So there are a lot of things I leave up to interpretation in this fic and it is not at all Canon Compliant on quite a few notes as you'll find. I hope you enjoy it and leave any questions or comments if you have them and I will do my best to respond.

~~~~

Often I am upset that I cannot fall in love but I guess

This avoids the stress of falling out of it

~~~~

The rain poured around him as he stood there in silence. Keith looked down at the casket of the only person he had cared about as it was lowered into the ground. Keith's social worker stood behind him. She had been in charge of him ever since he had gotten called out of his kindergarten class a week ago. The woman was stiff and strict, she didn't tolerate his tantrums and had placed him in a foster home nearby since he had no living relatives that could take him in. The foster parents had told Keith to call when he needed to be picked up. They had to take the other kids to activities that day and couldn't spare the time to come for the funeral service. They had barely spared Keith a glance when they told him this as they rushed to leave the house earlier that day.

Now Keith stood there, surrounded by his father's brothers-in-arms. Each held a handful of soft soil. They all stood around the grave where the casket settled in the ground and waited for the pastor to say his final words. Ending with a choked goodbye, Keith felt himself being nudged forward to release the first handful of earth, beginning the process of burying his father. Keith raised his arm and tried to clear his vision of tears as cries clogged his throat. He wanted to scream. He wanted to run away and never have to face this. Seconds seemed to carry on for an eternity as he tried to open his hand. A sob burst past his lips and he felt himself tremble as the finality of the situation crashed over him. A hand fell on his shoulder in silent support from one of the men standing with him, and Keith was finally able to let the soil fall from his grip.

The rest of the service and ceremony went by in a blur. The light rain rolled down his face, mixing with his tears that hadn't stopped since he had heard the news. He recalled how he had been told that his father wasn't coming back. That he would have to leave the only home he had known in his young life. Keith registered that a crew started to fill the grave in earnest. As he focused on the dirt piling up Keith clenched his fists and raised an arm to rub at his eyes.

He swore to himself that he wasn't going to let anybody close enough to make him cry like this again.

~~~~

Are you tired of me yet?

I'm a little sick right now but I swear

When I'm ready I will fly us out of here

~~~~

Keith hugged his hippo plush to his chest as he stared at the ground where he was crouched by the open doorway. It was one of the only things that he had brought with him, along with some clothes and his mother's knife. The hippo had been with Keith through every step of his life so far, he had it for as long as he remembered. Keith had been in three homes since his dad had left him, and it looked like he was gonna hit four before he even reached a whole year in the system.

Earlier that day an older boy had seen his hippo and snatched it from Keith before he could react and had started taunting him with it. He said that if Keith was too weak to get it back, the hippo might as well go in the trash where it belonged. Keith could only remember a wave of overwhelming anger, the color red, and finding himself atop the older boy with bloodied knuckles. The boy below him had clutched his nose and yelled for the parents in charge of the home. Afterward, Keith had grabbed his hippo and was told to wait in his room while his social worker was called in to talk.

Keith had decided to eavesdrop on the conversation and heard the angry murmurs of the parents that he had been with for a little less than 2 months. The whispers rang familiar to his ears because they were what other foster parents said to his social worker when they grew tired of him and his lashing out and disrupting their home.

"That child is nothing but trouble!"

"He's not worth the effort!"

"That little monster is constantly fighting!"

"We tried to make it work, but he's impossible."

"You can't leave his anger issues unchecked!"

"He's a delinquent who isn't going to make it anywhere!"

"We can't care for him anymore, he's a danger to the other kids."

"Nobody could love him."

~~~~

I'll cut my hair

(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh) To make you stare

(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh) I'll hide my chest

And I'll figure out a way to get us out of here

~~~~

Keith looked through the branches of the tree he was laying in. His most recent home was by a forest and he often found himself wandering the area and climbing trees until he could barely make out the ground below him.

With a sigh, he leaned back against the solid wood behind him. He pulled out his mother's knife from his belt where he had started to carry it. He didn't want the other kids to take it if he left it in his room, or to chance losing it when he had to move foster homes. Keith focused on what he could see of his reflection in the blade. His own hard gaze greeted him, framed by raven-colored locks he was accustomed to looking through. Looking at himself, he wondered if his dad had reunited with his mom in some sort of afterlife or if his mom was still out there. He wished he had known her. From all the stories his dad had told him she seemed like a force to be reckoned with. Would she be proud of him? Did she miss his dad? Did she even remember him?

Deep down, Keith felt like she had left because of him. It was like all of those foster parents had said, nobody could love him . He made life harder for people around him. They all kept leaving him behind. Alone. So alone. A while ago he had tried to get the kids in the home to like him. He had tried changing how he looked and acted. All he got in return was mocking and scoffs from the other children. But it was fine, Keith decided, it was fine and he didn't need them. He was going to be himself and not care what others thought.

Everything was fine, he had been alone before. He didn't need anybody but himself.

It was easier this way. Keith didn't have to look after anybody else.

He would be great all on his own.

~~~~

Turn off your porcelain face

I can't really think right now in this place

There's too many colors enough to drive all of us insane

~~~~

The ticking of the clock on the wall was going to drive Keith insane. He had apparently been in one too many fights at his middle school and they were making him join some stupid program where he would be assigned a 'mentor.' Keith huffed and slouched down in his chair. More like a parole officer. Nobody else had arrived yet so Keith bounced his leg and took in the brightly colored walls and obnoxious motivational posters that littered them.

Well, his so-called mentor was late, Keith already hated them. He had been waiting for 20 minutes already and if he didn't hate his current living arrangements more than this room he would have ditched a lot earlier, but for now he had nowhere else to be.

"Sorry! Sorry, I'm late, I got held up in my last class." A large, young man barreled through the door and disrupted the quick tapping rhythm Keith had built up. The young man leaned over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath before standing up and greeting Keith with a large grin. "Hi, I'm Takashi Shirogane, but please just call me Shiro. You must be Keith, right?" Shiro held out his hand for a handshake.

Keith ignored the hand and glared at Shiro, "I've been waiting for 20 minutes, you're sure making a great first impression, Mentor ." Keith put as much sarcastic venom in his voice as he could to show his distaste for this situation.

Shiro rubbed the back of his neck with the hand he had let fall after the failed attempted greeting. "I really am sorry about that, Professor Iverson wanted me to demonstrate the simulator to the class after mine, so I got held back for a bit. I got here as fast as I could." Shiro kept a small smile on his face and took the seat across from Keith. "I'm here now though, and I would really like to get to know you better before we start on anything."

Keith rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I'm sure that's what they taught you to say. Why would you care about some random kid with anger issues? Nice try dude, but I'm not buying what you're selling. Let's just pretend we did what they wanted us to do and we can both leave and get on with our lives." Here Shiro let his grin drop and stared at Keith in surprise and, what looked to Keith like, pity.

"I'm here because I want to be. Is it so wrong to want to care about somebody, even if I don't know them all that well yet? I genuinely want to know you, Keith, but you have to let me be there for you in order for this to work." Shiro leaned forward and tried to make eye contact but Keith avoided his gaze and scowled down at his hands.

"I'm perfectly fine on my own. I don't need anybody's pity or their help." Keith spat as he curled his hands into fists in his lap and glared back up at Shiro.

Shiro gave Keith a small grin when their eyes met again before his expression grew more determined. "Maybe not, but if you'll let me, I'd like to be there for you all the same. It doesn't have to be today or even tomorrow. Whenever you're ready, Keith, I'll be here for you. I swear." Keith's glare faltered as he saw the honesty and determination in the steely grey that met his eyes before managing to tame his expression into disinterest.

