Archive of Our Own ^beta

Most days Kolivan did not regret joining the military, but this was not one of those days. It had all started because of that quiznaking transfer six phoebs ago. Oh, why did his team have to get assigned to the Earthling pilots. Kolivan was sure his team was being punished for something, or maybe someone was trying to get them to retire. And everyone knew the only way to get Kolivan and his team to retire was nothing short of a life alternating injury. Even then that may not be enough. Nope, the only surefire way for retirement would be on their deathbed.

So, to say Kolivan had not been thrilled about this mission and being unimpressed by the Earth’s pilot skills, was an understatement. He also wanted nothing more than to throttle their young leader, Sanda. He admired that she was a stern and protective leader however, she was unwilling to listen to others. That made her a poor leadership choice and a horrible team mate. Kolivan admitted he did see similarities between himself and the young human but their main difference was that he didn’t get defensive or attack when others tried to control the situation. Because Kolivan knew he wasn’t always the best one to lead in every situation. He trusted his team, she didn’t. So, this led to the two leaders often butting heads for planning missions. It meant an infinite number of long nights for everyone, and left Kolivan’s young teenage daughter unsupervised on multiple occasions.

His daughter Krolia had taken up classes at the Garrison since Kolivan had insisted on her continuing her education. Krolia had been one of the few transfers from space whose parents were also helping the Earthlings in one way or another. Some parents were focusing on advancing communications, healing techniques and knowledge, ship design, while others were just learning more about space in general.

Krolia had been a topic for weeks before she arrived at the school. One, she was new. Two, she came from space. Her classmates had speculated what she would be once they heard the news. There had been so many guesses; Balmeran, Olkari, Altean, while drunk someone had suggested Mer and Bii-Boh-Bi and so many others. So, when they found out she was a Galra who looked more human than any other Galra they had seen before she was the center of attention.

Krolia was not a fan of the spotlight. She was used to a bit of attention when she had to move and change schools when her father got reassigned but this was ridiculous. You would have thought her classmates had never seen a Galra or a girl before with the way they stared at her. She was half tempted to start skipping classes because of the looks. She also started changing up her daily routine to avoid the stares and her stalkers. Which is how she ended up in the training room late at night. The past few nights, there was normally no one else there during the time she picked. Tonight, was different.

Before she even walked into the room, she heard weights going up and down. At first, she didn’t give it much thought, thinking it was probably one of her “Uncles” in there letting off some steam after a meeting. She had heard how none of them cared for Sanda and wished that either Iverson or Holt was in charge since they were easier to get along with. However, she quickly saw it wasn’t one of them. She noticed the cadet uniform jacket casually thrown in the corner over a bench and Krolia quickly became annoyed at the sight of it. It had to belong to one of her many admirers. They must have figured out that she started coming here at night to escape from the gawking. When she looked over at the cadet all she saw was a mop of dark hair. He was bench pressing and he hadn’t even noticed she had walked into the room. She marched over to him and grabbed the weight one handed when he brought it back down and held it there against his throat, “Look I have been harassed by stares all day every day since I got here. This is the one place where I haven’t had to deal with it. So, don’t be one of them or we are going to have a problem, got it?”

At first all Heath saw was a flash of purple. Then he saw the arm and the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes upon. Then he heard her voice which immediately sounded like a siren call to him--he hadn’t even registered her words. He didn’t recognize her at all. But then he remembered hearing about the new transfer student and guessed this was her. He had heard from his roommate that she was in a couple of their classes but he mostly tuned out after that since they went on about the new girl and what they were doing in classes after that. 

Heath wasn’t one for gossip and everyone was talking about the new girl, since she kept to herself and no one really knew her yet. Not that Heath didn’t understand that. She probably didn’t want to get too close to anyone expecting to move again since that was the life of a military brat which he knew from firsthand experience. That also happened to be why he tuned out the classes part. He wasn’t here at the Garrison by choice. Nope, his parents put him here hoping he would follow the family business of being in the military. But that wasn’t for him. He hated the classes here and skipped the majority of them hoping to get kicked out so he could do what he really wanted. He wanted to help save lives and protect people. He wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do yet but he had it narrowed down to either being a fireman, a police officer or maybe a paramedic on the flight trauma team and put those flight skills to an actual good use. Right now was leaning towards being a fireman considering they fought fires and did medical calls.

Before Heath could stop himself the first words to come out of his mouth were “You’re beautiful.”

