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Chapter Text

"I Swear"

Thace and Ulaz stood before Kolivan. Their bonding ceremony was a very private affair. Antok, as second-in-command and Kolivan's bonded, stood behind and to the side of Kolivan. Thace and Ulaz turned to face each other. Thace started.

"I swear by the moon
And the stars in the sky
And I swear like the shadow that's by your side.
I see the questions in your eyes.
I know what's weighing on your mind.
You can be sure I know my part
Cause I stand beside you through the years."

"You'll only cry those happy tears,
And though I make mistakes
I'll never break your heart.
And I swear by the moon
And the stars in the sky I'll be there.
I swear like the shadow that's by your side." Ulaz picked up the vows.

"I'll be there for better or worse
Till death do us part
I'll love you with every beat of my heart
And I swear," Both Thace and Ulaz spoke in unison, clasping their hands together.

The tick the words left the bonded-to-be couple's mouths Kolivan was strongly reminded of his own bonding ceremony with Antok.

"I'll give you every thing I can.
I'll build your dreams with these two hands.
We'll hang some memories on the walls." Antok laid his claws on top of Kolivan's.

"And when," Kolivan started.

"And when," Antok repeated.

"Just the two of us are there
You won't have to ask if I still care
Cause as time turns the page
My love won't ever age at all," Both Kolivan and Antok spoke in unison.

"And I swear," Kolivan began.

"I swear," Antok echoed.

"By the moon and the stars in the sky I'll be there," Kolivan continued.

"I'll be there," Antok repeated.

"I swear," Kolivan said.

"And I swear," Antok copied.

"Like the shadow that's by your side
I'll be there," Kolivan added.

"I'll be there," Antok echoed.

"For better or worse,
Till death do us part I'll love you
With every beat of my heart and I swear," Both finished together.

Even as Thace and Ulaz reached the last section, Kolivan could still see Antok and himself doing the same.

"I swear," Thace/Kolivan started.

"I swear," Ulaz/Antok echoed.

"By the moon
And the stars in the sky I'll be there," Thace/Kolivan said.

"I'll be there," Ulaz/Antok repeated.

"I swear like the shadow that's by your side
I'll be there," Thace/Kolivan started.

"I'll be there," Ulaz/Antok copied.

"For better or worse," Thace/Kolivan continued.

"Better or worse," Ulaz/Antok echoed.

"Till death do us part I'll love you
With every single beat of my heart
I swear," Thace/Kolivan added.

"I swear," Ulaz/Antok repeated.

"I swear." Just as Thace said the last line of the vows Kolivan was brought back to the present and the newly bonded couple in front of him. They presented their luxite blades in their dormant forms to Kolivan, who wrapped a cord around the two knives. Then, Thace and Ulaz activated their blades simultaneously. The two blades shifted to their awakened forms. The energy from the two blades merged together, so when one was being used, the other blade would grow warm and could be used to lead the owner to his bonded.

Once the light from the merging disappeared, Kolivan unwrapped the cord, and Thace and Ulaz sheathed their blades. Kolivan placed a hand on one of Thace's and the other on one of Ulaz's and brought their hands together, clasping them and encasing their joined hands in his. "Congratulations on your bonding."

"Thank you, sir." Ulaz was the first to respond with Thace following a few ticks later.

"You may have your requested movement off your duties," Kolivan informed them.

Both Thace and Ulaz smiled and bowed to their leaders before leaving the room. Antok removed his mask and walked up behind Kolivan. He wrapped his tail around his mate's waist and his arms around his shoulders. He also nuzzled Kolivan's neck. "That was a wonderful ceremony."

Kolivan relaxed against his mate. "It reminded me strongly of ours."

Antok leaned forward and kissed Kolivan, their swords glowed briefly in response to the kiss.

Fin

Chapter Text

"Kit Bonding"

Keith was standing in front of Kolivan, Antok, Thace, and Ulaz, holding his knife. He was actually excited to be participating in this ceremony. His dads were officially adopting him by binding their blades to his. It was a silent ceremony with multiple solo blade bondings. First was his bonding with Kolivan.

Keith presented his luxite blade in its dormant form to Kolivan, who wrapped a cord around the two knives. Then, Kolivan activated his blade, which shifted to its awakened form. The energy from the two blades merged together, so when Keith's was near, the other blade would grow warm and could be used to lead the owner to his kit.