"Whatever, we'll see about that." Instead of frustration Keith only received a goofy grin in response as Shiro leaned back in his chair.

~~~~

Are you dead? Sometimes I think I'm dead

'Cause I can feel ghosts and ghouls wrapping my head

But I don't wanna fall asleep just yet

~~~~

Keith found himself searching farther and farther. He covered more ground with nothing to show for it. The tugging feeling kept growing and pulling him closer. The numerous days passed in a haze. He had made himself at home in a shack. He refused to believe something like a pilot error had killed Shiro. His brother. The only person he had let himself care about. His brother was the best pilot he knew. There was no way that he had done anything that would have resulted in the mission failing. There had to be something that the Garrison wasn't telling people. Shiro couldn't be gone.

Keith looked to the sky. The sun was fading behind the horizon and decided to call it a day before it got dark and hard to navigate the route back. He started up his hoverbike and headed back towards his temporary home. The trip back was uneventful but he felt himself getting farther from whatever was calling to him from the caves of the desert. It called to him, pulling him towards it, but it seemed that it wasn't ready to let him find it quite yet.

Keith arrived at the shack and kicked his hoverbike off. He grabbed his bag of supplies before making his way inside. With a lazy flick of his hand, Keith turned on the lights. The board at the back of the room taunted him and his lack of progress. He had pictures of carvings he had found and articles about the Kerberos mission. He had marked all of the connections with a string and had notes written along with them that detailed what he knew so far. All of his maps, charts, and theories and yet nothing brought him any closer to finding the one person he had let past his walls. He stepped closer to the board and ran his fingers over a picture of him and Shiro working on his bike before Shiro left for the last time.

Letting his hand fall away from the board, Keith spun around and started pacing the room. "What else can I do? What else!?" Frustrated, Keith brought up his hands, grabbing at his hair, and started to tug at the dark locks in a failed attempt to ground himself as he began to spiral. "Why do I always have to be alone!? Am I destined to lose anybody who gets too close!?" Keith slowly grew in volume until he was screaming his frustrations to the heavens. "HE DIDN'T DESERVE THIS! TO BE LOST! TO BE BLAMED LIKE THIS! WHY DIDN'T YOU TAKE ME INSTEAD!?" Keith's vision blurred and his voice started to break in his cries. "Why didn't I get taken instead, nobody would have missed me! Why would you take him!? He's done nothing wrong! DO YOU HEAR ME!" Keith found himself back in front of the board meeting the silver eyes that had come to mean comfort and safety.

That familiar gaze broke past the last of Keith's crumbling walls. "Where are you, Shiro? What-" Keith's voice broke as a sob tore free from his throat, "what happened up there?" Keith punched the board as angry tears started to fall. "I refuse to believe that you would go and die! You said you would come back!" Keith slowly fell to his knees and rested his head against the wall. Tears dampened his cheeks and broken wails fell past his lips. "You said you wouldn't let me be alone like I was after my dad was gone." Letting his turbulent emotions come to the surface Keith could now barely talk past the lump in his throat. "You swore to me Shiro, you swore that you would always be there for me when I needed you!" Keith's breaths came in small, painful gasps and he covered his face with his hands.

"Well I need you now Shiro, I need you!" Keith's broken voice reflected his shattered soul. He let himself feel what he had been trying to bury ever since he had heard the news about Kerberos. "Where are you now?" The last part came out as a whisper between Keith's broken cries. He had promised himself that he wouldn't cry like this after his father passed, but as soon as he had let his guard down he found himself here once again. Keith crumpled and wrapped his arms around himself in a fruitless effort of self-comfort. He found himself completely alone once again.

~~~~

My eyes went dark

(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh) I don't know where

(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh) My pupils are

But I'll figure out a way to get us out of here

~~~~

Never in his wildest dreams did Keith believe he would end up in some alien castleship lightyears away from Earth. Yet here he was. Now he was on the pilot of a magical robot lion in some intergalactic war. That was another thing that Keith couldn't believe, the idea that he was some chosen defender of the universe. That he, alongside three other cadets, Shiro, and a couple of ancient aliens were supposed to win this war they hadn't known was happening. Everything from the beginning had occurred too quickly to properly register. As they now floated through space waiting for the next disaster or call for help, the peace and quiet allowed Keith to digest what had happened to him.

Keith sat in his room so he could work through his muddled thoughts for a while. He started to make an order of events that had gone down.

He had found his brother.

His brother had been tortured and had changed in the little over a year he was taken.

Keith and Shiro were now bound to sentient lions along with three other people he hardly knew.

Said people now had to stop some ancient war that spans worlds when they hadn't even known there was a war until they had gotten launched into space.

Millions of people were counting on them to be some sort of saviors.

Keith shook his head as it started to clutter with thoughts and overwhelm him when he began to think about just how much pressure the team was under. He pushed himself off of his bed and grabbed his bayard. The training deck had become his safe haven in their time in space as it allowed him someplace to work out his frustrations and direct his attention.

As he made his way to the training deck Keith felt a gentle rumble from his connection with Red as she tried to offer a bit of comfort. He sent back a feeling of gratitude and felt Red's protective warmth settle a bit while remaining just on the fringes of his awareness. Keith had become accustomed to being alone with his thoughts while living in the shack, so now being put on a team and having a presence in his mind constantly was a stark contrast to his previous idea of normal. He wasn't used to someone being there for him besides Shiro. Red was a constant warmth that gave him assurance if he started to get lost in his head.

Opening the training room doors Keith stepped in and shook out his arms. "Start Training: Level 5!" Keith yelled to the room and activated his bayard. The level was a basic sequence that Keith knew by muscle memory at this point, he just needed something physical while he sorted through his thoughts. The ceiling panels opened and dropped two training bots for him to fight. Keith ran at the bots; he let himself zone out and fall into the familiar feeling of sparring. As he moved Keith could better focus on specific ideas, his movements took most of his focus and didn't let his mind wander very far.

The biggest thing on his mind was Shiro. His brother figure was alive and that he hadn't abandoned Keith. Shiro had fought to escape the Galra's clutches and get back to Earth. His brother may have more mental and physical scars than when he left, but he was still Shiro. Still the same man that had gotten a younger Keith to finally care about something outside of himself. The same man who had helped Keith study and who patched him up after he got into fights. His feelings went beyond simple relief now that Keith knew he could count on Shiro again.

Huffing a breath Keith knocked down one of the bots and took it out before turning his attention to the other one. As Keith raised his blade to face off with the gladiator he let his thoughts drift again. He knew how he felt about Shiro, however, he didn't know how to feel about his other impromptu teammates.

Lance was loud and constantly trying to challenge him to useless competitions. Keith didn't understand him. He was obnoxious but Keith had noticed that Lance was always doing little things like distracting Hunk from panicking and stopping Pidge from getting lost in her work. Lance helped Shiro and Allura not get stuck in their heads by making them laugh or giving them an outlet for their anger. And Lance always helped Coran and listened to his stories. Keith was confused at how somebody so seemingly shallow could be so selfless by giving aid without expecting any thanks. Keith just didn't understand him, from their apparent 'rivalry' that Lance had created, or how he was supposed to interact with the other boy. Lance was the most difficult for Keith to understand compared to the rest.

Knocking down the second gladiator Keith called out to the room again. "Start: Level 6!" Getting back into a ready position, Keith took in a controlled breath and ran forward with calculated steps. There were still only two gladiators but now one carried a fighting staff and they would use better tactics than before. Once he found his rhythm, Keith thought of the next person in his new team.

