifted on the couch, turning to face Lance more fully, bracing his elbows on his knees and dangling his beer loosely, “remember I was telling you about the Druid installation?”
“Yeah, the door was stuck and you couldn’t get the panel to work or whatever, right?”
Keith nodded, lifting the bottle and chugging back almost half the beer. “Right. So, just as I was about to hit the thing a third time Artax showed up and stopped me. The controls weren’t for the door. It triggered something else… we were in a cloning facility… Like.. the one they used to clone Shiro. Austin… he’s a clone.”
“A clone... your clone?? What? That doesn’t even make any-... how ?”
“Not a Druid or a scientist, but from what they tell me, I guess those facilities take, like an egg, and do something to it to make it blank- genetically neutral. Then it samples the dna from the hand scanner, injects it into the egg, and force grows it in a pod.”
“Holy shit. Austin is what you were like as a kid? But he’s so… happy ?!?!”
“Hey! I was a happy kid!” He shoved Lance’s shoulder affectionately, and Lance grinned at him. “When I was Austin’s age I was really happy,” his smile faltered and Lance immediately felt like crap.
His Dad.
Keith had been a happy kid, and then his Dad had died and he’d ended up in the system.
“I’m sorry man, I shouldn’t have-”
“Lance, it’s okay. Really. Austin isn’t me , he’s just… got the same dna as me. Identical twins have the same dna- and they are all different from each other. He’s his own person.”
“So… you said Austin is a clone… what’s the story with Gaia?”
“Yeah.. so… it’s a two step process, right? Make the egg blank, add the new dna. So, I guess one egg was prepped… but the second time I hit the panel- it skipped the first part of the process. So, there was already dna in the egg…”
“Which means that Gaia is a mix of you and whoever’s egg that was?”
Keith nodded. “In a nutshell, yeah. Turns out Galra are a tad different from humans with the whole male dna determines physical sex thing, I guess… so… girl ! We pulled them out of the… uh… pods as soon as Gaia was ready to be on her own. I guess the rate of growth amps up the longer they are in the pods and once they’re not like, building body parts. So, even though there was only a few minutes between my tries at the door… he’s basically three years older than her, and Galra traits seem to be recessive, so she looks just as human as he does.”
“Wow,” he sat back, digesting that. “So, they have the same birthday?”
“Yeah. It’s weird. I know it’s weird. I suck at explaining it. But… they’re just my kids. I don’t care how I ended up with them, they are mine and no one comes between me and them.”
“Woah! Dude, no one is going to try to! You are a great Dad and they are obviously very loved!”
“I’m just worried… between what happened with Mom, and just… everything Shiro went through… I’m on edge.”
“Hey- anyone who wants to come between you and those kids needs to go through me, first,” he said softly. It didn’t make sense- he and Keith were hardly ever in the same place at the same time anymore so it wasn’t like he could do anything- but it was more about the sentiment. He wanted Keith to know that he had his back, no matter what. Reaching out, he gave his friend’s knee a little comforting squeeze, “nobody is getting anywhere near those babies on my watch. Cross my heart.”
That earned him a watery smile, “thanks, Lance. I knew I could count on you.”
“So… I’m guessing Shiro is still processing?”
Keith blinked at him, “Shiro doesn’t know. Outside of the Blade, you are the first person to know about them. I don’t know… how…” He groaned, rubbing at his face, “how do I tell Shiro this?”
“Keith, man, you tell him the exact same way you told me. Let him get to spend a little time with them. Let him see them as individuals. Then explain. He loves you, man, he’s going to adore those kids. He’s my stiffest competition for favorite Paladin, because he’s got that floating arm and he is going to spoil them rotten.”
“Yeah… just… I don’t want to trigger something- he’s doing so well since he got married… and it’s weird… I feel like I’ll disappoint him or something.” He huffed out a self-deprecating laugh and shook his head, “it used to be a joke between us… back when I was at the Garrison. When things would go wrong… he’d look at me and go ‘did you accidentally make a baby? No? Then we can probably fix this.’ It was a joke… but… like… I accidentally made a baby... two babies. My life is so strange.”
“All our lives are strange, so you aren’t alone there,” Lance replied, “and you are a grown ass man, who cares whether your kids were planned out ahead of time or not. What matters is that you are doing right by them. Seriously, that’s the only thing Shiro will care about… other than spoiling them rotten. Because, I know I said it already, but he is going to spoil them rotten. Remember all the shit Pidge used to get away with because she was his favorite? This will be sooo much worse!”