Once the light from the blades died down, Kolivan unwrapped the cord and sheathed his sword. He stepped to the side and allowed his mate to go next. Antok came forward and accepted Keith's knife. Kolivan wrapped the cord around the two knives. Antok activated his blade, which shifted to its awakened form. The energy from the two blades merged together.

Once the light from the blades died down, Kolivan unwrapped the cord, and Antok sheathed his sword. He stepped to the side and allowed Thace to go next. Thace came forward and accepted Keith's knife. Kolivan wrapped the cord around the two knives. Thace activated his blade, which shifted to its awakened form. The energy from the two blades merged together.

Once the light from the blades died down, Kolivan unwrapped the cord, and Thace sheathed his sword. He stepped to the side and allowed his mate to go next. Ulaz came forward and accepted Keith's knife. Kolivan wrapped the cord around the two knives. Ulaz activated his blade, which shifted to its awakened form. The energy from the two blades merged together.

Once the light from the blades died down, Kolivan unwrapped the cord, and Ulaz sheathed his sword. Keith placed his knife in its sheath as all four dads crowded around their kit. Thace picked Keith up, and the kit received nuzzles from all four of his dads.

%%%

Kolivan, Antok, Thace, and Ulaz were sitting down, having a meeting with the Voltron Paladins and the Princess and her advisor. It was tedious as it was an update type of meeting. Normally, they would just do it over the com system, but coming in person afforded them the opportunity to see their kit and cuddle with him.

Suddenly, all four of their swords heated up, alerting them to their kit's arrival. The four Blades jumped up, knocking the chairs to the floor. There in the doorway was their kit, but he was injured. Antok growled and jumped over the table to make it over to Keith's side.

"Dad." He scooped up his kit, who gave a whimper, which caused the other three Galra to vault over the table as well. All four of Keith's dads crowded around Keith, sniffing him and looking at him, inspecting his injuries. Their blades cooled when they reached their kit's side.

"Kit, what happened?" Ulaz asked.

"My mission went awry. It was successful though."

Kolivan growled at Keith's last statement. "Your health is more important than that mission, kit."

"But, Father-"

"No, kit," Thace interrupted. "Kolivan is right. We will heal you, but you need to learn when to retreat."

"Yes, Daddy. I'm sorry. Papa, can you heal it without a cryopod?"

Ulaz inspected the worst injury, which was on his chest. "Yes. It should be fine, and you will be confined to the nest."

Keith sighed, a breath escaping through his teeth in an almost hiss. Antok whisked Keith away with the other three on his heels. The first stop was the infirmary to treat and wrap their kit's wounds. They slowly pulled their kit's uniform off, treating the wounds as they appeared. Fortunately, there weren't a numerous amount of wounds, and the worst one was the one on his chest. Thace had hurried off to their kit's room and collected casual clothing for him. Once dressed, Kolivan picked Keith up, holding him carefully so his chest wasn't against his shoulder. Keith wrapped his arms around his father's neck, one hand grasping his braid. Kolivan smiled at the familiar gesture as it was one Keith developed as a small kit that he never really outgrew.

Kolivan carried Keith to the nest and laid down with his kit still in his arms, nuzzling his neck. Antok laid down behind Keith and wrapped his tail around his waist. Thace laid down at Keith's head and groomed his wild, black headfur. Ulaz sat between Kolivan and Thace and caressed Keith's cheeks where his cheek stripes would have been. He briefly wondered if their kit would develop some Galran features in the near future.

Keith started purring from the attention from his dads, receiving rumbles in return. The knife on his waist glowed softly at the affection its owner was receiving from his dads.

Fin

Chapter Text

"Proclivities"

Antok stared at his pack's kit, who was sitting on top of a tall cabinet and swinging his legs back and forth with a smile on his face. How did he get all the way up there? He had only taken his eyes off him for a couple of doboshes. Maybe humans were naturally climbing experts?

"Antok, catch!"

Antok only had maybe a couple of ticks before the kit jumped off the top of the tallest cabinet, which was even taller than Antok. Panic shot through the second highest ranking Blade before the kit landed on Antok, who used his tail to ensure the kit didn't end up on the floor. A jump from that height would have struck fear into most Galran kits, but this part Galran kit thought it was great fun, judging from his wide grin and him saying, "Again!"