Hunk was a friendly guy that Keith could see himself becoming friends with. If Keith had any social skills that is. He was really open and upfront about his feelings. Hunk also couldn't keep a secret to save his life. He was a lovely guy but Keith didn't interact with him much since their interests didn't really overlap. Keith liked Hunk. He was a solid person and Keith enjoyed the food experiments that Hunk made to break up their food-goo diet. Keith didn't know how to approach befriending him and was worried he would mess up the comradery they had if he tried to.

Keith lost sight of the bot without a staff for a moment and paid for it when he felt a stinging sensation bloom on his side. Jumping back Keith took the opportunity to assess his position and decide on his next steps. The gladiator bots paused for a moment when Keith had retreated but in a flash, they rushed at him. Keith felt a smile tug at his lips as he blocked a blow with his sword and slashed at the arm of the bot holding the staff. The familiar feeling of adrenaline rushing through him let him enjoy being in the present moment and almost taste the joy of winning a spar.

Pidge was a bit more understandable to Keith because she also tended to keep to herself. She was focused on finding her family. Keith knew the need to find one's family and wanted to let her know without seeming like he was comparing their situations. He felt the need to comfort her while also feeling that anything he said would come out wrong. Pidge often lost herself in her work, going through any data they retrieved that could help her search. Keith felt a sort of kinship with her and could see them becoming closer once he figured out how to talk to her.

With a screech, the metal of the gladiator's chest collapsed under the jab that Keith delivered with his blade. With a quick step, he turned to face the second bot and barely brought his bayard up in time to block a blow that would have hit his sternum and knocked the breath out of him. Keith grit his teeth and pushed back to get a bit of space to work and tried to get under the bot's defenses. While he delivered an underhanded slash Keith let himself think of the last two members of their group.

Allura and Coran were foreign to him and Keith didn't talk to them much outside of missions and training. They were cordial to him and the rest of the paladins. Coran was more open with Lance than any of the other Paladins. Allura seemed to find a sense of kinship with Shiro as both had taken leadership positions in the group. Keith appreciated the two Alteans and their training methods. They were doing their best to help the Paladins improve and for them all to become an actual team. He didn't know how they were coping with what must have seemed like a sudden loss of everything they knew. He wanted to ask or even suggest a few methods that he had learned growing up but he couldn't find the right opportunity. He didn't know how to approach them so he ended up avoiding them instead.

Knocking down the final bot Keith grabbed his sword in a double-handed grip and brought it down to cut off the head of the gladiator. He watched as a few dying sparks flew from the wires in the neck. Letting himself rest for a second Keith leaned his weight on his blade, breaths coming in puffs.

Keith stood up and deactivated his bayard. He started the cleaning sequence in the room as he left. He grabbed the neck of his shirt to wipe the sweat off of his face and made his way to the showers.

He didn't know where he fit in this team yet or how they felt about him, but he knew he was growing to care for all of them. He wasn't the best at social cues. He didn't know how to talk to people. He struggled to let people in and sometimes got angry when they got too close too soon. Even with all of that, Keith knew that he would do anything in his power to make sure his team was safe.

~~~~

Get a load of this monster

He doesn't know how to communicate

His mind is in a different place

Will everybody please give him a little bit of space

~~~~

Keith stared at the unknown constellations before him as he stood alone in the observation deck of the Castle ship. He felt his hand grip the handle of his blade tighter and willed it to change forms before he brought it up to look into the gleaming metal.

He didn't look any different. A part of Keith had thought that now that he knew he was half Galra that he would look different, darker, less trustworthy, something that would show his tainted blood. He recalled how his fellow paladins, his only friends, looked at him when they first heard the news.

He had been looking at the floor when he had first told them what had been discovered and had flinched when he heard the sharp breaths taken by the others when he had finished his piece. He had then risked a glance at them and saw horror and something else on Allura's face. The rest of the team had seemed to be a mix of shock and other unrecognizable emotions.

There had been a moment of pause where nobody reacted. Keith's fight or flight instincts had kicked in, and before anyone had time to react Keith was out of the room. Running down hallways he had hidden in one of the unused rooms of the castle where he wouldn't be found for a while.

Keith didn't want to face his friends now. He had waited until the night cycle began before slowly making his way towards the observation deck. The deck was his go-to place beside the training deck when he needed to be alone and think. And right now he wanted to be nowhere near the other people on the ship. He didn't want to face their rejection. A younger him wouldn't bat an eye at being thrown out of another home, but he had let down his walls for these people. He had let them in, now the universe was going to make him pay for it.

Letting his blade go back into its dagger form he tucked it into its sheath and crossed his arms. Just as he was starting to let himself relax a bit and mentally lean into the soothing rumbles red was sending, he heard faint footsteps approach behind him. Keith tensed up and prepared to be screamed at or to be told that he would have to leave Voltron. Instead, all he heard was the footsteps getting closer until the person stood next to him and looked out at the stars.

"Figures you would be here, you broody emo," Pidge said into the suffocating silence. "Can I ask why you ran off like that earlier?"

Keith turned his head to look at her, shocked. "You aren't mad at me?" He said the words carefully, waiting for her to turn on him at any moment. He looked at the shorter girl who was in her casual clothes and had her laptop under one arm, the other hand in her pocket.

Pidge snorted and looked at Keith out of the corner of her eye. "About what, that you got some galra in you?" As Keith hesitantly nodded his head Pidge's demeanor seemed to soften and her next words came out without her usual snark and she returned to looking at the stars. "That would be a pretty dumb thing to be mad at you about. People can't help who their ancestors are, but they do choose what kind of person they try to be."

Pidge turned to face Keith completely and made sure that Keith was making eye contact with her before starting again. "The person I see in front of me right now chooses to be an amazing guy. He might be impulsive, broody, and have an awful temper, but he is also one of the most loyal people I know and he would do anything for the people he cares about." Keith couldn't believe what he was hearing. Pidge looked completely sincere as she continued. "The guy in front of me makes me feel like I have an older brother who would fight off anyone who tries to mess with me. I would never abandon my family Keith, and I hope you know that it includes you too." Pidge smirked and tried to brush past the emotion building in her voice, "Yah big dork."

Pidge ignored the moisture building in her eyes as she wrapped up her spiel. "Anyway, don't think you can get rid of me that easily. It takes more than some dramatic alien reveal for me to leave one of my brothers behind." With a punch to his arm, Keith broke out of the daze and felt the walls he had been trying to rebuild crumble in an instant. Pidge must have seen the building emotion showing on his face and huffed, holding up her arms. "One hug, and that's it. No more mushy gross emotions after that. That's Hunk's department, not mine."