Krolia gasped in surprise and jumped away from him not expecting that. She nearly dropped the barbell in shock. She knew this man had never seen her because she had caught his scent and he had never been in the same room as her before, she could tell by how faint his smell was when she caught it in her classes. It was like he was almost never there at the school or that they had just missed each other when she came into the room. So, she couldn’t believe he just up and said that out of nowhere especially after she had pretty much just threatened him. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that or him at this moment.

Heath slowly sat up; his brain finally having caught up to him and her words from earlier. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that after you asked to not be bothered. I have no plans to be one of those jerks and I can change when I usually come here if you would like. But, like you said it's quiet and no one to bother you; it's why I come here this late at night. If me being here at the same time as you makes you feel uncomfortable, I can change my routine for as long as you are here. However, if you’re okay with it I can stay on my side, and you on your side and I promise I won’t bother you. I’ll just listen to my music while we both work out.”

Krolia couldn’t detect any deceit in his words and after a few moments she finally replied as she put the bar on the ground “Okay. You can stay.” He nodded and went over to his bag to grab his headphones and then went  back to working out; staying true to his word and leaving her alone. Which left Krolia being the one to occasionally look in his direction and gaze at him for a few moments as he worked out.

That became their routine over the next few days. Either Krolia or Heath would arrive at the gym first and they both would stay on their side of the room. They wouldn’t talk to one another other than a comment every now and then asking if the other was done using a certain piece of equipment, asking if the other needed water or a towel or making a comment on the others form or asking if they needed a spotter. So, the room was relatively quiet, the only real noise coming from the lifting of weights; leaving the teenage mind and eyes to wonder a bit. Which were usually Krolia’s eyes on the human.

She had to admit he had a lovely build. He was tall for a human and she was fairly sure he was going to get taller since he wasn’t fully grown yet. He also had a nice amount of muscle mass that he was building and she could tell he was pushing himself to get stronger. His face was very handsome and so far he appeared to a gentleman. Which is what prompted her to finally approach his side of the room and use the weight machine next to him. When he took his headphone out of one ear thinking perhaps, she might need something since he noticed she was looking at him. She finally asked “What’s your name?”

Heath was a little surprised at her question considering she had wanted to be left alone. But on the other hand, he should have seen it coming since neither of them appeared to be giving up their nightly gym routine. It made sense wanting to know the name of the person you would be sharing it with instead of having to say ‘hey you’ all the time whenever they had to speak to one another.

“It’s Heath Kogane, miss?”

“Krolia.”

He nodded and puts the weight down and held his hand out to her “Pleasure to meet you Krolia.” He said with a smile. She grasped him at the elbow instead of his taking his hand, doing the Galra form of hello and smiled at him “The pleasure is all mine Heath Kogane.”

“So how often have you had to move around due to your dad’s transfers?” She raised an eyebrow at his inquiry wondering why he started with that “I can tell you’re used to it like me.” She was a bit surprised at that “So you’re also what’s the word-”

“Military brat.” He finished for her, “thank you”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled and nods “Yes I am. Have been all my life. Moved around more times than I can count.”

She nodded “I’m the same way. But I don’t mind it. I actually want to join when I get older. My father doesn’t care if I do or I don’t; he just wants me to be happy.” 

He felt a little bit jealous of her since her father just wanted her to be happy and do what she was passionate about. She didn’t have her father trying to plan her entire life future for her like his parents were actively seeking to do for him, “I wish my parents were like that. They want me to join the family business . The military isn’t for me.”

She was intrigued. He had a similar upbringing but he wanted a different path. She scooted closer to him wanting to hear more “Can I ask why?”

He shrugged, “I normally don’t mind the moving around but I want something stable and secure for my kids’ lifes. I don’t want them to have be uprooted after so many weeks or even years after they just got comfortable and then have to say goodbye to all their friends, just to have the cycle repeat itself all over again for as long as I serve. I also want to help people. I know being in the military would let me do that. But, there’s more immediate life-threatening events here at home too, that people need to be saved from and that’s what I want to focus on. I know sometimes those might take me away from my family but I would be here for them a lot more than I would be in the military. I’m a rule breaker too and would mostly like get a dishonorable discharge quickly. Sometimes the rules need to be broken to help people and we have to act now instead of waiting for permission.”

As she listened to him speak, she could understand where he was coming from. “So, I’m guessing that’s why you are never in class and being here in the gym is helping you for what you wish to do.” 

He nodded “Yes ma’am. This is helping me build up my strength and stamina because I will need both for all of the things I may do in my future career. An example being as carrying people for a fair distance to get them to safety. And I don’t skip all my classes. I go to the ones I might need and ones that are useful for both the job and just good skills to have. Mechanics for example is useful for work and personal use. I used that class to help me fix my hoverbike recently.” 

