Disclaimer: I don’t own Voltron: Legendary Defender.
Author Note: This is an Au. Keith is going on missions for the BoM but is still a paladin. Ulaz, Thace, Antok, Haxus, and Sendak are alive in this as well. Thulaz and Sendak/Haxus.
Keith rubbed his right shoulder as he walked back into the Blade of Marmora headquarters. He couldn't wait to relax with his family. He wondered if Kolivan and Antok would be joining them in the cuddle pile. Every time he came back to headquarters there was a cuddle pile. It would start out with Thace and Ulaz with Keith, but by the end of the day, Kolivan and Antok would join in. He walked into the training hall to find Thace and/or Ulaz. He stopped short at who was sitting across from two of his favorite Galra.
Sendak and Haxus were casually sitting across from Thace and Ulaz, the latter of the two was leaning against his mate. Keith withdrew his blade and willed it to its short sword form. He cautiously approached the quartet, and Ulaz saw Keith approach. He sighed. "Kit, put your blade away. Everything's okay."
Sendak and Haxus turned to see the Red Paladin dressed in Blade of Marmora armor with a Marmora blade held in front of him. Sendak put an arm around Haxus, and Keith realized that Sendak didn't have his Druid left arm anymore but still had his right eye replacement. His left arm was reminiscent of Shiro's arm, and while that was slightly comforting he wasn't taking chances. "So, this is the kit you mentioned, Thace?"
"Yes, Sendak. This is our kit. Keith, put your blade away. You don't turn your weapon on fellow Blades."
Keith was stunned but put his blade away and made his way over to Thace and Ulaz, giving a wide berth to the two other Galra. He was pulled onto the bench between Thace and Ulaz, and Ulaz began rubbing Keith's right shoulder, providing some comfort for their kit. Keith looked at Sendak and Haxus. "I want answers."
"We know you do, kit." Sendak paused, seeing Keith glare at him for calling him that. His ears drooped a bit. "Keith, we were Blade of Marmora operatives but we were caught and the Druids tortured us and brainwashed us to make us loyal to the Empire. As how we got back, Haxus has to start."
"After falling down the tube in the engine room, I managed to find a vent that led me to the pod bay. I hid there for several days until after you saved Balmera X-95-Vox. I launched one of the pods, and I saw Sendak had been ejected into space. I brought him onto the pod and set the autopilot to take us away from that region. I freed my mate. When-"
"Mate?" Keith repeated, interrupting Haxus.
"Yes, mate. When I released Sendak from the cryopod, I had to catch him. When we touched, our memories of being Blade operatives came back."
"I took the pod off autopilot and set the course for headquarters. It took a couple of days to reach it of course, and once we did, proving the truth to the other Blades was a simple matter of going through the Trials again," Sendak had picked up the tale. Both Sendak and Haxus unsheathed their Marmora blades, and they took their short sword forms, surprising Keith. The youngest Blade was speechless at this turn of events. Sendak looked at him as he and Haxus put away their blades. "Is everything all right, kit?"
He tensed slightly as he remembered that Keith wasn't comfortable with him calling him kit. He relaxed when Keith sent a little smile in his direction. "Yeah. I'm okay. I think I'm tired from my mission."
Thace knew Keith was wanting family time in a cuddle pile, but Thace had orders to stay with Sendak and Haxus until Kolivan returned, and Ulaz wouldn't leave his mate. Keith looked up at Thace and softly whined. Sendak and Haxus heard the whine and were concerned. "Kit, what's wrong?"
Keith looked at Sendak. "What do you mean? Nothing's wrong."
"You whined, kit. Something's wrong."
Keith blushed slightly but said nothing. Thace hugged his kit, and Ulaz replied. "After every mission, he ends up in a cuddle pile with Thace and I. Eventually, Kolivan and Antok join us."
At Sendak's and Haxus's slightly confused looks, Thace supplied more information. "He had been abandoned on Earth and was left on his own without a family. He is still touch starved, and we are providing him with all the affection he needs as a kit."