“Yeah… I guess,” he pulled Gaia’s carrier over and checked on her, fussing with her blanket. “I really want to be good at this… the whole parenting thing. It’s important, you know?”
“I wasn’t joking before, Keith… you are great with those kids. They are thriving. They’re lucky kids. You’re doing good, man. Really.”
Keith sighed, “I’m okay with the day to day stuff, but… I don’t know. I’m kind of already terrified of the teen years.”
“You’ll be fine. Just, plunk them smack in the middle of some Blade of Marmora base somewhere from like twelve until they are old enough to get married. Boom- good to go… because, I can tell you right now- Gaia? Yeah, she’s going to be a showstopper beauty. So, unless you want to be dealing with dating drama every minute of the day, isolate her.”
Keith laughed, “no opinions on Austin’s dating prospects?”
“Well, I figure, he’s your clone- you know what he’s going to look like. I don’t need to weigh in on that,” Lance shrugged. Nope- not weighing in on that at all . Because that would be very weird. “Although, so far, he’s definitely more charming than you are.”
“Thanks?” Keith replied, “you must be so proud of yourself for finding a way to praise my kid and drag me at the same time.”
Lance grinned, nodding, “I am, kinda, yeah. Pidge would be impressed. Oh man… Hunk is going to die over these two, you know that, right? And Coran? Forget about it! He’s a goner! But… you know… other than this whole… thing- how have you been?”
Keith went quiet, draining the rest of his beer, “well… I’ve pretty much just been dealing with this whole thing for the last six months, and before that, everything was pretty much just the same as always- relief efforts, clearing out old military bases and stuff and restructuring them. The occasional pocket of resistance. Nothing all that exciting.”
“Oh yeah, totally. Just, you know, spreading peace throughout the universe and rewriting an entire culture with your whole ‘space unicef’ thing. No biggie,” he rolled his eyes, “totally the same as just a normal life like mine- tend the crops, milk the cows, gather the eggs, make lunch, repeat.”
He laughed, “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you are more than welcome to help with the ‘whole space unicef thing’. You’re better with people than I am and the Paladins are still kind of a big deal. You’d be good at this stuff, Lance.”
“I know the invitation stands, and I appreciate it… I’m just… not there yet, you know?”
“Yeah, I know. I miss her, too. I almost named Gaia after her.”
“Really? Why didn’t you?”
Keith rolled his shoulder in something close to a shrug, “she was my friend, my teammate… but of all of us, I was the one she was least close to. I didn’t want to… use up the name, I guess? Like- I didn’t want any of you guys to feel like you couldn’t name your kid after her when you had your own families. I’m pretty sure that Shiro will want to when he has kids- and I think that would mean more to him than it would to me. I don’t know- it just didn’t seem like the right fit. Gaia was the right fit. Once I thought of it, nothing else seemed right.”
“It’s a gorgeous name. Suits her. Where did Austin come from?” Lance asked.
“That was my Dad’s name. Everyone called him Tex or Texas, but that was because his name was Austin.”
“You gonna call him Tex, too?”
“Nah- he’s his own person. Plus, I think it might be hard on my mother- she’s…” he trailed off, “this whole thing has been kind of rough.”
“Your mother is one of the toughest people in the universe. What’s up?” A horrifying thought crept into his mind. “Does she… Keith- does she have some kind of issue with the kids? Is that why you are stressing out about Shiro? Is there some kind of thing I don’t know about?”
“You mean because of the whole cloning facility thing? No! No, nothing like that. The Blades all take that stuff in stride- they’ve seen the worst of the worst stuff that Zarkon’s empire came up with, but they know the difference between a tool and an action. They have all either just ignored the kids, or doted on them. It has nothing to do with that. Nothing to do with Gaia, either. She’s my daughter, that’s never been in question. It’s just… Austin…” He sighed, “I was just a baby when she had to leave… and she didn’t want me to grow up in a war. But… she didn’t WANT to go, she had to… and she had to leave me behind. She missed out on… everything, really… and then, there was Austin… and he was…”
“Genetically her son,” Lance finished for him, “she wanted to raise him, huh?”
Keith nodded, fiddling with his beer bottle. “I didn’t want the kids separated… and he came from me … We… uh… we fought about it. A lot.”
“That had to be… really hard, Keith. I’m sorry.” Lance could see why Krolia would see Austin as a chance to be the mother she’d wanted to be to Keith. He could even understand why that would be important to her. There was definitely an argument to be made that she should have custody of the little guy. But, Keith had a point, too.
