Work Text:
How do you connect with someone you don’t remember? How do you build something that was never there? Keith watches Krolia from the corner of his eyes. She’s a member of the Blades so Keith trusts her in that sense, but beyond that, there’s nothing.
“I know you have questions. You can ask me anything.”
Keith turns his head away, self-conscious at being caught. Instead of asking the millions of questions that are swirling in his head he gets up and curls up next to the small wolf-like pup he rescued. His back is to Krolia. He’s not sure he can face her just yet. Some hurts are still too raw.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
Months have passed and they talk more. He asks a few questions but some he doesn’t have to ask. Some are answered in weird flashes of time and memory. He learns how his mother came to Earth, he learns how hard it was for her to leave him. He even understands to a certain extent why she left, but it still hurts.
Krolia in turn learns about Shiro, how he became sort of a brother figure to Keith when he had nobody, when his life was headed in the wrong direction after his dad died. She learns about the rag-tag group of Garrison kids that managed to find their way to space and become Paladins. She learns about Allura and Coran, the last of their people, their home destroyed and no one but each other and maybe the Paladins. And of course she learns about Lance; loud, boisterous, obnoxious Lance that causes Keith to question his sanity on most days. He’s pretty sure Krolia has figured out the other ways that Lance gets under Keith’s skin if her smirk is anything to go by.
.
.
.
.
.
“And so you told him to ‘leave the math to Pidge’ and then you left your team so he wouldn’t have to give up the red lion?’’
Keith flops back onto the hard ground and runs a hand through his hair, “You didn’t see his face. He was so sure that he wasn’t valuable in anyway, like he thought he was expendable.”
Krolia hums softly, “Do you think you are expendable Keith?”
Keith turns his head but doesn’t move from the ground, “What?”
“Is that why you left to join the Blades? Is it because you felt as if you were expendable, that you were the one with no value?”
Keith turned back and stared at the sky, “No. I wanted to leave because I needed to learn about myself. I was never gonna be the leader that they needed. Shiro was always a better leader than me anyway.”
“I was worried that maybe you left because you were running from your feelings.”
Keith doesn’t answer. Krolia has hit extremely close to the mark and he’s not sure he’s ready to acknowledge how much of an idiot he was for doing that.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
After a year and a half there’s not much that they don’t know about each other. But there is one thing Krolia doesn’t know about Keith ……...until the day she finds out. It’s another one of those weird flashes, this time it’s the past. Keith is sitting in the cockpit of the Galra fighter ship, he hears the voices of his teammates…former teammates…Voltron is not going to make it. Naxela is going to explode. Keith is headed straight towards the Ion Cannon. He sees the moment Krolia realizes his intentions, eyes closed thought focused on saving Voltron….saving Lance.
Even after all this time it’s a memory that still shakes Keith to his core. He emerges from the memory trembling and sweaty. A cold nose presses against him and he grips the soft fur. He hears Krolia’s voice from nearby, “You are not expendable.”
Keith lets out a snarl, “I never said I was.”
Krolia hums, “After all that you told me I don’t think that your fellow Paladins would have taken so kindly to losing you in that manner.”
Keith tries to mask his true feelings but as usual it only comes out as anger, “Well I’m still here so it doesn’t matter.”
Keith tries to stomp off but a soft touch to his wrist has him stopping. He looks to where Krolia is sitting by the fire, “Sometimes the Galra way, or even the way of the Blades is not the right way. Sometimes, we are meant to save each other.”
Keith can’t help the sharp sting of his words, “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Krolia lets out a tired sigh, “It means you are more than a sacrificial lamb, you are an individual who would be missed. You are cared for. Not just by your friends, but I care for you as well.”
This time Keith loses his temper completely, “IF YOU CARED THEN WHERE WERE YOU FOR THE PAST EIGHTEEN YEARS? Where were you when I was sent from one shitty foster home to another? Where were you when I was bullied because my dad died and kids told me that my own mom didn’t want me? Where were you to prove them wrong?”
This time when Keith stomps off Krolia lets him.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
They get past the hurt. It takes time but they heal. There’s even a time when Keith is reunited with his team and he becomes the leader of Voltron when Keith lets Krolia go to help reunite what is left of the Blade of Marmora in the fight against Honerva. The initial surprise of Krolia agreeing to leave with Kolivan catches him off guard, but he hands his blade over, “It’s not goodbye. Thanks for everything you’ve taught me…..mom.”
It’s the first time he’s called her mom.
Before Krolia walks away she steps forward and embraces Keith in a hug, “Keith, I love you.”
Keith leans into the arms of his mom, “I love you too.”
Some nights the hurts are still there. Some nights the doubt tries to worm it’s way back in. On those nights, Keith picks up his phone and listens to the now familiar and comfortable voice of his mom. And each time before they disconnect their call she confirms to him what he needs to hear most, “I love you Keith.”