%%%

Ulaz stared at his pack's kit, who was cowering in Thace's arms. His yellow eyes flicked from the obviously scared kit to the syringe held in his claws and back again. Their usually fearless kit was downright terrified of an injection all Galran kits receive. "Kit?"

"No!" Keith proceeded to climb over Thace's shoulders and hide behind the violet Galra, who looked like he was mere ticks away from taking the kit out of the med bay. "I don't want it!"

"It's just a tick of pain and then an afternoon of cuddles, kit," Ulaz tried to reason with him.

Keith whimpered but slowly came out from behind Thace, who picked him up and cuddled him. Keith held out his still slightly shaking arm and buried his face into Thace's chest, muffling the whine that escaped him. Thace nuzzled his head and rumbled to him. "You will be okay, kit. After this, I will take you to the nest and spend the afternoon with you."

"Can everyone be there?" Keith asked tearfully.

"I'm sure Kolivan can be persuaded to take a break," Ulaz replied, putting away the used syringe. "Why don't you go ask him? I will join you in a moment."

Keith looked at Ulaz in shock. Thace chuckled at the shocked expression on his kit's face. "Yes, kit. It's over already."

%%%

Kolivan was going over reports, sitting on the edge of his chair for no other reason than his pack's kit was napping against his back. He had spent the time after lunch unbraiding and playing with the leader's white strands instead of napping. However, Kolivan let him as he figured the kit would tire himself out. It took longer than he or any of his pack had figured but finally the kit started acting like an actual kit, but there were instances, such as this, that confused the four Galra. Just how long was their kit going to keep surprising them?

%%%

The Paladins had just come back from hard yet successful mission, showered, and convened in the lounge. Keith almost flopped down next to Lance, who grinned at his team mate. "Tired, Mullet?"

"Like you aren't?" Pidge quipped when Keith didn't answer.

Keith snuggled against Lance's shoulder, softly purring until he felt the other teen's hand stroking his hair. He couldn't help but purr louder at the action. Lance's eyebrows shot into his hairline, but he didn't say anything or stop moving his hand.

"Oh my God! He's a cat," Hunk whispered.

"Well, he is part Galra and was raised by them," Shiro said. "Which does explain a few things that he's done."

"Like purring?"

"And being quiet and nimble on his feet?"

"What about how he sleeps in weird places?"

"Yes," Shiro replied. "But I was talking about him grooming himself."

Fin    

Chapter Text

"Learning To Read"

The mid quintant meal was over, and the two kits of the leaders' pack were on their way back to their nest to rest. Keith face planted in the pile of blankets kept in the nest for that purpose. Regris giggled at his pack brother's actions as he curled up in his spot, pulling a book out from under a nearby pillow. He began reading silently and until Keith chirped, drawing his attention.

"What are you doing?"

"Reading."

"Is it okay for you to read?"

"Ulaz says so."

"Can I do that?"

"You have to learn first. I bet Thace would be willing to teach you."

Keith perked up at the mention of his Daddy. He loved all four of his Dads equally, but he was close to Thace as the violet furred Blade was able to spend a lot of his time with him (and Regris).

"Teach who what?" Thace asked as he entered the nest room.

"Daddy! I wanna learn to read!"

"Very well, kit. We'll start after you take a nap." Thace couldn't help but smile. Keith's enthusiasm was infectious.

"Okay!" Keith snuggled into the pile of blankets with a soft, contented purr. As Keith took his nap, Thace knew he was going to have to gather supplies to teach the little kit how to read.

%%%

Keith learned how to read not only English but Galran as well. In fact, he learned to read Galran first which came in handy when he was on a mission with the Paladins.

The team needed to download one specific file and only had time to download that one file as the ship was rigged to explode. Shiro, Lance, and Hunk searched the ship for any survivors, while Pidge was supposed to download the file and Keith watched her back.

Pidge was irritated. There was no way she would be able to locate which file she needed before the ship exploded. She let out a growl worthy of a Galra, drawing Keith's attention. "You all right there, Pidge?"

"No. I can't figure out which file we need!"

Keith came over to her side and swiftly called up the directory. "Let me see what I can do."

"It's written in Galran. Man, I wish I learned how to read it. This would have gone so much faster!"