Krolia’s eyes shined at the word hoverbike. “I’ve heard about your hoverbikes here but I have never seen one before.”

He looks at her “Really? Well if you would like we could meet after dinner tomorrow and I could show you mine.” 

She grabbed his hand excitedly “I would like that.” He can’t help but smile “It’s a date then.”

“Date?” 

Heath mentally kicked himself for his poor word choice. “Ah, sorry it’s what we say here when we agree to make plans. It’s not an actual date date.”

“Ah, I see.” She answered in understanding “Well I am looking forward to our ‘date’ then.” 

He smiled at her and they continued the rest of their work out talking and getting to know each other. Before they left, they exchanged numbers with both already excited for tomorrow to come.

In fact, Krolia was so excited that once she got back, she actually went to go pick out an outfit for the next day. She knew without a doubt she was going to end up flying the hoverbike tomorrow one way or another and she had to pick the right outfit for flying in this desert area. She knew she could always wear the typical pilot suit but that would be boring. She wanted something fun and different. And well she figured she would change what was her norm to wear. She hadn’t worn any Earthling clothes since she had been here and figured there was a first time for everything. She rummaged through the back of her closet for the clothes she had gotten from one of her fellow Galra friends, Regris, before she moved here. He was around Krolia’s age and his parents where in the military but not in the same unit as her father. Despite that fact he was around in abundance because he was Antok’s nephew and he loved spending time with him. Which in turn lead to him spending time with Krolia and them becoming friends and getting into hijinks together.  

Krolia finally found what she was looking for and pulled out two outfits from the Earth store in the mall back home. One was a red tank top with a black leather jacket and black jeans. The other was a blank tank top with a red jacket that had some white and yellow in it--it could kinda pass as a racing jacket with blue jeans. She decided on a pair of black boots for both. She tried on both outfits and liked the black jacket and red tank combo better on her plus she had heard black leather jackets went with bike riding so she decided on that combo. She also knew she wouldn’t need any goggles that she had seen most humans wear because her Galra genes shielded her eyes from stuff like that. She figured she would change after classes finished tomorrow. Mostly, because she didn’t want everyone staring at her for wearing human attire and two, she didn’t want the ‘WHAT THE QUIZNAK ARE YOU WEARING’ yell form her father first thing in the morning. 

Yes, the clothes did cover her up but that wasn’t the issue here. It was that they were human clothes. She knew her father wasn’t thrilled about being here on Earth and couldn’t wait to leave this planet. Although, she chalked it up to having to work with Sanda. She was willing to bet all the GAC she had that if someone else was in charge he wouldn’t mind it so much. And she also knew if he saw her in human clothes, he would immediately jump to conclusions thinking she liked someone and would want to kill him immediately. That was something she would like to avoid at all costs. She didn’t want her father scaring off probably the only decent person in this entire school who was fast on their way to being someone she saw as a friend.

Yes it was definitely best to wait till after classes were done with for the day before wearing this, she figured her father would have another meeting that ran late. Again. She didn’t mind. She didn’t have a problem with being alone and she knew how to stay busy. So Krolia, put the outfit up for now but within easy reach for when she would need it tomorrow and went to bed with a smile on her face that night.

Krolia had a bit of an easier time making it through class that day since her mind was a bit occupied helping her ignore the stares she still got. It also helped that she had her focus on her communicator through the majority of the day. Her and Heath had been texting back and forth all day. Heath had been asking her if there was somewhere specific she wanted to go or see on Earth so far. Krolia admitted that she really didn’t have much desire to see the city. She wanted to learn more about nature and he quickly agreed with her request. She also requested he show her more of the Garrison and a few of his favorite places here as well and a few other spots she wanted to see. Mostly because she knew she hadn’t seen everything at the school yet and you never know when you might need an escape from unwanted attention. He agreed to that request as well. 

Heath may hate this place but he didn’t want her getting lost and if she was up for it, maybe they could even pull a couple of pranks. He thought she might be the type of person that might enjoy that. And that’s how their day quickly passed by. Making plans for the day and future days to come and before either of them knew it was almost time for their ‘date.’

Krolia changed without being caught by her father just like she had predicted and made her way to the dining hall. She ignored the stares as she got her food and closed her eyes for a moment to locate Heath. She had started her quintessence training recently and wanted to see if she could find him that way. It took a couple of doboshes for her, but she smirked when she found him and made her way over to him.  

Heath smiled at her when he saw her “I was just about to walk over to you, guess you found me first.” Heath then noticed her clothes and couldn’t help but smile some more “Red and black looks good on you. Hate that you have to deal with that horrible uniform while here.” 