Sendak and Haxus looked horrified at the revelation of Keith being an abandoned, touch starved kit. "We don't want to keep you from your family."
Ulaz looked at Keith. "What would you say about just having me for now, and Thace can come by later?"
Keith shook his head. "I'd rather stay here with both of you."
"That's very nice of you, kit, but unnecessary." Kolivan entered the room. "Thace, Ulaz, take the kit back to our room. I will join you shortly."
Thace and Ulaz led Keith out of the room. The kit was making little chirps at his family, who responded with rumbles. The three Galra in the room watch the trio leave before Sendak spoke up. "No one ever mentioned the Red Paladin was one of us, let alone being a touch starved kit."
"It's not a topic we take lightly. He went through the Trials as we all did; however, we didn't find out about him being a kit or touch starved until later on," Kolivan explained. "I noticed you are calling him kit as well."
"At first, he didn't like it, but he allowed it after the explanation of our return. I hope to get to know him better," Sendak replied, his arms settling around Haxus's waist. His mate leaned against him and nuzzled his neck.
"Maybe he'll let you two join the cuddle pile if he gets to know the real you; the Blade operatives, not the evil Commander and his lieutenant," Kolivan mentioned. The leader spotted Antok making his way towards their room to join the cuddle pile. "Now, if you excuse me, I have a kit to attend to."
Sendak and Haxus watched their leader leave the room but just stayed put. They knew they were fallen soldiers, but they had finally come home.
"Fallen Soldiers 2: Kit"
Keith sat bolt upright in his bed at the Blade of Marmora's headquarters. He had a nightmare involving Thace and Ulaz who were on a mission together. In his nightmare, they were discovered and captured. The torture they underwent was horrific and mentally scarring, and then they were killed in front of their mate. Keith got up out of bed and walked the halls, trying to see if his fathers were back yet. His tears were falling in sheets, impairing his vision, and his nose was plugged due to the crying, diminishing his sense of smell. Every so often, a distressed whine escaped him. Suddenly, he ran into a fluffy Galra, who immediately put his arms out to steady the distraught kit. Keith curled his fingers into the fur of the Galra. It felt just like Thace's fur, so the less fluffy Galra at his side had to be Ulaz. Keith smiled despite his tears. His fathers had made it back in one piece, safe and sound.
"Thace, Ulaz, you're back," was all Keith said before slumping against his fluffy companion.
%%%
Sendak and Haxus were making rounds when they heard a kit whining. To their knowledge, there was only one kit on the base, Keith. They made their way in the kit's direction, only for him to run into Sendak. He immediately put his arms out to steady him and felt Keith curl his fingers into his fur.
"Thace, Ulaz, you're back," they heard Keith say before he slumped against Sendak.
Haxus turned to Sendak, who was holding the unconscious kit uncomfortably. "Why did he call us Thace and Ulaz?"
Sendak shifted his hold on Keith. They could clearly see the tear tracks on his cheeks and hear the slight congestion from his nose. "He couldn't accurately see or smell us, so he thought we were them, even though they aren't back from their mission yet. We should take him to our room."
They started walking to their room, and fortunately it didn't take long to get there. They situated themselves on the bed with Keith between them. The kit was still curled up against Sendak.
%%%
Kolivan was finally finished with his paperwork and went to Keith's room to see if he was all right. Having both Thace and Ulaz on a mission was rough for their kit. Kolivan figured Keith might need some reassurance. Strangely, he found Keith's room empty, but the scent of Keith's distress was strong. Kolivan decided to follow it to see if it would lead him to the distressed kit. Halfway through following the trail Kolivan found two more scents had joined Keith's, which had shifted from distressed to relieved. Kolivan still followed the three scents, just wanting to see Keith for himself. He ended up in front of Sendak's and Haxus's room. He knocked and received the "come in" from Haxus.
Kolivan entered to see Keith sleeping in between the two Blades, curled up against Sendak. Kolivan looked genuinely pleased. "I see he is comfortable around you two finally."