"Here it is. You need this file." Keith pointed out the file on the screen.

Pidge opened the file, and it was the file she needed! She set it to download and asked, "How did you know that?"

Keith shrugged his shoulders as he resumed watching her back. "I learned how to read Galran when I was four. My pack taught me."

"I would love to be able to read that." A beeping drew their attention. "Download complete. Let's get out of here!"

The two Paladins made their way back to their lions, meeting up with the rest of their team along the way.

Back at the castle, Pidge was sitting in the lounge, her laptop sitting beside her as it ran another program designed to locate Matt or Sam Holt. Keith peeked into the room and smiled as he saw that she was alone. He jogged over and sat down on Pidge's other side, settling the books he was carrying on his lap.

"Hi, Pidge."

"Hey, Keith. What'cha got there?"

"I remember you said that you wanted to learn to read Galran. I figured I could help. I used these same workbooks and simple books when I started. I figured they would be a good place to start."

%%%

Allura and Coran were looking for Pidge to congratulate her on locating some vital information that could use in the fight against the Empire. They weren't expecting to see her in the lounge with Keith reading a common children's book written in Galran. They were surprised to see how patient Keith was with her, even as she mispronounced a few of the words (one of which ended up coming out as a swear word causing Keith to chuckle).

Unbeknownst to the Alteans and Pidge, Keith was using the techniques Thace (and the rest of the pack, to a lesser extent) used to teach Keith when he was a tiny kit. He had asked the Blades to send over the books he used, and when they asked why, he told them Pidge wanted to learn. They were more than glad to send over the materials and also made sure to tell their kit they were proud of him for helping a slightly younger kit expand their knowledge.

Fin

Chapter Text

"The Blade Beneath The Mask"

It was a normal quintant at headquarters, except for the heated argument occurring in the leader's office.

"He's just a kit! We protect him!" Thace exclaimed.

"What better way to protect him than to make sure he can protect himself. Besides, he has a tendency to get away from whoever is watching him," Kolivan reasoned calmly, not taking offense to Thace's opposition. He knew the violet furred lieutenant was just worried about their kit.

%%%

Keith was excited to be in the training hall with all four of his Dads, but why were their masks up?

"Okay, kit. For this exercise, you need to figure out who is who with our masks on. This will be important for you on assignments when you are grown," Antok explained.

Keith shrugged and replied, "Okay, Dad."

The kit's response startled the four Blades. How did Keith know it was Antok talking to him? Perhaps it was simply because Antok was the largest Blade in their pack and because Antok often explains things to the kit. Thinking that was the reason, the four Blades began the training.

However, they didn't get too far. Keith knew without any training who was who. They even brought in other masked Blades to confuse the kit, which didn't work. He simply pointed at each Blade and said their name (or his name for them, in the Dads' cases). Kolivan and Ulaz even traded out their distinctive uniforms for regular uniforms, thinking that might have been why the kit knew who they were. It didn't help either. Keith simply cocked his head and asked, "Papa, why are you and Father wearing different uniforms? Do you guys have more than one?"

Thace knelt down next to Keith. "How do you know that's Ulaz?"

"Because he's pack. Same thing with you, Dad, and Father."

The Blades were amazed and surprised, especially since the uniforms blocked individual scents and masks distorted their voices. Mates could sense which one was their mate, but regular members didn't have that ability. However, this little kit did and could tell who was who under the mask, no matter which uniform they were wearing.

%%%

The Paladins were on a mission with the Blades, and the two teams had to fight their way out. Fortunately, it was just a bunch of sentries.

Keith was working with his bayard but always kept his Marmora blade hidden in case of emergency.

"Kit! Behind you!"

Keith spun around and sliced the approaching sentry in half. "Thanks, Papa!"

"Is that all of them?" Shiro asked.

A shot rang out as Lance sniped the last one that had been gunning for one of the Blades.

"My thanks, Blue Paladin."

"No thanks necessary..." Lance trailed off, unsure of which one it was.

"Let's get back to the castle," Shiro announced.

%%%

The Paladins and Blades reconvened in the lounge and were relaxing, when the Alteans joined them in the nest set up in there.

"Good job on the mission, everyone," Allura stated.

"Thanks, pretty lady, but I've got a question for Mullet. How could you tell which Blade is which under their masks?"