She was a bit surprised at his words but then she remembered he actually doesn’t go to her classes they share  “I actually got out of it somehow. My guess is that they didn’t have one in my size or my dad made them too afraid to try and even give me one.” 

He laughed “Nice. You’re lucky I hate that god awful orange.” 

She nodded “It is pretty hideous.” 

They both smiled and sat down together. As they ate and made some small talk and laughed at what the other one said they completely ignored everyone’s stares that stayed on them until they left together. They were definitely going to be talked about the rest of the week by their fellow classmates and wondering how they met since just about everyone knew Kogane never showed up to class.

Heath and Krolia made it out to where Heath’s hoverbike was and he uncovered it “Krolia meet Old Red. She’s an older model but a classic. Someone I knew was going to throw her away since she didn’t work anymore but she just needed a little TLC. And she works like a charm now” He commented while running his hand over the bike. 

“She gorgeous,” Krolia replied excitedly and quickly asked Heath questions about his bike like how fast she could go, what year she was, what type of engine she had and so many other questions. Which he answered each one with as much enthusiasm. 

“So, have you tried cliff jumping with her?” 

Heath can’t help but grin at her question “I knew I liked you for a reason. And yes, I have. If you want after you get the hang of flying her you can do it too. I can teach you if you don’t already know.” 

She smirked “Smart man knowing I was going to end up flying her.” 

He laughed and countered, “I’m sure you would have twisted my arm and took the keys from me if I didn’t let you.” Both of them laughed at that. He smiled at her again “How about you fly later? I know you want to see around here first.” He suggested and Krolia smiled 

“I would like that.” They both got on the bike. Heath put on a helmet and offered one to her as well much to Krolia’s surprise. Since, he said he was a rule breaker but she also recalled what he wanted to do. So, in that way it did make sense. He would be concerned about their safety for head injuries and so she took it. After both of them had their helmets on and Krolia had her arms wrapped around him they took off in a cloud of dust.

The world flew by them and with how fast they were going a normal person would miss a lot of details but not Krolia. She took in the sights around her enjoying it. She was able to see the coyotes, armadillos and even the smaller animals; such as snakes, scorpions and lizards. And though there wasn’t any massive vegetation to look at in this part of the desert to view Krolia enjoyed it all the same. While she was looking around, she saw danger up ahead--which happened to be an abandoned car in the middle of the dirt road--thinking Heath couldn’t see it since they took a sharp turn that would’ve obstructed the view of most humans . As she was about to warn him, he jumped over it. 

“Is that usually there?” 

He shook his head “No. First time I have seen it there. Must have happened recently.” 

She smirked, “Good eye. Almost everyone would have missed that.” 

He was unable to halt the blush at her praise and was grateful his back was to her so she couldn’t see it--the helmet didn’t hurt either.

They ride for a little longer before Heath starts to slow down and eventually stops. He took off his helmet and then got off bike. After Krolia had taken hers off he held his hand out to her to help her up. She took it with a smile on her face and they walked next to each other. 

“This is my favorite hiking spot. I know it could be dangerous here on my own if I got hurt but I love how tranquil it is. Nothing and no one for miles. Just me and nature. It’s a great place to think or just to forget about life’s problems for a while. I camped out here once and before I knew it a month had passed by.” He laughed as he bashfully rubbed the back of his neck “they had to send a search party out for me.”

Krolia chuckled “I can see it from what you have told me about yourself so far. You seem at home here. Like you’re at peace.” 

He nodded “I know most people would call me crazy but being here out in nature, away from the city lights and noise, but it feels right. Out here I’m reminded of just how vast the world and the universe is. I know it doesn’t mean much coming from me since you have actually seen it. But, being here makes me think of all the people out there. And how many are right here in this very town that I currently call home and what I can try to do to protect them while I am able to.” He was silent for a few moments as he looked out at the landscape and then up at the stars, “My family may not be here for me to protect but I can protect others. Families that are just about to lose everything or try to console them when they have lost their whole world. Be it their memories or a loved one. And I would die trying to help them. I may not be legally able to do it yet but that’s why I am trying to get my body ready for when I can. One more year before I can officially join the first responders and help like I want to. Or at least volunteer and work my way up till they deem me ready to join them.”

She looked at him in awe. Heath had the heart and the spirit of a Galra warrior. He cared and loved fiercely and was willing to sacrifice everything for people he didn’t even know and didn’t expect anything in return. Not even a thank you. She knew not many were like that, no matter what you were or where you were from. He was a rare find. “You’re one of a kind Heath Kogane,” she whispered softly. “I could search this entire galaxy and not find another like you.” 

He rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed while blushing and tried to laugh it off “Oh I’m sure that’s not true Krolia. The universe is immense, I am sure you could find another soul like me.” She let it go not wanting to embarrass him more--and she had a feeling Heath didn’t see his true worth. She knew she didn’t know him that well yet but just from their interactions so far she could tell he had a pure and honest heart. He was kind and caring, willing to put others before himself no matter what the cost. Do whatever it took to make others feel at ease. He was bashful and she was willing to bet he had a playful and mischievous side she had yet to see.

Heath quickly changed the subject, “So do you want to try taking her for a spin yet?”

She grabbed a helmet and smirked at him “Thank you can handle it?” 

He grinned at her “Bring it holang-i.”

“Holang-i?”

 “Oh, sorry it’s the Korean word for tiger. I was trying to wrack my brain for the Galra word but I was coming up blank, so I used the Korean one instead. I may originally be a boy from Texas but my family made sure I knew about where my ancestors came from. The culture and the history even though Earth today is mostly just one people. “

“Ah, I see. I don’t think we have a word for that yet. I also think it’s an important lesson from your parents. We should know where our ancestors came from and learn from the past,” she remarked as they put their helmets back on and then got on with Heath behind her this time.

She didn’t want to admit it but she liked his arms wrapped around her. She mentally shook those thoughts from her head and revved up the bike. She couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face as she felt the bike come to life underneath her. She was unable to explain why but she got a thrill every time she learned or piloted something new.

Krolia tested the engine of Old Red just to see how fast she could go. Krolia was such a natural at flying her you would have thought she had been flying hoverbikes for years instead of this being her first time. And before Heath even realized it, they were jumping off a cliff. He tightened his arms on Krolia more out of surprise then anything else not expecting it so soon. Nonetheless, he trusted her. So, he loosened his hold while they were still airborne.

Krolia noticed that but didn’t comment on it since she was focusing on getting the timing right for pulling upwards. Still, she was touched by the trust he showed her by going back to his original hold on her. It brought a smile to her face as she pulled upwards and they stuck the landing. Krolia continued driving for a bit only stopping when she figured Heath might have to stretch his legs a bit. She stopped by where there was lots of caverns and rock formations. She took her helmet off and shook her helmet hair out. 

“I thought we could go walk a bit.” 

He took his helmet off and smiled at her “I would like that. I also heard there’s supposed to be a meteor shower about midnight tonight pretty sure we are close to that time. If we head north, we can get a better view of it and still be close to the bike.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she responded as they both got off the bike and then headed in that direction. 

They walked side by side in silence for a couple of moments before Heath asked her “So Krolia, why do you want to join the military if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Much like you I want to defend the ones that can’t protect themselves. I also want to be able to defend those that have sheltered me. Like you my father is in the military and he is my only blood relative left. However, his team is also my family.” She chuckled “All of them are too stubborn to leave on their own. Only way to get my dad and uncles as I call them to retire is a one-way trip to the quintessence field. I also believe the military can help me grow not only as a person but in my skills and abilities as well. I know I can learn a lot while there. It’s been my home and family for as long as I can remember. I know some would argue I just feel a sense of loyalty to them but it’s so much more than that. Right now, it’s where I feel like I belong.” 

He nodded in understanding completely getting where she was coming from. “You’re loyal and protective of your loved ones. I have heard how pure and fiercely the Galra love and just seeing the fire in your eyes and voice now I know how true that is.” He remarked with a smile that caused her to faintly blush.

Heath had missed it since his attention was elsewhere at the moment. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing and walked closer over to a certain spot to make sure it was actually there. “Krolia come here you have got to see this.” 

She walked over to him curious “What is it?” she inquired while crouching down. “Flowers but it's uncommon for desert flowers to grow in this area since there’s really no grass here and the shade from the rock formations don’t help.” He frowned “It almost looks like a combination of a purple mat and a desert rose. I wonder if someone once lived close to here and planted a desert rose nearby. Or the seeds from each plant could have come off a truck or something and the flowers grew over time. Either way it looks like somehow nature combined the two plants together to make this rare young beautiful find.” He picked a flower just as the meteor shower started and gently tucked it in her hair with a smile on his face causing Krolia to have a deeper blush than beforehand.