And Keith hadn’t said anything about it, but Lance knew the guy well enough to know that those abandonment issues he liked to ignore weren’t magically erased by Krolia coming into his life, so… it must have been terrifying to face the possibility of being ‘replaced’ like that. Add to that his worries about Shiro’s reaction… he probably hadn’t talked about any of this with anyone.
Keith hadn’t moved since he’d mentioned the fighting. Not really. He was scraping his close-clipped thumbnail over the paper label on the empty beer bottle, staring at the floor between his feet. He seemed so young all of a sudden, reminding Lance a little of the Keith that had been in his class at the Garrison. Specifically, of the few moments right before the young cadet would square his shoulders and lift his head and dig in his heels. Because, Lance had been paying attention to him back then, and he’d seen the way he’d start to crumple in on himself before the anger kicked in. He hadn’t understood it back then, but he’d seen it. He understood it better now. He understood Keith better now.
He set his own beer aside and plucked the empty out of Keith’s hands. “C’mere,” he whispered, pulling his friend into a hug. As always, Keith stiffened for a second, and then practically melted into the contact, hugging him back tightly. Lance rubbed his back gently, “you should have reached out to me. You didn’t have to deal with all that on your own. I’ve got your back, okay? No matter what. No matter who.”
He felt a nod against his shoulder and a shudder rolled through Keith. He could only imagine how much stress the guy must have been dealing with, but until now, he hadn’t seen it. It didn’t show up in any of his interactions with Austin and Gaia. That was… kind of amazing, and it spoke to the depth of resolve that Keith must have to be a good Dad. Red Paladin Keith never would have been able to keep that kind of stress from spilling over into how he dealt with people. He’d grown up a lot- they all had, but Lance suspected that the change had been most profound in Keith.
“You said it yourself, bud, Austin is his own person,” he whispered, “he could never replace you. Not to us. Definitely not to your mother. Never.”
Keith was quiet for several minutes, and when he finally spoke again, his voice was tiny. Raw. Scared. “That’s what happened with Shiro, though.”
“Heyyy… no. No, it wasn’t. Austin doesn’t have all your memories. He doesn’t think he is you. Whatever Haggar did to that clone didn’t happen to Austin… and you are still here, you are still you . It’s not even close to the same thing.”
“But-”
“No. No buts. Keith, you are you. Austin is Austin. Same dna or not. Your life shaped you. Your choices shaped you. Your Mom loves you , for who you are, for the things you’ve done together. No one can replace that, or change it.”
“But, he’s better ,” Keith insisted, “he’s not broken...”
Lance pulled back, sacrificing the hug for eye contact, because he needed Keith to see his face when he said what he was about to say. “Keith, you are not broken! I never ever want to hear that bullshit come out of your mouth again. I have known you since you were, what? Thirteen? Fourteen? You have always been the most infuriatingly stubborn, bull-headed resilient fucker I’ve ever even seen! You are not broken- because nothing has ever managed to break you. Knock you around a bit, sure, but break Keith Kogane? Impossible. You just keep getting back up. If you were broken, you’d stay down. You wouldn’t fight. You wouldn’t get mad. And you know what? It sucks that you lost your Mom when you were a baby, and your Dad when you were a kid, and it sucks that everything went down the way it did with Shiro and the Garrison, and you deserved better… buuuuut, I think that’s part of why you fought so hard for peace- because you know that every loss is felt by someone, somewhere and that nobody deserves to feel it. You know what loss is, so you appreciate things more… and so does your Mom, for the record. Austin is a three and a half year old kid. He’s awesome, sure, but he’s not you . You are awesome in a totally different way, and not even a little bit broken. You’re like… what’s that thing they do to swords? To make them stronger?”
“You mean tempering it?”
“ Yes!! You’ve been through shit, but it didn’t break you, it tempered you. You’re stronger and sharper because of it… and you know what? Anybody who doesn’t appreciate that is an idiot. Is Krolia an idiot?”
“No,” he said softly.
“Is Shiro an idiot?”
“I mean… sometimes… have you seen him try to cook?”
“Keith,” his voice was a warning.
“No,” he sighed, “Shiro’s not an idiot.”
“Right. There you go. How are things with your Mom now?”
Keith pushed his hand through his hair, “tense… but better. She helped me a lot with Gaia, and Austin loves her. But… I don’t know… she seems sad sometimes.”
“Have you talked to her? After you guys stopped fighting, I mean.”
He just shook his head, turning away to check on Gaia again. He fiddled with the blanket that was perfectly fine. Brushed hair that wasn’t in her face to one side. Rested his hand on her chest like he was making sure she was still breathing.