Keith looked at Lance in confusion. "It's not hard."

"He's always been able to do that," Thace clarified. "We don't truly understand how."

"Perhaps it's because he's sensitive to Quintessence," Allura suggested. "No matter what lengths you take to hide yourself, a Quintessence sensitive person will always be able to find you."

"That explains so much," Antok mentioned, looking down at Keith as he snuggled into his side. He gently stroked his hair, eliciting a purr from his kit.

Fin

Chapter Text

"Assassin"

Keith peeked around the corner, his grip tightening on his blaster. His violet eyes darted from one side of the adjoining corridor to the other, and seeing no one, the boy tiptoed around the corner and into the shadows of the next corridor. He was trying to blend into the shadows to avoid detection. It was one of the rules. Avoid detection and hit his targets. His targets were the other members of his pack, Kolivan, Antok, Thace, Ulaz, and Regris. Each one was armed with a blaster, but the blasters didn't fire lasers or lead bullets but vividly colored balls of paint; a different color for each member of the pack. Kolivan had red, Antok had blue, Thace had purple, Ulaz had green, Regris had orange, and Keith had white.

Keith had been very adept at avoiding getting hit and was devoid of any color on his clothes. All of the other members of his pack had other colors marking their clothes but not Keith.

Suddenly, a flash of blue flew past his head, splattering on the wall behind him. Keith's eyes landed on the largest member of his pack, who had his blaster aimed at Keith. Keith grinned and escaped into a nearby vent. He quietly crawled through the ventilation system. Knowing he couldn't stay in there, he located an exit and dropped out of the vent system, landing a shot on Kolivan, who just grinned and leveled his blaster at the kit.

Keith dove out of the way, only to be hit by an orange paint ball. Keith paused in shock as he had been shot for the first time by his pack brother, looking down at his chest. It was centered on his torso. He lifted his head to meet Regris's grinning face. His expression changed from shock to mischievous in less than a tick, and Keith shot his brother and their leader before bounding out of the room.

Kolivan and Regris looked at themselves and then each other before turning to look out the empty door. They heard the pretend outraged voices of the rest of the pack before they grinned, Regris laughing. The youngest kit was good at this.

%%%

The Paladins were of conflicting opinions about joint training sessions with the Blades. Keith, Shiro, and Allura loved them. Pidge and Hunk would rather be messing with tech, and Lance didn't care for them, since the Blades were worse taskmasters than Allura had been when they first arrived at the castle.

Lance was dragging his feet as he made his way to the training deck. He shot a glare at his team mates, especially Keith. He was almost bouncing on his feet like he couldn't wait to get to training. His glare sharpened at Keith's giddiness.

"If you are so excited to train, why don't you go ahead of us?"

Keith grinned. "I'm only excited because I know what training exercise we are going to be doing."

Lance sighed. "Sounds like Mullet all right. Excited about training."

Keith frowned. "You are going to eat those words when you find out what we're doing."

"We'll see about that." With Lance having said that, the group entered the training deck and was surprised to see all five of the Blades in there with blasters in their claws and six more laying at their feet.

Keith chirped and grabbed one of the blasters. He checked the color of his ammo and was pleasantly surprised to see that he got the same color he always had at home. He looked up at his pack and grinned.

"Welcome, Paladins. Please select a blaster for the training exercise," Kolivan stated.

The other five Paladins (including Allura) quickly dispersed the remaining blasters amongst themselves.

"Now, please check the color of your ammo and state what color you have," Thace continued.

"I have pink," Allura said.

"Yellow," Hunk spoke up.

"I ended up with tan," Shiro added.

"I got magenta," Pidge remarked.

Lance looked at his ammo. "Ooo. I have aqua."

Kolivan replied, "Red."

Antok retorted, "Blue."

"Purple," Thace added.

"Green," Ulaz acknowledged.

Regris responded with, "Orange."

Keith grinned. "White."

Lance's eyes widened in realization. "Are we doing a shooting exercise?!"

Keith's grin grew bigger. "Told you so, Sharpshooter."

"I'll give you that one, Mullet. So," Lance twirled his blaster. "When do we start?"