With a breathy laugh, Keith embraced Pidge and whispered thank you over and over. She hugged him back just as tight and quietly murmured a few comforting words as Keith calmed down. "No need to thank me, Keith. You're still you, and I love you."

~~~~

After his talk with Pidge, she offered to walk with Keith back towards their rooms. Keith declined, he wanted to take in the view for a bit longer before heading back. With a nod of understanding and a quick hug, Pidge had left him alone in the observation deck.

Keith felt a sense of peace while looking at the nebulas and stars passing by. He knew that he at least had Pidge now. He wasn't sure how the rest of the team saw him due to his newly revealed bloodline. With Allura and Coran especially, he felt that they might hold his Galra status against him since they had lost everything to them. Hunk would probably be distant now, scared that maybe Keith might turn on him. Lance would likely just be more vicious in his jabs at him and they would lose all the progress they had made at becoming closer through their little competitions and playful arguments. And Shiro... Keith hoped that Shiro would stay like he had promised when they first met, but a large part of him was worried that Shiro would look at him differently. Keith was part of the species that was trying to conquer galaxies, the same species that had captured him and the Kerberos crew. Keith was worried that Shiro would look at him and just see a reminder of his time in Galra captivity.

With a defeated sigh, Keith crossed his arms over his chest in a sad attempt to protect himself from his fears. He quickly turned away from the window and started towards his room. He kept his head down and strides steady until he reached out and opened the door. As Keith stepped into his room he felt something off and whipped his head up to scan the room.

"Keith," Shiro sat on his bed leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. His cool expression gave nothing away. "we need to talk." Keith looked for any sign of disgust or newfound hatred in Shiro's gaze. After a tick of waiting, Shiros's visage softened taking in Keith's frozen figure. "Nothing bad, I promise. I just want to talk to you about how you're doing with all of this." When no response came, Shiro patted the spot next to him on the bed. With stiff movements, Keith perched himself on the edge of the mattress unsure of what to make of the situation.

Did Shiro hate him now? Was he gonna get kicked off the team? Looking away from the older man Keith focused his gaze on the wall in front of him. Was Shiro going to tell him that Keith wasn't his family anymore? Keith's breathing grew strained as another thought entered his head. Was Shiro giving up on Keith, leaving him behind as his other homes had?

"I can see you overthinking, any more and there will be smoke billowing out of your ears." When Keith didn't respond to the joke Shiro sighed before adjusting himself to face Keith before continuing. "I know dealing with this can't be easy for you, but I'm here for you 武士 (Bushi), just like I told you I would be."

At the sound of the nickname, Keith finally dared to let his gaze drift back to his brother. Instead of seeing disgust, all his silver eyes showed him was concern and affection. "I- I was worried that me being part Galra, that it would-" Keith's voice cracked as he forced himself to finish, "-that it would be the thing that would make you leave me."

"Oh 武士, no." Shiro wrapped his arms around Keith and pulled him into a tight hug. "I promised I wouldn't leave you, this new information changes nothing." Keith let out a watery huff and brought his arms around to return the embrace. "Pidge kind of said something similar, that I was still me, no matter what my heritage is." Shiro gave a soft chuckle and gave Keith a squeeze. "She is a genius kiddo, you should listen to her."

They sat like that for a bit with Shiro starting a gentle swaying motion. Keith felt his frantic energy start to drain while listening to the steady rhythm of the heartbeat under his ear. Before he could drift off Keith pushed away from the hug enough to look Shiro in the eye. There was still a concern he had to address before letting himself get comfortable. "What if-" Keith bit his lip, unsure of how to phrase his concerns. "What if I gain Galra features? What if something happens or- or my Galra genes get triggered and then I start changing and get more aggressive towards the team or something?"

Shiro seemed to realize the question Keith wasn't asking him. He brought up his hands to hold Keith's face and make sure his little brother was listening to him. "If anything does happen, then it happens and we will deal with it. I won't abandon you for anything, much less for something you have no control of." Shiro brought Keith's head to rest against his shoulder. He started to gently run his fingers through Keith's hair as the younger boy relaxed against him. "Keith I know that the Galra took me but I also know that not all of them are with the Empire, after all, it was a Galra Blade that got me out too." Keith didn't reply and let the information calm his worries. Now that his fears were addressed the stress of the day caught up to him and he could feel himself starting to drift off. The calming presence of Shiro holding him along with the repetitive motions of fingers running through his hair helped the process along.

Keith could feel himself sagging in his brother's grip and could no longer keep his eyes open. Before he fully lost himself to the siren song of sleep he got out, "Thank you for staying with me." Keith felt the fingers pause for a moment before starting again. Shiro pressed a kiss to the top of Keith's head "I gave you my word 武士 and I almost broke it once, I don't plan on breaking it again. Sleep well, Keith." With those final words, Keith let himself rest. He knew he was safe while in his brother's arms.

~~~~

Slowly coming to awareness, Keith wondered what had woken him up before registering the knocking sound coming from his door. He looked around and saw that Shiro must have tucked him in at some point before leaving. There was a pause in the knocking and Keith wondered if the person on the other side gave up.

"Are you there Keith?" That was Hunk's voice. With a grumble, Keith slipped out of his bed and walked towards the door. "Yeah, I am, just a second." While walking, the grogginess from sleep faded and Keith was hit with the memories of the day before. He wasn't as afraid since he knew he had the support of Shiro and Pidge at least, but he was still a bit wary. He had been burned by putting his hopes in people before. He tried to stamp down any hope he felt as he put his hand on the scanner.

Hunk looked a bit surprised as the doors opened. He had a plate of food-goo in his hands. "You, um, didn't come for dinner and I thought you might be hungry." He offered the plate to Keith like some sort of peace offering.

Taking the plate, Keith saw how Hunk stared at him for a second before shaking his head and responding. "Oh, thanks. You didn't have to bring it, I probably would have gotten some later."

Waving a hand, Hunk let out a nervous laugh, "It was no problem—after all, I was in the kitchen since I was tweaking with the food-goo machine to try and give it some more flavor. I thought that since I was already there and you were over here, and since here is on my way from there to my room I could drop by and, y'know, get you dinner so you wouldn't forget and go hungry or something." Keith opened his mouth to interject but his expression must have come across as something in the range of irritation because Hunk looked panicked and tried to backtrack. "Not that I think you can't take care of yourself! That isn't what I meant at all. You are a very strong and independent person who I know can get his own food. I just thought you might get distracted or go train instead of eating after you woke up since you're in the training room a lot. Which isn't a bad thing! In fact-" Hunk continued to ramble and Keith got the general idea that Hunk getting him dinner was on the way but now Hunk was worried that the action came across as offensive to Keith's independent nature.

A sudden gasp made Keith pay attention again. He looked at Hunk to see what had caused the reaction only to see an expression of horror. "What's wrong?" Keith wasn't sure what had happened between when Hunk started rambling and now, but it seemed to be bad. Hunk suddenly grabbed Keith's shoulders and the smaller boy barely kept from flinching back. "Oh my gosh. I just realized that since you're part Galra you might have different nutritional needs than the rest of us! Have you been feeling alright since we got to space? Have you been more or less hungry than usual? Are Galras allergic to anything? Wait! If they are, what if I tried to make it into a meal and hurt you by accident!? Do you think the blade would send me the information I need? Or what if-"

"Hunk! Hunk, it's ok. Calm down" Keith raised a hand to place on Hunk's shoulder while the other balanced the plate. "I'm fine, I promise. Remember, Coran said that the food-goo is good for virtually all species to survive on?" Once Hunk nodded, Keith felt a grin tipping up the corners of his lips. "I appreciate the concern, but I've been fine. If it makes you feel better I think the Blade could answer your questions. If not, then maybe Coran would know."

Hunk let out a deep breath as his panic died down. "You're right. Thanks." A big grin found its way on Hunk's face as he released his grip on Keith's shoulders. Keith nodded and took his hand back from the other boy's shoulder. "It's fine." After an awkward moment of silence, Keith decided to bite the bullet. "So does that mean that you're okay with me being Galra?" He tried to kill the flickering hope that was growing in his chest.

Hunk looked at him in surprise. "Yeah, man. I mean, it was a bit surprising, but after everything else that has happened since we left earth, it isn't that crazy. It makes me wonder how many things on earth might have been because of aliens." Hunk looked contemplative as he thought about the possibilities. "Do you think those cryptid sightings were mainly aliens?"