Sendak's ears drooped a little. "I'm afraid not, Kolivan. He was so distressed when he ran into us, he mistook us for Thace and Ulaz."
Kolivan frowned. "I see."
Sendak made a move to pick up the still sleeping kit. "I can put him back in his room."
"No. Keep him here. It would be damaging to him to wake up alone after falling asleep with two Galra. He shouldn't have been allowed to sleep alone tonight anyway." Kolivan bid the two Blades a good night before leaving. The two Galra looked at each other before looking down at the kit between them.
"I hope the morning won't be rough," Haxus stated. Sendak couldn't agree more.
%%%
Keith felt better when he woke up. He could still feel Thace's fur against him as the Galra lay next to him sleeping. He smiled and decided to just lay there, enjoying this time with his fathers. Just then, the door opened, which ended Keith's firm grip on the situation. He heard from the doorway, "Ulaz, look where our kit ended up."
Keith was confused. How could he hear Thace's voice across the room when his fingers were buried in his fur? Also, if Ulaz was next to Thace at the doorway, then who was he cuddled up with? Keith opened his eyes and slowly looked up. He was startled to see Sendak. He almost panicked for a brief second before remembering that the ex-commander and his ex-lieutenant were actually Blade operatives who had been captured and brainwashed into being loyal to the empire.
Sendak noticed that Keith was awake and aware of who he was with. "Kit?"
Keith looked down. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"My nightmare had me pretty messed up last night."
Thace and Ulaz came over and plucked Keith out of the bed. He stood between his fathers, receiving nuzzles.
Thace looked at Sendak and Haxus. "Thank you for looking after our kit."
"It was our pleasure." Sendak noticed that Keith looked over his shoulder at them as he was led to the door and stood up. "Kit?"
Keith turned to look at him. "Yes?"
"You are welcome here any time. You shouldn't sleep alone anymore."
Ulaz squeezed Keith's shoulders. "He's right. Sleeping alone is not good for a touch starved kit. Seeing as you spent a good night with Sendak and Haxus, you should take them up on their offer sometime."
Keith paused, thinking about their offer. He looked up and caught Sendak's gaze. Instincts took over Keith for an instant, and he launched himself at Sendak, which had so much force behind it it knocked him back on the bed. Keith wrapped his arms around the fluffy Galra. Sendak held the kit, while Haxus repositioned himself to pet Keith's hair like they had seen Thace and Ulaz do before. To their surprise, Keith purred. They didn't think they would ever have Keith feel comfortable enough around them to purr. Now that he had, they discovered they enjoyed being around the kit even more. He had finally accepted them as members of his pack.
"Fallen Soldiers 3 - Family"
Keith entered the secret base. He sighed happily as he caught sight of a couple of his favorite Galra. He decided to try to sneak up on one of them. He doubted he could actually sneak up on Kolivan, but the other Galra was fair game. Kolivan saw Keith but didn't acknowledge his approach, knowing what Keith was up to. Keith was quite close to the tall, fluffy Galra. Then, he jumped onto his back. To Keith's surprise, the Blade member simply reached back and patted his head. "Very valiant attempt, kit."
Keith slid off his back. "How'd you know?"
Sendak turned to him. "You need to be quieter, and I could smell you." Keith pouted slightly. Sendak smiled at him and pulled the kit into his arms. "I missed you, kit."
"I missed you all." Keith hugged him back.
Kolivan stepped over and ran a clawed hand through Keith's hair. "My apologies, Keith, but Thace and Ulaz had to leave on an urgent mission. They won't be back for at least a quintant."
Keith let out a whine at the news. Sendak tightened his hold on the Paladin. "You are welcome to stay with Haxus and myself."
Keith looked up at the fluffy Galra and smiled. "I think I will." He turned to look at Kolivan. "May I use the communications array to make a video call some time during my stay?"
Kolivan gave Keith a rare smile. "Of course, kit. I know you miss your mate during these visits."
Keith blushed. "You know me well, Kolivan."