%%%

The Blades realized they may have made a mistake inviting the Paladins, specifically Lance, to join this...game of theirs. If they thought Keith was good, then Lance was on another level altogether. He shot everyone, even Keith sported Lance's aqua colored ammo! He did this all without getting hit himself. However, it went from a fun exercise to a game of cat and mouse with Lance as the cat.

Kolivan and Antok exchanged looks of dread as they edged along the corridor. They had decided to team up together in order to not get taken down by the Blue Paladin like Thace and Ulaz were. They had lost sight of Keith and Regris, but they had to still be in the castle.

They saw the Yellow and Green Paladins in the corridor. The Yellow Paladin was collapsed, covered in all of the colors of everyone's ammo. The Green Paladin was escaping into the ventilation system. They noticed she had spots of color as well. They shook their heads at the futility of her actions. She couldn't stay in there, and when she came out, she would get tagged by Lance...and maybe Keith.

A little further down the corridor, hushed voices could be heard. From what Kolivan and Antok could hear, it appeared that Shiro and Allura had also teamed up, but to take down Lance, they needed to keep their voices down, so he wouldn't hear their plan.

They continued to creep along the corridor, which was strangely quiet and darker than normal. The Blades weren't worried as they had excellent night vision. Somehow, they missed Lance creeping up on them.

"I win." Lance pulled the trigger.

Fin

Chapter Text

"Keep Away"

Keith was flat against the wall. He approached and peeked around the corner. No one was there. He grinned and scampered around the corner. He was good at this. His grin was even bigger, and he slid around the next corner without checking if the coast was clear. He was promptly tossed into the air, a squeal tearing from his throat. He had been caught!

He looked to see who had caught him. It was Antok! Keith pouted. Antok had snagged him with his tail. He had been tasked with evading capture but had failed. "You had been doing well, kit. You just got cocky."

"Can I have another try?"

Antok hummed. Practice did make perfect. Just then, Thace ran by and managed to snag Keith, unwrapping Antok's tail, without breaking stride. Antok turned on the spot and gave chase. He was going to get back the kit, who was currently riding on Thace's shoulders.

Thace grinned as he held onto Keith's legs. He couldn't believe that maneuver had actually worked! His pride in his work didn't last long as he felt Keith being lifted from his shoulders. He skidded to a stop a few feet away. He looked to see Regris jump down with Keith in his arms. It was slightly comical given how young Regris was compared to the rest of the Blades.

He took off running, barely managing to avoid Antok. Unfortunately, Thace was not so lucky. Antok bowled him over. Knowing Thace couldn't see his expression, Antok allowed himself a smile. He called it payback for snagging the kit. Still, he helped Thace back to his feet, and they both took off running after the two kits.

Regris held Keith close to his chest. He had one arm under Keith's knees, and the other arm was around his back. He knew that had been luck. If anyone else had run by, he wouldn't have been able to snag Keith. Everyone on the base had different ways of holding him. He hadn't been aware that there were that many different holds. He was surprised that he hadn't run into anyone.

"Regris, what's going on?" Keith asked. He thought of Regris as his big brother.

"Don't worry, Keith. The entire base is engaged in an exercise in stealth."

"The entire base is playing a game?! With me?!" The younger kit sounded excited.

"Yes, kit." Ulaz made Regris stumble, which caused the older kit to lose his grip on his brother, who ended up over Ulaz's shoulder. Ulaz held onto Keith and ran.

Keith looked up from his position. He could see Antok, Thace, and Regris following Ulaz and, consequently, him too. He wondered who was going to get him next and how long this game was going to last. He didn't have long to wait. Ulaz came to a split in the hallway. He went left and as he passed a doorway, a pair of arms shot out and latched onto Keith's wrists. He was surprisingly easy to pull off Ulaz's shoulder. Keith looked up to see who was carrying him now. It was Kolivan! Keith had his arms around the leader's neck and his legs around his waist, while Kolivan had his arms wrapped around Keith's back to hold him in place as he ran. Keith grinned as his family chased after one another, all while trying to get him. He loved when they included him in their activities.

%%%

The Paladins had just finished a team training exercise when the five Blades who were on board rushed onto the training deck, Ulaz in the lead. The lavender colored Galra ran up to Keith and threw him over his shoulder and ran out without a word but with the other Blades following. Keith's expression clearly read "Whatever. I'm used to this, so I'm not embarrassed.'