Keith's eyes widened. "You're interested in cryptids?" At the outburst, Hunk became a bit flustered and hurried to explain. "I had some older cousins who got me into them when I was younger and they babysat me. At first, I wasn't that interested but the more I heard about them the more invested I got." He didn't notice the giant grin growing on Keith's face.

"I just have one question for you," Keith says once Hunk pauses. Once given a cautious nod Keith blurts out. "What do you think about Mothman?"

"Mothman? I know the basics about him and have read a few things about the Point Pleasant sightings. I know more about the aquatic cryptids just because I lived by the ocean for a while and wanted to see one there. Why?"

Keith had to pause to collect himself, "You are my new favorite person."

They continued to talk a bit before Hunk yawned and excused himself since it was late. After exchanging goodbyes and eating the goo that Hunk had gotten him Keith let himself go back to bed with a small grin on his face.

~~~~

After waking up, Keith thought about his conversation with Hunk the night before. He was feeling a bit better about the situation and had woken up early in order to snag some breakfast before going to train a bit to release some stress and pass the time. He got his armor on so he wouldn't need to come back and change after eating and left his room.

As he approached the kitchen, Keith heard the clang and scraping of pots and pans that let him know someone was making something in the kitchen. Keith smiled a bit as he got closer, thinking that Hunk was trying a new recipe again before team training.

His smile immediately faltered once he turned the corner and saw somebody he wasn't expecting.

Coran was bustling around the kitchen and occasionally putting another ingredient in a bubbling pot. He was humming something to himself and was fully immersed in his activity. Keith began to take a step back to leave the Altean to his work when Coran looked up and saw him.

"Good morning, number four! You're up rather early today." Coran grinned at Keith before moving around the room gathering supplies again. Keith had expected Coran to be more distant towards him. Not mean, per-say as the Altean was too kind for that but colder than he had been before.

"Good Morning Coran. And yeah, I went to bed a bit early last night so I woke up earlier than usual today." Keith slowly walked further into the kitchen towards the goo dispenser. "What are you making?" Keith knew he would probably regret asking later, but he didn't want to be rude after Coran was still nice to him.

"Ah! You see, I wanted to try and make an old recipe of mine after we picked up ingredients at the last stop we went to. I only recalled it yesterday and wanted to give it the old whisk." Coran stopped his movements as he looked up and began to play with his mustache. "Back in the day, they used to call me the Culinary Coran! Yes, sir, I was quite popular with the ladies for my cooking as well." Coran winked at Keith before going towards the bubbling pot.

Keith huffed a laugh. "Sounds... exciting, I guess?" Keith cringed at his own inability to continue a conversation. Coran laughed at the awkward attempt to keep the discussion going but continued anyway. "Yes, I dabbled in quite a few careers in my youth before becoming the King's advisor." Coran stirred the pot before lifting the spoon out to give it a taste.

"How did you like being an advisor?" The question slipped out before Keith could register the implications and he wanted to slam his head into the wall. He just asked Coran about how it was to work with the King of the Alteans, who was gone thanks to the Galra.

Coran didn't hesitate in replying. "Oh it was more chaotic than I would have imagined. Alfor loved to adventure, try new things, and meet new people, so I had to learn fast and make sure to document everything I could as I traveled with him." Coran got a melancholy smile on his face as he put the spoon down and faced Keith.

"Actually, before the war broke out Alfor was best friends with the leader of the Galra." This was news to Keith who straightened at the statement. "He was?" Coran nodded before starting to move around the kitchen again as he spoke.

"Yes, the pair was as thick as thieves. They got into a lot of trouble together, but they were also always willing to help the other out if it was needed." Coran started grabbing a couple of plates. "Because Alfor was so close with the leader of the Galra Altea and Daibazaal had a lot of contact with each other. I, myself, had quite a few close friends who were from Daibazaal."

"Can-can I ask what happened then?" Keith wasn't as scared to ask his question this time since Coran was being so open with him. If Daibazaal and Altea had been so close, where had things gone so terribly wrong?

Coran got a faraway look on his face as he thought back. "When Alfor first found the comet that would become the Lions the Leader of the Galra and his wife spent a lot of time being exposed to the energy coming off of it. At the time we didn't know that it would have negative effects." A look of regret passed over Coran's face. " We should have been more careful with such a powerful, unknown force, but we were young and reckless at the time of such a fascinating discovery. The constant exposure messed with quintessence. The power from the comet acted as a sort of drug that made those exposed for too long crave even more of the power while it slowly eroded their own quintessence." Coran met Keith's eyes as he finished. "By the time Alfor realized what was happening to his friends, they were not the same people he had grown to care for. Quintessence is what some would equate to a soul, and the Galra leaders had been slowly having their quintessence twisted and destroyed, unable to handle the power of the comet."

Keith absorbed the new information as Coran turned back to his work and made sure that the pot wasn't boiling over. He had assumed that the Alteans and the Galra had always been enemies. The fact that they had been friends before the war was a lot to take in. It gave Keith hope that his nature wasn't quite as condemning as he had initially thought.

"Keith," Coran spoke up without turning to face the red paladin, "I know that learning you are part Galra must have been quite the shock for you after fighting against them with us. I will not hold your parentage against you, so you don't need to worry about anything from me." Coran turned and walked forward so he could put his hands on Keiths shoulders. "There were always Galra who realized that their leader was wrong when he started craving power. My friends actually came to try and warn us when the Galran leader started making plans of attack and allowed us time to get many civilians away."

Keith was shocked as Coran paused for a second in thought before he slowly continued. "When you talk with Allura, she may be angry at first. That anger is not for you, my boy. She wants to avenge her people and is filled with anger at the betrayal of someone who she saw as family. She is scared that if she lets any of the anger go, that she will break." Coran gave Keith's shoulders a squeeze before letting go and taking a step back. "I am sure that her friendship with you will help her to see that it is okay to let go of some of that anger."

Keith didn't know what to say. Coran didn't see him differently and believed that he and Allura would be alright eventually. Out of everyone on the ship he was scared that his relationships with the two Alteans would be the most changed. "I- I thought that you would be angry too." Keith breathed out as he tried to settle his emotions.

"Angry? There is nothing to be angry about number four. Truthfully when everything began I was more heartbroken than angry. It hurt to see Alfor hurting and to see people I loved turned against one another and lost to a senseless war."

Keith looked at Coran closer and saw a sadness in his eyes that he hadn't looked close enough to see before. "Coran," Keith started cautiously, "I'm here for you too if you need me. I'm sure all the other paladins would let you talk with them if you need to. I'm not great at words but I can listen." Keith broke eye contact and started to fidget with his fingers.

"Thank you for not seeing me differently. It means a lot more to me than you might think" Keith heard a huff and footsteps before being engulfed in a hug.

"No need to thank me. And thank you for the offer, I may take it up sometime." Coran stepped back and gave Keith a smile. There was a moment of peace before Coran's nose twitched and a frantic look crossed his face. "MY GLYBBURS IS BURNING!" He quickly ran to the pot that was now smoking a bit and started to stir it quickly.

Keith huffed a laugh and quickly wished Coran luck on his dish as he went to leave. He felt lighter as he walked towards the hangars. He was going to go visit with Red a bit before doing any training for the day. His talk with Coran had calmed him down and he wasn't as anxious to start fighting some bots as he was earlier.

~~~~

Keith felt a playful nudge from his bond with Red when he walked through the door into Red's hangar. He looked up at his lion as he got closer and saw Red's eyes light up as she bent down to allow him into her cockpit.