Sendak looked at the kit still firmly ensconced in his arms. "Mate? Who is your mate?"
"You actually know him. Lance."
"Ah, yes. The Blue Paladin." Sendak looked at Keith, who was quite happily snuggling up against him. "Let's go to my room, kit. I know you need some cuddles." Keith nodded and allowed Sendak to lead him to his room, where Haxus was waiting. He perked up when he saw Keith had accompanied his mate. "Welcome back, kit." Keith made his way over to the other Galra, followed by Sendak. Both wrapped their arms around Keith and nuzzled him. Keith returned some of the nuzzles and purred to them. Sendak pulled both his mate and the kit into their nest. There Keith cuddled up against Sendak, his fur still reminding Keith of Thace. Sendak stroked Keith's hair, and Keith leaned into the touch, his purr becoming louder. Sendak smiled at Keith's actions. "We missed you so much, kit."
%%% The Next Day
Keith sat down in front of the communications view screen. It took a few minutes to establish a secure connection to the Castle of Lions. Fortunately, Lance was expecting a call from his boyfriend.
"Hey, baby!" Lance appeared on the screen, smiling.
Keith whined rather loudly at seeing his boyfriend on the screen. "I miss you so much, sweetheart."
The smile disappeared from Lance's face when he heard Keith whine. "Oh, baby. You'll be back in my arms before you know it, or I can come to you."
Keith whined again. "Both would take to long."
"Not if I convince Allura to wormhole."
"You'd do that for me?"
"Of course, baby. I'd do anything for you."
Keith smiled at Lance. "Thanks, sweetheart. That makes me feel better."
A figure appeared in the doorway behind Keith. It looked vaguely familiar to Lance, but he couldn't tell who it was. All he knew was it was a member of the Blade of Marmora. The uniform and sword were a dead giveaway along with the information that that was where Keith was broadcasting from. The figure came closer, and, as his features came into focus, Lance became worried for his boyfriend.
"Keith, baby, are you okay? Do I need to send Red to come get you?" Lance kept his eyes glued to the Galra standing behind his teammate.
"I'm okay, sweetheart. Other than not having Thace and Ulaz back yet, that is. Why?"
"There's someone standing behind you."
Keith tilted his head back and saw it was Sendak. He gave him a smile before turning back to Lance. "Everything's fine, Lance."
"But isn't that Sendak?" Lance blinked a couple of times. "How is he alive? How are you alive?"
"It's a long story. Collect everyone, and we'll tell them at once," Keith answered. With one last glare at Sendak, Lance left the screen. While they waited for everyone in the Castle Ship to show up, Keith turned to Sendak. "Why did you come here? Everything's okay."
"You always say everything's okay when you whine, kit." Sendak walked over to Keith, who leaned against him.
Keith blushed a little. "I just missed Lance. Seeing him without being able to cuddle him was a bit too much."
It wasn't long before Allura, Coran, Hunk, Pidge, Shiro, and Lance appeared on the screen, causing Keith to sit up. Shiro saw Sendak and literally growled at his proximity to Keith. "Get away from my brother!"
"I don't pose any danger to Keith."
"Takashi, please, you don't know the whole story," Keith pleaded.
"Then, enlighten us, Keith," Allura commanded.
Keith sighed. "Sendak and Haxus were Blade operatives that were captured, tortured, and brainwashed into being loyal to the empire. They eventually remembered being Blades and returned here to headquarters. They had to undergo the trials again to prove themselves, but they did it. They are my fellow Blades and family."
"Family?" Lance echoed.
"Yes, sweetheart. Family."
"Are you sure you can trust them?"
"Takashi, they have had plenty of chances to hurt me, but they haven't. You need to get to know them as the Blades, not the evil commander and his lieutenant."
Sendak kept quiet during Keith's brief explanation but felt proud of how his kit defended him and his mate from the other Paladins, even from his brother and mate! He wanted to nuzzle Keith to show how proud he was but stayed away until the end of the communication.