It took just about everything Krolia had in her to not kiss him then and there as she saw the stars reflected in his eyes. She was in deep trouble. He wasn’t wrong when he said how fiercely the Galra loved. When a Galra fell in love there was nothing more powerful nor purer in the entire galaxy. Some would say it was extreme but they couldn’t help it, it’s how they were. Love and loyalty were more important to them than anything and they would burn the Galaxy down for it. It was how the great war got started all those centuries ago. To try to protect the ones they loved even at the very cost of their soul. And right now, Krolia was on the fast track for falling for him hard; but the rational part of her brain was screaming at her not to. She knew she wasn’t going to be here long and that they had to be friends first before they became lovers. However, her heart and instincts didn’t care. They were saying this was the one. This is the one I need and want. He is the other half my soul she has been looking for.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on who you asked the moment was broken by Heath’s communicator going off. He frowned “Sorry I thought I turned it off. Do you mind?” 

She shook her head “No, go ahead it could be important.” 

He dug the communicator out of his pockets and rolled his eyes “It's just my roommate asking where I am and reminding me it’s still a school night and about the patrols…I guess we better start heading back I don’t want you getting into any more trouble with your dad than you will already be... We will probably end up getting back to our rooms at two if we leave now just because of how far out we are. Sorry Krolia, I forget it’s a school night and unlike me you actually go to class.” 

She laughed “I will be lucky if my dad gets back by then. You won't believe how late his meetings run.” 

He nodded and held his hand out to her “Guess I better not push our luck then and get you back.” She nodded and didn’t let go of his hand as they walked back to the bike together.

The ride back to the Garrison went by quicker than expected and before Krolia knew it they were sneaking back onto campus, getting past the patrols as they parked the bike and covered it up. Then Heath was escorting her to the building she was staying in before they parted ways, he wished her a good night and pleasant dreams. Krolia quickly and quietly made it to her room. However, it was unnecessary since she was correct about her father not being home yet, and having no idea she had been out this late which worked wonders for her. She quickly got ready for bed and fell asleep with a smile on her face as she looked forward to tomorrow.

At the same time Krolia was getting into bed Heath had made it back to his room where his roommate was surprisingly still up and ready to pounce on him with a million questions. “So how did you and the new girl meet? How did you get her to agree to go out with you? How did you ‘mister no show’ score big with ultra-hot Galra babe from space!?” Heath frowned not liking these questions at all. His roommate was treating Krolia like nothing more than a prize to be won. She was her own person and had a right to her privacy. He didn’t think them being seen together like that at dinner would make things worse for her. He had actually hoped those stares would stop if they saw her making friends with someone, but he should have realized it wouldn’t be the case if it was him. After all, he was a no show when it came to class and it would raise a lot of questions around here.

“Okay first off her name is Krolia. Secondly how we met is no one’s business. Both she and I have a right to our own privacy and if we want to tell people how we met we will. And thirdly I didn’t score anything we are just friends. She could use a friend around here, instead of being stared at twenty-four seven.” 

His roommate rolled his eyes “Yea right. Just friends don’t hang out till two am.”

“We do.” He countered as his roommate waved his hand in the air dismissively. 

“That’s different. I’m not the new mysterious hot girl everyone wants. Who is hanging out with the actual best student here if he applied himself. Who has become known as the bad boy around here since he’s always getting in trouble for pranks, breaking the rules and skipping classes.” 

Heath had to resist the urge to both facepalm and roll his eyes “I’m going to bed now.” He commented as he continued to ignore his roommates’ comments and jibes at him to get him to talk about him and Krolia.

The next morning Heath woke up way too early for his liking from a loud banging noise. At first, he thought it was his roommate and with his eyes still closed he grabbed a shoe from under his bed and got ready to throw it at him until he realized something. The banging was coming from the other side of the door. And it wasn’t a banging it was more of a knocking. With a groan Heath reluctantly opened his eyes and saw the time said just before seven am. He got up and out of bed and opened the door to see who was knocking on his door at this hour. He blinked in surprise when he saw who it was “Krolia? What? How did you even know where my room was?” He asked as his still half-asleep brain tried to wake up having a feeling it wouldn’t be going back to sleep any time soon.

She grinned at him, “If you make it through all of your classes today, maybe I will tell you how I found your room. Besides, if I have to suffer through all the gawking and talk today so do you. Consider this training for when you have to get up in the middle of the night with little to no sleep and have to be up for hours afterwards.” 

He stared at her for a dobosh to contemplate this. She did have a point the gazes and gossip were going to be worse today because of them being seen eating and leaving together last and it wasn’t fair for her to go through that alone. He was also curious how she found his room since he didn’t tell her where it was. And he seriously doubted she asked anyone just because how everyone had been around her and she also was right about this being a good practice run for the future. 

“You drive a hard bargain Krolia but buy me a cup of coffee and we got a deal.” 

She smirked in victory and holds her hand out to him “Deal.” 