"Hey Red," Keith patted the side of her jaw before stepping up the ramp and into his lion. He got to the pilot seat and sat down with a tired huff of air. "I meant to say thank you earlier for trying to get me out of the situation with the Blade." He felt an irritated huff from Red at the mention of the Blade of Marmora. After their hostility towards him, the Red Lion was not a big fan of the Marmorans even if they were on the same side.

Keith let out a small laugh at the irritation of his Lion before changing the topic. "Is it alright if I come hang out with you for a bit, maybe go flying?" He got the feeling of excitement from Red at the mention of flying. "I thought so." Red loved going fast even when there was no destination.

Keith remembered struggling to bond with Red and only feeling her when they were in the middle of battle. The other paladins had found their own ways to bond with their lions, but Red was stubborn. It wasn't until Keith was itching to move and was wishing for his old hoverbike that he got a feeling from Red of the same need to move. Ever since then the two bonded whenever Keith took her out flying and tried out new maneuvers with whatever was around them.

Red put his hands on the controls and started to move Red to face the Hangar doors and watched them open as Red activated them. "Are you ready girl?" Red rumbled in response and they shot out of the hangars and into open space.

There wasn't any debris, but there were nebulas that Red could fly through to scatter the particles. Keith still liked looking at all the stars even with everything he had been through while in space.

Red and Keith lost track of time as they flew around the castle ship and practiced their quick turns and rolls to avoid imaginary obstacles. Keith was enjoying the time with his Lion where nobody could disturb him. He did a few more lazy rolls before turning back and starting to fly towards Red's hangar.

As Red landed in her hanger she gave a mental nudge to Keith to let him know that there was someone in her hangar. Keith looked around before spotting Allura waiting by the door leading to the hallway. She looked up at Red's entrance and seemed to look through Red and right at Keith.

Keith hesitated as he walked out of the cockpit as the thought crossed his mind that Allura could be there to take away Red. As soon as the thought crossed his mind Red growled in his head and her presence strengthened in his mind to let him know she wasn't letting him leave her anytime soon. With the comfort of his Lion Keith stopped hesitating and walked into the hanger to face the Princess.

"Keith." Allura inclined her head as she addressed the Red Paladin, not moving from her stiff position by the door.

"Princess." Keith wasn't sure where this was going to go. Coran had told him that Allura wasn't actually mad at him, but at this moment it sure felt like she was. There was a lul as they both watched each other in uncomfortable silence. "Was there something you needed me for?"

Keith watched as emotions crossed Allura's face too quickly to read before she put on a mask of indifference and her gaze went over Keith's shoulder and to the Red Lion. "My father was the pilot of the Red Lion with the first paladins of Voltron." Allura dismissed his question and Keith felt off-balance with the sudden statement.

Before Keith could muster a response, Allura continued. "You remind me of what people said my father was like when he was younger." A wistful smile bloomed on her face and her posture relaxed. "Straightforward and impulsive are words that were used to describe his youth." Allura's smile fell as she tilted her head to look at Keith. "Part of me wants to hate you," She looked back up at the Red Lion, "but I know that would not do any good."

Allura let out a deep sigh. "I know that you are the same person, logically. Unfortunately, it is taking a second for my emotions to get the message as well." She fully turned towards Keith. "I hope that you can be patient with me as I adjust to the knowledge of your Galra heritage, and I will be sure to allow you the same." Sadness and uncertainty played across the Princess's face. "I do not want to lose any of you, especially not through actions that I can avoid."

Keith was shocked and it took a second for him to realize that Allura was waiting for his response. "I don't want to lose anyone either. I understand if you need time."

Allura gave Keith a small smile and nodded. "You are a great paladin. I am sure that my father would be happy that Red has you now just as I am glad that you are on our team." Keith was filled with pride from Red and his own emotions at Allura's words.

"I'm sure that he would be proud of the leader you've become too, Princess." Keith said the words without truly thinking about them. Allura looked grateful before clearing her throat and turning her head.

"Now that we have an understanding, I do believe it is time for a team training session." Allura turned to open the door to the hall. As the door slid open she gestured for Keith to come with her. They walked in comfortable silence towards the training deck with a new understanding between them.

~~~~

When they get to the training room, Allura excuses herself to the observation room where she can call the rest of the paladins. Keith watches Allura walk away before turning to wait for his teammates by the doors.

"Paladins, Please come to the training room for a group exercise."

Keith watched the doors to see who would make it to the training room first. After half a minute of waiting, Shiro came through the doors in his Paladin armor and saw Keith waiting by the door. He smiled and gave a little wave before approaching.

"Hey bud, you were quick. I thought I would be the first to get here for sure." Shiro put a hand to his chin as he squinted at Keith, "Unless you were already training in here?" He and Keith had made an agreement that Keith would do his best to not overdo training. Keith understood that Shiro would be worried that he had been training all morning after his Galra reveal.

Keith let a small smile grin grace his face. "Don't worry, I wasn't. I was actually with Red before Allura came to talk with me." At that, Shiro's eyes widened and he quickly looked up to the observation deck even though he couldn't see Allura through the glass, before looking back to Keith.

Shiro cleared his throat. "I- how did that go?" Keith's grin got a bit bigger and Shiro relaxed at the gesture and Keith responded. "It went pretty well. We both agreed that we have things we need to work through, but she said she still considers me a friend and she's going to try." A fond look crossed Shiro's face and he opened his mouth to respond before he was interrupted by the training deck doors opening.

Next to come through was Hunk and Pidge who were deep in a conversation about a new device they were trying to make that would help translate gestures for the people they had come across that had no verbal communication. They looked up when they entered the room to give a grin and a wave to Keith and Shiro before going back to their conversation. They came to stand next to Keith and Pidge situated herself next to Keith.

Keith felt a warmth in his chest at the gesture. He was grateful that Hunk and Pidge weren't making a fuss or treating him differently, but they were still letting him know that they were with him.

The four Paladins looked up when they heard the coms crackle online again, " Looks like number three is going to be the last to arrive then! I do hope that he hurries as today's exercise is going to be particularly exhilarating!" As soon as the words from Coran registered Hunk, Pidge, and Keith all groaned since Coran being excited over a training routine almost never boded well for the team. Shiro tried to stifle his chuckle at the other paladins' reaction. "Don't be so pessimistic guys, I'm sure that we will all learn something from whatever exercise the Princess and Coran have planned for us."

Pidge shot a look at Shiro. "I know you have to hate some of these exercises too, Shiro. There is no way you actually like them all." Shiro shrugged at the accusation and Pidge puffed her cheeks out before looking at Keith. "You know him the best, Keith, does he actually like these exercises?"

Keith got a mischievous look on his face and glanced at Shiro to see his former nonchalance fading. The Black Paladin shook his head as Keith turned back to Pidge and Hunk who were waiting for his response. "He hates the exercises that focus on flexibility since he sucks at stretching and bending."

Pidge and Hunk cackled at the revelation while Shiro put a hand to his chest with a betrayed look on his face. "I can't believe it, betrayed by my own family. How could you, Keith." Shiro sniffled to sell the act and Keith shook his head, laughing.

As the laughter began to die down, the doors opened for the Blue Paladin to walk through. Keith felt his apprehension seep in when Lance entered. He had already talked with the others and most of his nerves had been assuaged. He and Lance already had a tricky relationship from the start when Lance had deemed them "rivals" and constantly challenged Keith. It had started to smooth out a bit and become more of a camaraderie as they spent more time together. Now that the rest of the team has already shown their support, Keith was less worried about being completely rejected; however, he was still scared that all of his progress with Lance would be lost.

Lance rubbed the back of his neck as he nervously laughed. "I'm sorry I'm so late guys. I was in the middle of a shower when you called for the training session. I hope I didn't miss anything important."

"Not to worry Number three, we waited for you before we started anything!" Allura cleared her throat and interjected before Coran started the explanation of the training. "Please be sure to work on improving getting out fast in different situations in the future. I know that you are still inexperienced, but we do need to make sure we can get ready no matter the situation." Lance sheepishly nodded at the request.

With a slight crackle, Coran began to explain the exercise. " Today the Princess and I thought it would be good to pair you up in groups with different strengths. In battle, you will experience both long-range and short-range battles and need to be prepared for any situation. Thus you will be paired with a teammate that has different strengths than you. First, we will have you and your partner working together against training bots and for the second part of this exercise you will be sparring against your partner."

Keith thought that the training made a lot of sense since they faced all sorts of battles and needed to prepare for anything. "The first group is Number one, Number two, and Number five. Since we don't have even groups, the princess and I thought that it would be good for Number five to join One and Three since her weapon can be close or mid-range. Although if you world prefer, Number five, Allura is willing to join this exercise and spar with you."

Pidge shuddered at the suggestion of sparring with the Altean Princess. "No thanks Coran, I'm good just working with Shiro and Hunk." The other paladins laughed under their breath at Pidge's response.

"Brilliant! Then the other pairing is Number three and Number four." Keith felt his heart drop as he realized that Lance was his partner. He looked over to the Blue Paladin to see Lance's gaze already on him and a calculating look on his face. Keith quickly looked away and took a deep breath. It would be fine, it had to be fine. He heard footsteps approaching him and looked up to see Lance next to him while he waited for Coran's signal to start the training sequence.

"Alright, now that you're all ready the bots will be deployed in 3,2,1, GO!" At Coran's mark, the bots dropped from the ceiling. They always started with one bot and slowly worked on getting to higher numbers. Keith activated his Bayard and saw a flash of Blue light that indicated Lance doing the same.

Lance shot the bot's legs to make it stumble and gave Keith the opportunity to deliver a deadly slash that caused the bot to drop through the floor as the training room prepared for the next level. Lance bumped Keith with his hip. "Not bad, but I think we could take them down faster individually."

Keith must have made a face because Lance's cocky grin turned more genuine, "Not that we don't make a bomb team, but I wanna see who can take out more bots while watching the other's back. Why not make training a bit more fun." Keith could feel the tension unravel from his gut.

"You aren't just saying that to avoid fighting with me now that I'm Galra." It was basically what he had been asking the rest of the team, he wasn't nearly as scared of rejection compared to when he asked Pidge, but he was still nervous.

"What? Pfff, just because you're part alien doesn't make the mullet any less lame, keefers. Also, we are still technically working together. It's just- competitive teamwork." Lance grins as he adjusts his stance as a new countdown for the next bots starts. "It also doesn't mean that you could get more bots downed than me, but if this is you finally conceding defeat that works."

Keith couldn't help grinning as he returned the jab. "You wish sharpshooter. I can totally take down more bots than you." Lance's grin grew, "Alright samurai, at the end of this section, we'll ask Coran who took out more bots." Keith felt a warmth drape over him like a blanket. His team had all given him a chance and stayed by his side. The team was feeling more like a family than any group he had been in before.

"Oh, you're going down, sharpshooter."