“Keith? Is there anything that could make you love those kids even a tiny bit less than you do right now?”
“What?!?!? Of course not!”
“And do you love Austin any less because Gaia exists?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
“Same stuff applies to Krolia about you, you get that, right?” he coaxed, his voice soft and gentle. “Even if she’d ended up being the one to raise Austin, that wouldn’t change.”
“Yeah… I guess.”
“Yeah, well, I’m the youngest of five , so I can tell you for a fact that parents just… find more love to give. It’s how it works. They don’t run out of love.” He pulled Keith into another hug, because Keith had like, a lifetime shortage of them. Lance was a huggy guy, in general, and while Keith didn’t start hugs, usually, they were practically magic in how much they improved his mood. Hunk had been the first one to figure that out, and was pretty quick to share his discovery with the others- so for the last few years, they’d all been making a point to hug Keith whenever they got the impulse, not that they had much opportunity given his schedule.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long for some of the tension to drain out of Keith. Lance could feel him relax, feel the change in his breathing. He went still again, but this time it was a peaceful stillness, not the kind that meant you were freezing up as a way to avoid pain. Keith smelled like baby powder and the bodywash he’d used on Austin, with that hint of something undefinable that was just ‘Keith’. It was weird how your brain connected scents to people- because so many things influenced that from the food you ate, to what laundry soap you used, even where you’d been sleeping or the people you’d been near- but there was always something , under all those other layers, that didn’t seem to change. Lance suspected that he could go years without having any contact with his Voltron family and he’d still be able to recognize them from that deep down layer of how they hit his nose. It was, like, primal.
He’d missed him. He missed them all, but there was something different about how he missed Keith. He suspected it was because Keith was always a bit of an unknown. Even in the thick of things when all they had was each other in the endless expanse of space, Keith wasn’t always around. He’d left to work occasional missions with the Blades, then to be a full-time member and it had hurt . They’d all understood and supported him, but it had hurt. Lance had spent a lot of time blaming himself for it. Kicking himself for giving Keith such a hard time, for maybe making him feel unwelcome, for the conversation he’d had with him about there being more Paladins than Lions. He still kicked himself for that- what had he been thinking?!?! He’d known that Keith was unsure about his ability to lead, known that he often felt like the odd man out, known that he struggled with connecting with the others… so why had he gone to him with his worries? Why hadn’t he clued in that Keith might bolt? He’d been so sure that the solution was for him to surrender Red back to Keith, so positive that Keith would jump at the chance to be Red Paladin again. He’d been wrong, and to this day he wondered how things would have been different if he just had waited to see how things worked themselves out.
He liked to think he’d learned to be more patient over the years. Liked to think he was a better friend now- not quite as caught up in his own perspective as he was at seventeen. Right now, Keith was overwhelmed and dealing with something that Lance had no experience with. But he knew that it was harder than Keith was letting on. Even with him opening up as much as he had, Lance knew Keith well enough to know that the things he’d said were just the tip of the iceberg. Keith ran deep and it was hard for him to talk. Hard for him to open up. He was very good at acting like things were not affecting him, and putting the job above all else. As much as he clearly adored those kids, Lance suspected Keith was doing just that- focusing on the ‘job’ of being a father at his own expense.
So, he slid a little closer on the couch and shifted his arms a bit, hugging Keith a little tighter. He didn’t need to hear what exactly was going through Keith’s head to offer comfort. Hugs didn’t need words. Keith drew in a hitching breath and tucked his head into the crook of Lance’s neck. Neither of them moved for what felt like hours, until Gaia started fussing in her sleep and Keith pulled back and turned to soothe her.
“What would you have done?” Keith asked softly while he was jiggling the carrier to calm the baby before she fully woke, not looking at him, “if I’d reached out… like you said I should. If I’d messaged you and said I had two kids all of a sudden and I was fighting with my mother and trying to keep it together, what would you have done?”