They shaked on it and when he pulled away, he said “Give me ten doboshes to get ready.” She nodded as he closed the door and came out exactly ten doboshes later as promised dressed with his bag for class and they head out for the day walking to class together. They had spent descent of the day together since when Heath actually did show up to class over half of their classes were together. His scent had just came off as weak in those rooms since he hadn’t been to them in weeks because to him they were pointless. 

The two of them usually had a chance to see each other for the few classes that weren’t together. Since they were either close by or one of them was either exiting from the previous class as one was entering for the current one. Shockingly Heath had made it through every single class today much to the amazement of all his teachers and fellow classmates.

Krolia walked over to Heath with a grin on her face after the last class ended “So how was your day?” 

His only response was “ugh” which caused Krolia to laugh. “Oh, come on it couldn’t have been that bad.” She teased as they walked beside one another to the dining room. 

“Not sure if people kept their gaze on me out of shock because I actually showed up for once or because they were trying to compute how we know one another. Also, the lectures were practically useless too… Besides my usual classes I go to the only bright side to this day was seeing you toss the weapons master on his ass in the gym.” He smirked at the memory. “I can’t quiznaking stand him. Doesn’t help that he’s friends with my old man. I swear he signals me out for exercises as a punishment for ‘wasting my potential’ or just to do it since my dad’s not here to scold me for skipping my classes. Jokes on him though, because I do more in my training alone.” 

She nodded agreement, “Yes you do. Actually, I have been meaning to ask you something?” He looked at her curiously “What do you think of trying one of my workout routines? It could do you good to change things up a bit to build up different strengths and to overcome a new challenge.” He grinned at her “I would love too. How about we start this Monday so that way it gives you a few days to plan it out?”

She grinned back and said “It’s a date.” The response caused him to laugh a little loudly and a few heads turned their way as the pair got their food and sat down. After a few bites Heath finally asked “So are you going to tell me how you found my room this morning?”

“Oh that,” She said nonchalantly as she ate “I just used my training in quintessence to find you.” He raised an eyebrow a bit confused “How does that work?” 

She put her fork down “Well I’m no expert in it myself yet. I’m still learning so I will try my best to explain.” He nodded and at that she continued “I don’t know how much you know about quintessence from what they have taught you here but essentially quintessence is life in all things. It’s energy that we all share and possess. The stars, the planets, animals, metal, everything. It's what connects us all to each other and makes us all related somehow someway no matter how different we may appear to each other. We each have our own unique energy signature and if you focus enough you can find who or what you are looking for close by or a great distance away. You can also have an object appear in your hand if you will it. I am not quite at that point yet, but I can sense within what’s considered a Earth three-mile radius. It's how I found you yesterday and this morning.”

He looked at her in wonder “Wow, Krolia that is amazing.” He whispered softly and if it wasn’t for her enhanced hearing, she wouldn’t have heard him. “I wish we were taught things like that.” He was quiet for a moment before he inquired unable to keep the hope out of his voice, “Do you think you could teach me?” 

She was a bit surprised at his question but she couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on her face “Well like I said I’m still a novice myself but I can try.” 

He smiled back at her “That’s all I ask.”

And that’s how the next three phoebs passed them by. Heath and Krolia spending just about every waking moment together. They started off their mornings with Krolia dragging Heath to class and sitting next to each other in the classes they had together, doing their homework together, training together, even pulling some pranks together and of course exercising together. Then before either of them knew it their nondates had in fact became date dates. They had become the talk of the grapevine throughout the school so much that even the enlisted soldiers and transfers had heard of them. Which meant Kolivan heard of them. And the first thing daddy dearest heard about was their sparring matches in gym were practically mating dances with how they fought! To say the least Kolivan wanted nothing more than to string the boy up on the flight deck. But he knew he couldn’t do that because he was a visitor and he didn’t want to think of what Krolia would do if he did that.

So, to say the least Krolia had a not so pleasant surprise waiting for her when she returned at midnight on a school night. After she closed the door behind her and locked it Kolivan turned on the lamp and the light from it caused him to look menacing with a stoic mask on his face. “Hello Krolia.” 

Seeing that light and hearing her father’s voice caused her to jump out of her skin. She had not expected him home this early. She figured he would be back at one or two, or hell  even three in the morning if not later which was the norm for most nights here. 

“F-father,” she said as she tried not to break out in a cold sweat as he eyed her clothes up and down. She was wearing the red jacket with white and yellow in it which she had taken to wearing most days with some kind of black to go with it since Heath loved her in that color scheme. Today she was wearing the black tank top that she had considered for her first ‘date’ with Heath but she was also wearing black jeans, a black choker necklace and black boots as well. “You’re home awfully late on a school night.”