~~~~

Get a load of this train-wreck

His hair's a mess and he doesn't know who he is yet

But little do we know, the stars

Welcome him with open arms

Oh

~~~~

Keith had gotten to know his mother as they survived together on the space whale.

At first he didn't want to hear her reasons for leaving him behind. Part of it was because he felt that she didn't deserve to be able to come back into his life so easily. The other part of him didn't want to let her in because she could hurt him and leave again if she didn't like the person her son had become. She had been the first person to leave him and he wasn't sure how to feel about her trying to connect with him now.

The first few days were spent mostly in silence with the only discussion being about rations and setting up camp. Keith had refused to look Krolia in the eye and had tried to do the tasks that would put him as far from Krolia as he could get. There had been a few times when Krolia had tried to start a conversation, but Keith had brushed her off to go and do something on the other side of camp.

On the eighth day of being trapped on the Space Whale, their rations started getting low. "I'm going to go on a hunt so we can build up our supplies," Krolia announced as she closed the lid on the box holding their rations. "I'm not sure how long we are going to be here, but we shouldn't wait to restock any longer or we will be in danger of running out of supplies entirely."

"How do you even know that anything on this stupid Whale is edible? For all we know the plants and animals here could be toxic." Keith didn't look up from where he was sharpening his knife as he talked back to Krolia.

"I have a scanner in my armor in case of emergencies so I will be able to see if something is edible for us." Keith huffed before sheathing his knife and standing up. He dusted himself off and started towards the woods around their camp. "Where are you going?"

"You said we needed supplies. I have nothing else to do, so I might as well go and hunt something too." Krolia hurried over to Keith and put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from going further, but Keith shrugged her off before turning around to face her. "What?"

"It isn't safe for you to go out on your own." Keith bristled at Krolia's words before scoffing and stepping forward to look Krolia in the eye.

"You were just about to do the same thing. I'm not some useless kid that can't handle themselves. I was a Paladin of Voltron and am a Blade, just like you so don't treat me like I can't take care of myself." Krolia hesitated at the venom in Keith's voice before sighing and taking a step back.

"I did not mean to imply that you cannot take care of yourself. I know that you are accomplished in your own right and are a skilled warrior. But perhaps it would be better if we went together on a hunt so we can watch each other's backs. It will also save you time if I am with you so you don't need to drag something to camp just to find that it is inedible once I scan it."

Keith grumbled but gave a sharp nod to indicate his agreement. Krolia seemed satisfied with the response and motions for Keith to follow her as she goes towards an opening between the trees. As they get deeper into the woods Krolia motions for Keith to stop and gestures at some tracks almost hidden in the foliage.

Keith looked at where Krolia motioned and perked up when he heard rustling not far off from where they were standing. Carefully the two moved closer to see what had made the tracks and the noise. About five meters away stood some sort of quadruped animal with a long tail and wide sharp antlers. To Keith, it looked like someone had taken an elk and given it the plating and tail of a pangolin. It was a mix of soft greens and blues, likely to blend into the environment, and was eating something off of a bush.

Krolia snapped Keith out of his thoughts when she made hand signals to indicate that she would move around to the other side of the creature so she could lead it towards Keith if she couldn't take it down in one blow. Keith inclined his head to show his understanding and started to move into a better position to get a hit on the creature once Krolia led it his way.

After a few moments of waiting, Keith saw Krolia jump out from some bushes and try to hit the neck of the creature, only for her blade to bounce off of the animal's plating. The elk-like creature made a distressed noise before running in the direction of Keith. Keith widened his stance and got ready to aim for the underside of the animal's neck now that he knew the plated areas weren't an option.

As it got closer Keith could see that it was larger than he initially thought. Tightening his grip on his blade, he allowed it to transform into its sword form as he swung at the creature. He managed to catch it by surprise and land a killing blow, however, as the animal crashed down the antlers caught Keith's arm and left a sizable gash.

With a hiss of pain, Keith quickly hid his arm from view as Krolia jogged closer in order to scan the animal. As soon as Krolia got close enough she turned on her scanner and let it start the process of determining if the meat was safe to eat. "Good job, Keith. Even if the meat is inedible we can still use the hide and hooves for other things so it won't go to waste." Keith just grunted in response as he waited for the results.

Krolia's good mood dampened at the cold response. With three quick beeps, the scanner finished and displayed the information, interrupting the awkward tension between the two. "Luckily it looks like this creature is safe to eat." Krolia's eyebrows raised as she read over the details the scanner had given her. "In fact, this creature has almost everything we need nutrition-wise and what it doesn't have will be simple to supplement."

"Can we just get it back to camp then?" Keith shifted in discomfort as his arm twinged. He didn't want any fuss made about his injury. He planned on taking care of it himself once they were back at camp and he had access to proper medical supplies.

Krolia sighed and hummed in agreement as she moved to grab the front legs of the animal and pull them over her shoulders. "Since you gave the final blow I'll take this back to camp. If you want, you can go ahead of me in order to start the fire and get things ready to prepare it to eat."

Keith didn't let the relief he felt show on his face as he heard Krolia tell him to go ahead of her. It would give him a chance to take care of the cut on his arm in peace without needing to come up with an excuse to get away from Krolia. "Alright, see you back at camp."

Keith quickly made his way back and cleaned and wrapped his arm. The cut wasn't as bad as he had thought it would be, but it still hurt and was a risk for infection if he didn't take care of it properly.

After Keith got the fire going and set up an area to prepare the animal he waited for Krolia to come back. It took a while, but Krolia eventually appeared through the trees dragging the animal. She made her way toward the prepared area and heaved the creature onto the 'table' Keith had set up so they weren't getting the meat dirty on the ground.

Krolia opened her mouth to say something before the white wrappings around Keith's arm caught her eye and her expression changed to concern as she tried to reach for it. "What happened?"