The other Paladins were confused. What just happened? Shiro stopped the nearest Blade, who happened to be Thace and asked, " What's going on?"

"Just a stealth exercise. You are welcome to join, but be warned; we have had years of practice."

The Paladins decided to watch first before they made a decision (which was to just follow). They followed Thace out the door and watched as Keith was snagged by Regris, who carried Keith bridal style. He turned and ran in the opposite direction Ulaz had been heading in before turning down an adjacent corridor. Ulaz joined the other three Blades (and the four Paladins) in running after Regris (and Keith). Soon, Antok snatched Keith from Regris's grasp using his tail.

Keith was grinning by this point. It was just like when he was a small kit. The Blades were doing another 'exercise in stealth' as they called it. Keith smirked. He had learned later on that it really wasn't an exercise in stealth. It was actually just an excuse to relax and have fun; a chance to play. Keith's smirk turned back into a grin. His family acted like a bunch of kits when these chances came about, and he absolutely loved it.

Fin

Chapter Text

"Doctor Keith"

Keith couldn't sleep. Today was the day he had been waiting for. The whole month he had spent a week with one of his dads, trying to help them do their job within the Blade. He had followed Thace around in the communications room and had been relatively bored, because he didn't understand the computers. Kolivan was next, and Keith didn't like it. To the kit, it was a lot of standing and listening. Antok had taken the kit to his class of trainees that needed taught. Keith did like it as Antok let him help rate the groups (Antok only let him announce the ones he agreed with). Now, it was Ulaz's turn. He got to help Ulaz in the med bay.

He was excited! He couldn't wait any longer. He got dressed and scampered into Ulaz's and Thace's room. The two Galra were curled around each other, still sleeping. Keith knew Thace had the day off, so he didn't really feel bad about what he was about to do. He crouched down and pounced on top of the two Galra. "Papa! It's time to go to work!"

"Your son is awake," Thace mumbled, still half-asleep.

"Before daytime, he's your son," Ulaz retorted with his eyes still closed.

Throughout their tiny conversation, Keith kept repeating, "Papa. Papa. Papa. Papa. Papa. Papa. Papa. Papa. Papa."

Ulaz cracked an eye and peered at his kit, who was pouting. He sat up and dragged Keith into his arms. "It's all right, kit. I know your excited, but let's be quiet, so your dad can go back to sleep."

"Okay," Keith whispered, nuzzling Ulaz.

Thace lifted an arm in their direction and mumbled into his pillow, "Much appreciated."

Keith helped Ulaz pick out his clothes, after which Ulaz scooted Keith out the door, so he could get dressed. Ulaz kissed Thace before leaving the room. Once out in the hall, Ulaz got a good look at what his kit was wearing. It was a miniature version of his uniform. Ulaz smiled at his kit and made a mental note to thank Antok as the huge Galra loved to make clothing for their kit.

Keith was bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Are you ready, Papa?"

"Ready. Let's go, kit." Ulaz led Keith to the med bay. There was so much to do that day that Ulaz was actually grateful that Keith was with him. He could give the kit some simple tasks to do for him while he treated some seriously hurt Blades who had been exposed to some strange radiation (but were no longer contagious [if they were, Ulaz wouldn't have let Keith within hearing distance of the doors]) and who had stayed for overnight observation. In fact, the kit could probably run security at the door to make sure only pack members were permitted or maybe Keith would want to clean instruments and put them away afterwards or... "Keith!"

Keith backed away from the pod, containing one of the more seriously hurt Blades. "I'm sorry, Papa, but the pod beeped. I was reading the panel, and it's about to open."

Ulaz froze for a tick before rushing over and making it in time to catch the half-conscious Blade. "Keith, get Droliar's pack. They should be at the door."

As Keith hurried to the door, Ulaz laid Droliar on the examination bed. He looked better than the previous quintant, which was good. He did lose quite a bit of fur though, but it would grow back. Several Blades rushed over and, upon seeing their pack member recovering but alive, hugged Ulaz. Malier hugged Ulaz. "Thank you for saving my mate. Our little kit won't have to grow up with only a memory of her father."

Keith peeked around the legs of the adults and saw a kit a little younger than him, trying to peer over the bed. Keith carefully picked up a stool and made his way over to her. He placed the stool nearby and said, "Here. Now, you should be able to see your dad."