Lance blinked at his back. He didn’t know? How could he not know? “Keith… I would have done the exact same thing I do when I am talking to Coran and notice that he’s got bags under his eyes and is talking around Allura instead of about her. I’d have gotten on a ship and been there , man. To help. However you needed. I’d have- I don’t know, walked the floor with a crying baby so you could shower, and helped make sure there was one hot meal a day so you didn’t try to survive on those awful Blade meal bars, and done.. Chores… or tried to talk to Krolia. Whatever.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. I spent three weeks calling every damn florist in the hemisphere looking for the exact right shade of freaking peonies for the boutonnieres for Shiro’s wedding. This is way more important than tiny corsages for grown men. I know everyone thinks I’m like throwing my life away on the farm or whatever. I’m not- for the record- this is a good life, and I need something calm and nurturing right now. I won’t be here forever, but while I am I have the freedom to leave for a while. I get to be there for the people I care about when they need me, when they need a friend. If I spend two weeks with Coran on New Altea- he doesn’t feel guilty about pulling me away from scientific discoveries that could change the world, or diplomatic missions that impact millions, or the rebuilding of a culture after millenia of damage. The cows are milked, the crops are cared for, the animals are fed if I am here or not. So, yes, of course I would have thrown my shit in a bag and called in some favors to teleduv my ass to wherever the hell you were.”
“Even if things were crazy for a lot longer than two weeks?”
Lance didn’t need to hesitate, or think about it, his answer was instant, but he knew Keith would see a too quick response as knee-jerk, so he did pause. He made himself really think. How long was too long? How much help was asking too much? He looked at his friend, still turned away from him, his face hidden from view. He took in the changes he’d gone through since they’d first met at the Garrison. Taller, broader through the shoulders, more muscle, too. Keith had been small for their age when they’d first met, thin. Even when they’d first ended up in space he’d been slight. But now he was almost as bulked up as Shiro.
Not a kid anymore.
He hadn’t been a kid for years- none of them had, really… not even Pidge. Not after everything they’d seen and done and lost. But beyond that, when they’d returned to Earth Keith had already grown into the weight of leadership, learned how to handle far too much responsibility for someone barely out of his teens. Lance had every faith that he could handle anything parenthood threw at him… but problems with his mother? Not being able to talk to Shiro about something this huge? Yeah, that would be hard for him.
“Even if it meant years,” he promised, after a moment, “the Lions are gone, but I’m still your right hand whenever you need me to be, for as long as you need me to be. So, yeah… I’d stick around to make sure Gaia stayed safe and sound in the middle of that Marmora base until her wedding day if it stayed crazy that long. I’d be the best Space Uncle ever.”
“Space Uncle?” Keith half chuckled, “isn’t that what Pidge called Coran?”
“Yup- so, like… I learned from the best, right? The perfect balance of silliness and wisdom and cheerleading and ‘just what do you young people think you are doing?’ sternness.”
This time the reluctant laugh was an actual chortle, which Lance took as a good sign, “ooooh- maybe I could grow a moustache worthy of a silent movie villain? I think I’d rock a nice handlebar moustache, don’t you?”
“No, Lance,” Keith laughed, finally sitting back on the couch and turning back toward him, “I do not think you’d ‘rock a nice handlebar moustache’. You’d look ridiculous, and you know it.”
Lance pouted, “like I’d take advice on what looks good from a guy with a mullet.”
“Still with the mullet thing?” Keith sighed, reaching back to pull the ponytail holder out of his hair. He ran his fingers through the newly freed strands and shook his head, the dark hair spreading over and past his shoulders. “See? It’s not a mullet.”
Lance had noticed the length when it was tied back- the ponytail had brushed against the lower edge of Keith’s shoulder blades- but somehow it hadn’t really connected in his head.
Now though?
There was no avoiding that Keith’s hair wasn’t anything even remotely resembling a mullet. It was just long. There were shorter bits framing his face, but other than his bangs and the bits at his temples, his hair was all one length. It had the slightest hint of wave- just enough to keep it from looking weighed down or wet- and it was a lot thicker than Lance would have guessed. Not a mullet. Not that he could really admit that. “It’s the same old mullet, just way longer. Like, an even lazier mullet than you used to have. It’s like you’ve got some kind of problem with barbers or something.”
“What would you call Austin’s hair, then?” Keith countered.
“Austin has a little kid’s mop of hair. No comparison.”
“It’s starting to get into his eyes. I keep thinking I should pin it back or maybe see about getting i-”
“DAAAAAAAAAAAADDYYYYYYYYY!”
“-and he’s awake,” Keith sighed, glancing into the carrier, “he’s probably disoriented… might take a bit to calm him down enough to sleep…”
“I can watch her,” Lance assured him, “if she wakes up before you get Austin settled I’ll do the standard bum change, bottle, bouncey-walk, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll bring her up to you.”
“You sure?” He looked torn, Austin’s cry had seemed more confused than anything else- but a young kid waking up alone in a strange room could get spooked very easily.
“Positive. Go. I’ve got Gaia.”