Keith pulled his arm out of Krolia's reach, taking a step back. "Nothing important, I just got caught by the antlers when I took down the elk thing." He tried to play it off and brush off Krolia's unwanted concern.

Krolia looked conflicted before pulling her hand back and backing off. "Why didn't you say something earlier? I could have helped you wrap it." Keith almost made a cutting remark when he saw the genuine concern in Krolia's eyes and took a breath.

"I didn't need help and it wasn't important. Now can we get back to focusing on what's actually important, we need to prepare the meat we're going to eat and store the rest before the smell attracts anything and before it can start going bad."

Krolia seemed to steel herself a bit. "You are important, more so than rations. If it's what you want we can get back to preparing dinner and storing the rest but don't think that taking care of some animal comes before you."

Keith scowled before moving forward to take care of the animal himself. Krolia moved to help and the two worked in silence with the only sounds being the crackle of the fire and the quiet noises of the forest. Once everything had been cut and stored properly Krolia went to hang the pelt to dry out and Keith went to start dinner.

As they ate, the tension seemed to calm and Krolia broke the silence with a broken chuckle. "You must have taken after me in the conversation department. Your dad was always thinking out loud and filling the air with laughter." She sobered as she looked at Keith before hesitantly asking. "How was he before you left Earth?"

Keith froze with a bite halfway to his lips. After a moment of hesitation, he responded without looking up. "He died when I was little trying to save someone else." After not hearing a response Keith takes a chance and glances up at Krolia. She looked devastated.

"I-I'm so sorry Keith. That must have been very hard for you. He was a great man."

"He was." Keith set down his meal and moved so his chin rested on his knees as he gazed into the fire. "It was harder too since I didn't have a mom to take care of me." Krolia flinched. "I got put into the system." Keith raised his gaze to look Krolia in the eyes. "Both of my parents left me because they cared more about someone else."

Krolia adjusted herself as she gathered her thoughts. "I can keep saying sorry, but I know actions speak louder than words. Instead, I will simply ask for the chance to get to know you. I won't ask for anything else and you should know that I will accept if you don't want to ever see me once we are off of this whale." Krolia emphasizes her next words. "I left because I was trying to protect you. You and your father were the most important people in my life. If nothing else I hope you know that and that your father adored you."

Keith didn't say anything for a while and looked away from Krolia again before speaking up. "How- how did you meet him? He never told me how you met and I always wanted to know."

Krolia was surprised at the sudden question before a melancholy smile graced her features. "I had to do an emergency landing and ended up crashing in his backyard. The first few days he was constantly asking me questions about space. He was such a dork, but he had an air about him that drew me in." A tear slipped down her cheek. "I loved him and I've missed him so much."

Keith looked uncomfortable at the display of vulnerability. He let his legs stretch out in front of him and laid back to avoid looking at Krolia as he spoke up. "He missed you too. He used to say that you were looking out for us up in the stars. I thought he had meant that metaphorically."

A tearful laugh met Keith's ears. "He always did have a strange sense of humor." The silence came back, this time it was more peaceful and calm. The soft sounds around Keith caused his eyes to droop and he felt himself start to drift off.

Before the dregs of sleep could carry him off he felt a blanket being draped over him and a hand softly run over his head. "Goodnight Keith." It was barely a whisper followed by the sound of footsteps walking away.

Maybe he could give her a second chance. Keith let himself hope that Krolia meant what she said. In the coming weeks and months on the whale she proved her words true as they talked and worked together every day. It wasn't always easy, and there were plenty of arguments as they worked things out, but Keith let himself be optimistic about the future. Along the way he even managed to find companionship in a Cosmic Wolf that Krolia helped him take care of. He had come so far from the broken kid he had been for most of his life. It felt wonderful to know that he had a mother that cared for him back in his life.

~~~~

Time is

(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh) Slowly

(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh) Tracing his face

But strangely he feels at home in this place (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)

~~~~

Keith gazed fondly at a picture that he and the group had taken at their last reunion meeting. Keith and Lance laughed at Pidge's affronted expression to some jab that Matt had made. Hunk looked at the others fondly as he stood a bit to the side with his wife Shay. Shiro just stood with Coran and Allura as they talked. They didn't want to get in the middle of what 'friendly' fight Pidge was sure to start. There was a blur of blue by Keith's side in the photo as Kosmo had somehow teleported away just as the camera went off.

Placing the picture back on his shelf, Keith made his way to his back porch where he had a rocking chair set up so he could watch the sun as it disappeared over the desert landscape and painted the sky in bright orange and red hues. Kosmo padded out of the house to follow him and sit by his side.

They sat in companionable silence as they took in the view and the sky began to darken. Keith absentmindedly petted Kosmo while they watched the horizon. He felt the sigh that the land let out as another day gave way to the chilled night air. Keith responded to the sigh with one of his own and let his head fall back against his chair closing his eyes.

"It's crazy isn't it, Kosmo?" When Keith didn't immediately continue Kosmo tilted his head and nudged Keith with his nose to coax him to explain further. "I just mean that only a few years ago I was some angry, lonely, child who never found a home after I lost my dad. But now..." Keith opened his eyes and the stars reflected in them as he took in the familiar skies above him. With a soft chuckle, Keith smiled. "It only took me getting launched into space and fighting in an intergalactic war to find a place where I belong." Keith looked down and rubbed Kosmo's face between his hands. "I have a home now, Kosmo." Keith's tone was giddy and sounded a bit choked up. "I finally realized that so long as I have people who care about me and that I care for, I have a home." A few tears pooled in Keith's eyes as he thought about his found family. "If I asked any of the team for help or to let me stay with them I know they would agree, without hesitation." Keith moved off his chair to kneel and bury his face in Kosmo's fur as he hugged him "I have a family Kosmo." He let out a breathless laugh as he still couldn't quite believe it.

"I'm not alone anymore."