"Can we come to headquarters and have a meeting then?" Allura asked.
"I would have to ask Kolivan if it's okay," Keith admitted.
"Your team is permitted, kit." Kolivan had been passing by the communication room. Secretly, he was checking on Keith but made his presence known when he heard the princess's question and Keith's subsequent answer. He walked up to Keith, causing Sendak to back away so their leader could be closer to their kit.
"We'll be there shortly," Allura stated before terminating the link. Kolivan petted Keith's hair, Keith leaning into the touch.
Sendak approached Keith and Kolivan. "I'm proud of you, kit. Standing up for Haxus and myself against your team, especially against your brother and mate."
"It's like I said. You guys are family too." Keith reached up and grabbed Sendak's right hand. He pulled it closer and nuzzled it.
"I didn't realize that Shiro was your brother."
"We're not blood related. We met at the Garrison, and he took me under his tutelage even though I broke almost all of his records. They even paired me with him and Matt in several simulations, even though they are older than me."
Suddenly, a beeping sound interrupted them. Keith looked at the monitor and pressed the button. His face lit up with utter joy. "Thace! Ulaz!"
"Kit? You're home?" Thace asked.
"Yes. Are you done with your mission?" Keith answered.
"Yes. Our mission is complete and was successful." Thace looked at Kolivan.
"Good. Come home," Kolivan ordered.
%%%
Keith was nervous. He wondered who was going to arrive first, Allura and the Paladins or Thace and Ulaz. He was so jittery that Antok walked over to him and placed his hands on Keith's shoulders and rubbed Keith's back with his tail. Keith relaxed a little bit and purred to Antok. Kolivan, Sendak, and Haxus were waiting with Keith and Antok to see who was arriving first. The ship landed in their hangar, and Keith ran to the two Galra who exited the ship. "Thace! Ulaz!"
They caught their kit and wrapped their arms around him, lifting him off his feet. Keith nuzzled them and purred loudly. "Ulaz and I missed you too, kit."
"I wish we could have some cuddle time, but the other Paladins and Princess Allura are on their way."
"Why? Is there a meeting?" Ulaz asked.
"It's my fault. Our kit was talking to his mate and whined. I went to see if he was all right," Sendak admitted.
"No. I shouldn't have whined," Keith spoke up, being set back on his feet.
"You had every right to, kit. Being away from your mate hurts," Haxus corrected.
"So, now we are waiting for Keith's team," Antok finished.
Looking up, Keith let out an excited squeal. "They're here!"
When the castle ship landed, Keith ran over. The second the Paladins, Princess, and Coran stepped out Keith tackled Lance. "Whoa, baby!"
Keith rubbed his head against Lance's. "I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too, Keith." Lance tightened his hold on Keith when he saw the other Blades. It wasn't Kolivan, Antok, Ulaz, or Thace that put him on edge. It was Sendak and Haxus.
However, first, Thace and Ulaz approached the group. Shiro smiled at the pair of mates. "Thace, Ulaz, it's good to see you again."
"Shiro, it's always good to see our kit's brother. We understand that you are here to meet two members of our organization," Ulaz said, Thace's arms around his waist.
"Yes." A purr drew their attention to Keith and Lance. The Blue Paladin was still on his back, but Keith was snuggling with his mate. He was rubbing his head against Lance, purring all the while. "He seems excited to see Lance."
"Lance is his mate. Being separated from his mate hurts Keith. We propose that when Keith comes to visit, Lance comes with him, so they won't be separated," Thace suggested.
"Lance and Keith would both enjoy that."
Antok approached Keith and Lance and rumbled. Keith's head popped up, and he made a questioning sound. Antok rumbled again in response. Keith stood up and helped Lance to his feet. Then, Lance put his arms around Keith's waist. Keith looked at Lance. "Lance, come meet the rest of my family." Keith stepped out of Lance's arms, grabbed his wrist, and led him over to Sendak and Haxus. "Lance, this is Sendak and his mate, Haxus. They had been on a mission that got compromised."