The adults watched as Keith helped the little girl climb onto the stool to make sure she wouldn't fall. Malier whispered to Ulaz, "Your kit is such a good helper and a cutie too."

"Yes. He was actually the one who alerted me that the pod was about to open. I forget that he has helped here before."

"I was worried about bringing our little kit here; that maybe seeing her father like this would be frightening, but your kit is helping her not be scared."

Ulaz and Malier watched as Keith explained very simply about what they could do (not much but kits have a big imagination) about the fur loss. The two were throwing ideas back and forth, each more outrageous than the last, until they dissolved into fits of mostly quiet giggles.

Ulaz smiled and started making his way around to his other patients, unaware that he had a little shadow with a bag full of instruments he knew his papa used and a tablet ready for taking notes. Ulaz had a tendency to speak his findings out loud in hopes that he would remember them. He was examining a particular burn on a patient's arm and was reaching for his magnifying glass which he found on the tray nearby. How had it gotten there? "Patient's burn will result in no less than 20% temporary fur loss. Recovery rate 100%. Expected recovery time 2 quintants." He set the magnifying glass back on the tray before moving along to the next patient.

Keith tapped the notes for his Papa and put the magnifying glass back in the bag. He gave the Blade a thumbs up and a bright smile before hurrying after Ulaz. The Blade grinned at the little hybrid. It was cute the way he was helping his father.

Ulaz went to examine the next Blade, who had been the furthest from the radiation. He reached for his lightstick but couldn't find it. The recovering Blade pointed at the space just behind Ulaz's elbow. Ulaz turned and saw Keith holding it up for him. "How long have you been following me, kit?"

"Since you started your rounds. I gave you instruments and took your notes." Keith held up the tablet. He gave a shy smile. "I learn a lot from you, Papa."

"Would you like to actually learn how to help hurt Blades?"

Keith's eyes lit up. "Yes!"

%%%

Keith spent every waking minute he was allowed (he still needed to act like a kit) with Ulaz, learning how to wrap injuries, set broken bones, how to make and use a splint, and other such useful techniques used in the field. Every Blade that saw Keith helping Ulaz or treating them himself had a smile on their face at how helpful the little kit was. The med bay used to be gloomy until Keith started helping more often. He could be seen helping hurt Blades into pods or onto examination beds or cheering up pack members of a recovering Blade or checking the status of injuries of Blades who had to stay overnight.

As Keith grew up, he earned the role of field medic for any mission he was sent on. Eventually, he was sent for his first solo long term mission: attend flight school on a primitive world that didn't believe in life outside their little system and gather information about their lives. Keith hadn't been very excited but went anyway. He was surprised how well he fit in with the aliens appearance wise. He even developed a close relationship with a couple of boys. One was older than Keith and felt like a brother to him. The other one was slightly younger than Keith, and, even though Keith was trying to be mentoring to him, the boy turned it into a rivalry.

From there, things snowballed pretty fast. Keith's brother figure was presumed dead and Keith was kicked out of the school. Feeling like he failed his first mission, Keith wandered the desert until he felt drawn to a series of caves. He spent the next deca-phoebe examining the caves. Then, he spotted a ship crash landing. The next series of events happened in the blink of an eye. One dobosh he was rescuing Shiro, and the next he was the Red Paladin of Voltron, and they were trying to free the universe from Zarkon's evil rule.

The battles in their lions were pretty awesome, but nothing beat hand-to-hand combat. Unfortunately, his teammates weren't as good as he was. A cry from the Green Paladin caught Keith's attention. With a battle cry worthy of any Galra, Keith cut down every sentry between him and the downed Paladin. Hunk and Shiro were guarding Pidge as Lance fretted about her injury. Keith shoved Lance aside, announcing, "I got this."

He examined her leg, and, to his relief, it didn't go all the way down to the bone. He grabbed a roll of gauze from his pack and wrapped her leg, removing the armor from her leg to do so. Lance gawked at his rival's level of skill in wrapping their teammate's leg. "Where'd you learn how to do that?"

"My father taught me," Keith replied. He had previously told his team about being raised by a secret organization of rebel Galra but didn't give them any locations. He knew the Blades had to approach them first. What he didn't know was that Ulaz had already made the first move. Now, it was up to Shiro to remember it.

Fin