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There were many days that the Paladins wished for Dorothy’s ruby slippers. To click their heels together three times and wish to go home. That was especially so after they began families, leaving the little ones at home with their grandparents while they went on short assignments.
But that made coming home all the sweeter.
Often, they were able to bring the kids along when it was something simple. A treaty signing, a diplomatic exchange, a peace visit to check in on progress post-Galra. The kids loved it; playing hide-and-seek in the Castle, playing with the other children on the planets they visited, eating new sweets and picking up new words to the point that the Paladin’s kids had developed their own secret language made up of a hodge-podge of intergalactic languages. That, and flying in the Lions was always fun.
But sometimes the assignments were just too dangerous to bring the kids along. The fact that Keith was currently limping and resting heavily on crutches and Hunk had gained a new scar was testament to how dangerous this one had been.
Despite the injuries, the mission had been a success, and knowing that their kids and family and lots of hot comfort food awaited them back on Earth was more than enough of a morale boost.
There was much squealing and giggling as soon as the kids saw their parents. Claire— Keith and Lance’s youngest—completely ignored the Garrison officials who tried to regulate the landing area, and was rewarded when Lance scooped her up and threw her in the air before squeezing her tightly and covering her face in kisses.
Pidge smiled, lowering to the ground as Hoshi and Hikaru followed Claire’s lead, running up to hug their mother tightly. Pidge squeezed the twins to her, pressing kisses to the tops of their heads.
“Did you two behave for Grandma and Grandpa and Baba and Jiji?” She asked.
“I did,” Hoshi said, looking rather pleased with herself. Hikaru nodded in agreement.
Pidge chuckled. “I’m sure you did.” She stood up, placing her hands on the twins’ shoulders. She smiled as she looked over, watching as one-year old Skylar—currently resting on her Baba’s hip—stretched her arms out for her father, whining slightly.
Shiro smiled and took his daughter from his mother, the little girl wrapping her arms tightly around him. Skylar was quite a daddy’s girl, and leaving her with both sets of her grandparents and older siblings had been quite an ordeal that involved many tears and screaming, and it had pained both Shiro and Pidge to leave her behind on Earth as she cried. Having expected that response, both sets of grandparents had agreed to watch the kids while Pidge and Shiro were gone to make watching the kids easier as well as soothe the parents’ worries.
Pidge stepped closer, standing on her toes to press a kiss to Skylar’s head, then greeted her parents and in-laws.
“I hope they weren’t too much trouble,” Pidge said, giving her mother a kiss on the cheek.
“They’re angels, honestly,” Colleen said, resting her hand on Hoshi’s head.
“And Skylar?” Shiro asked, the little girl lifting her head off his shoulder at hearing her name.
“It took her a while to settle down that day, but nothing ice cream couldn’t fix,” Shiro’s father told him reassuringly.
“You two didn’t doubt that we could handle it, did you?” Sam teased, flashing them the crooked grin that Pidge had inherited.
“Only worried that we would come back to find our children spoiled absolutely rotten,” Pidge teased.
“These babies will never be rotten!” Shiro’s mother declared, brushing her hand through Hikaru’s hair. “Too sweet to be rotten!”
Shiro and Pidge exchanged a look, both trying very hard not to look at Hoshi, who often negated that declaration. Their older daughter was as sweet as chocolate-covered popcorn. Sweet, yes, but underneath she was very, very salty…
Hoshi tugged on Pidge’s shirt. “Mommy, I’m happy you and Daddy are home, but I’m hungry. Can we eat now?”
Pidge chuckled. “Definitely. Daddy and I have eaten nothing but food goo for the past week while Uncle Hunk was in the healing pod for his broken arm.”
“Food goo’s gross,” Hikaru said, wrinkling his nose. “How can Aunt Allura and Uncle Coran eat it all the time?”
“They’re aliens, and it’s alien food, duh,” Hoshi said as they started to walk over to where the food was being laid out.
“But Uncle Keith’s half-alien, and he only eats it if he absolutely has to,” Hikaru argued.
Pidge grabbed Shiro’s hand and he gave her a grin.
There truly was no place like home.