"Kit, let's take this inside," Sendak recommended.
Everyone followed inside. Shiro was near Kolivan, so he asked, "Is it normal to send mates together on missions? Wouldn't that compromise the mission?"
"Actually, not sending mates together would compromise the mission. Once they bond, mates cannot be apart for long, or they will be in physical pain. That's why Ulaz and Thace were at high command at the same time. The records they brought indicated they were bonded mates. All Galra who have mates are afforded this basic necessity."
All thirteen of them filed into a meeting room, where they would continue the conversation. Since the Paladins, Allura, and Coran got a very vague version of the events surrounding Sendak's and Haxus's return, they started there.
"After falling down the tube in the engine room, I managed to find a vent that led me to the pod bay. I hid there for several days until after you saved Balmera X-95-Vox. I launched one of the pods, and I saw Sendak had been ejected into space. I brought him onto the pod and set the autopilot to take us away from that region. I freed my mate. When I released Sendak from the cryopod, I had to catch him. When we touched, our memories of being Blade operatives came back."
"I took the pod off autopilot and set the course for headquarters. It took a couple of days to reach it of course, and once we did, proving the truth to the other Blades was a simple matter of going through the Trials again," Sendak had picked up the tale.
All of the Paladins were extremely suspicious as were the two Alteans. Keith looked between his team and his family, trying to figure out how to prove to his team that those two were trustworthy. There was only one way he could think of. He looked at Kolivan and asked, "Maybe my team would appreciate a demonstration of our training."
Understanding what their kit was trying to do, Kolivan nodded. "Very well, kit. How many?"
Keith thought for a second. "Four."
"Very well."
%%%
The four Paladins, two Alteans, Kolivan, and Antok were gathered in the observation deck. Shiro recognized it from the time Keith went through the trials. Right then, Keith wasn't on the screen, but four Galra were. All four were in uniform with their masks in place, blades sheathed. In the center of the room was a pedestal with Keith's Marmora blade in its knife form on it.
"This is an exercise for stealth. Keith has to be quiet and quick to reclaim his blade," Kolivan explained.
Keith was hiding in the shadows, gauging his opponents. He knew if he got caught, he would get punished. However, seeing as this wasn't an actual training exercise, the punishment wouldn't be harsh. He actually didn't plan on getting caught. His plan came after the training exercise. For now, he moved quietly and quickly, darting in and out of the shadows. He tried to move when one of the Galra weren't watching him. He knew who each of them were. He chose to dive past Thace to retrieve his blade. He had almost made it when Thace grabbed Keith's ankle and pulled him up. "Nice try, kit. That's the closest you've gotten to passing."
"I thought I had it this time," Keith said, still hanging upside down.
The three other Galra surrounded Keith. "You know the punishment for kits, don't you?"
Keith gulped. "Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously."
Thace pinned Keith, and all four tickled their kit. Keith started laughing and shrieking, thrashing about wildly in an attempt to escape the carefully tickling claws. The hoods fell down, and the masks disappeared, allowing everyone to see who had taken part in the exercise. There tickling their Red Paladin were Thace, Ulaz, Sendak, and Haxus!
After a few doboshes, the tickling stopped, and Keith leaned against Sendak, slightly gasping for air. Sendak ran his claws through Keith's hair gently, and that's when Team Voltron realized that Sendak's left arm was almost exactly like Shiro's. Lance leaned a little closer to the screen and saw Keith's relaxed expression. It took a lot to get passed Keith's walls, but these two ex-enemies did so. Maybe they were all right.
"Shiro, I think Keith's all right here," Lance spoke up. "I mean, look."
Not only Shiro but Hunk, Pidge, Allura, and Coran looked at the interaction between Keith and the other Galra. Keith had gotten his breath back and was cuddling with all four, Sendak and Thace being the closest. They realized that Keith was purring as well.
"Kits can't purr if they don't feel safe," Kolivan informed them. It was then the team realized that Keith was indeed safe with all six of the Galra.
Fin