She knew she could consider a number of options here. One being the obvious lies she could go with such as working on school project, hanging out with friends, working out was not a choice because of her wardrobe. Or she could go with the truth which she had a gut-wrenching feeling that he already knew about. 

“We need to talk.” Was all he said and she knew better than to argue from past experience. So, she just walked over to him and sat in the chair across from him and waited. She tried her best not to squirm as the doboshes ticked by and the silence continued. The silence was so much worse than him yelling or just talking and she was sure he knew it.

It was finally broken by Kolivan just before Krolia cracked “I know.” She knew she could play the denial card however that would only make things worse in the long run. And before she got a chance to say anything, he continued “Krolia you can’t be with him.” He held his hand up for silence as soon as she opened her mouth “I’m not saying that because he’s human. I’m saying it so neither of you get hurt. You know as well as I that we can’t stay. My team is almost done here and before we know it will be somewhere else. It’s very likely that we’ll end up in another galaxy. You will be gone and he will be here. There’s a close to zero probability that you two will ever see one another again from what I heard of this human and what your plans are for the future. You still want to go in the military, don’t you?”

Did she? Now she wasn’t quite sure what she had always wanted was still the same anymore. She felt like she belonged with Heath just like she did with her family. She may not know the answer to that question at this point in time but she did know this “I love him.”

A loud crunching noise could be heard from how tightly Kolivan gripped the arms of the chair; this was not what he had wanted to hear. “Krolia, you have barely begun to live. There’s still so much out there and so many people you have not yet met. I know it feels like true love now and not what the humans call puppy love but you barely know this boy. It's only been a few pheobs if that.” 

She growls at him with fire in her eyes “And how long was it before you fell in love with my mother?” He opened his mouth to retort but she cut him off with a snap. “Don’t you dare tell me that was different because you were older. I know how it was only a few vargas until you fell in love with her.” She said with her arms crossed. “This is not an infatuation father. You know how when we fall in love we fall hard and fast. It's beyond our control.”

Kolivan was quiet for a few moments before he asked “Did you even try to fight against it knowing we would have to go soon?” 

She thinks for a dobosh “I think I was in love with him before I even thought of trying to stop myself.” 

He sighed “And the cost to both of you will be high when we finally leave. I was hoping this would cause you as little as pain as possible but it can’t be helped now. We leave in a movement for the next transfer.” 

She stood abruptly “WHAT SO SOON?!” She shrieked in dismay causing him to sigh. 

“Krolia, you know as well as I that my team can be transferred whenever and wherever because of the type of task force we are and are lucky if we have advance notice. I’m a bit surprised we stayed this long, it’ll be four Earth months soon… At least you will have a chance to say goodbye before you leave.” He stood up “By the way you’re grounded as well and I will be able to make sure you meet curfew young lady. My long night meetings are done with here. I only have minor things left to handle before we leave.” He commented as he headed to his room “Goodnight.” The door closed behind him and all Krolia could do was stare in its wake.

She couldn’t believe it. She was leaving in a movement. A movement! That wasn’t enough time! She wasn’t ready to go! She balled her hands up into a tight fist, her claws giving a slight sting to her toughened skin as they dug in. She was furious and dejected. Furious that her father would even suggest that this was shallow infatuation and that he would cut her time with Heath even more so by grounding her. She was dejected because she was already morning the loss of Heath and just imagining the heartbreak on his face as she told him the news. They both knew this could happen at anytime but it was a lot sooner than either of them had expected. She planned on finding ways to help keep their relationship going but she knew video chats could only do so much for long distance relationships. Especially, if you got used to spending every waking moment together after so many phoebs like they had.

This depression was not helping Krolia come up with a plan but she did know one thing for sure and that was not giving up her Heath no matter what. She didn’t care how far away she got sent she would find a way to get back to him. She wasn’t above stealing a ship and hotwiring it if need be.

Which in fact was what Krolia ended up doing on multiple occasions over the course of two phoebes. While grounded, she had ended up traveling across half the galaxy back to her Heath with her father unable to stop her. Now said father was currently standing in the kitchen while tightly gripping a note in his hand and regretting the day he joined the military all those deca-phoebs ago. While also damning that transfer from six phoebs ago to hell and back.

Krolia had left a note for him saying she was pregnant and was not coming back this time. She was staying on Earth so her and Heath could be a family together with their kit. The note explained how she had been nervous about telling Heath the news but he had been ecstatic but also scared as well. One because of Kolivan when he found out--‘smart human’ he thought as he came across that part--and secondly because parenthood. That itself said enough. It also talked about how Heath had been waiting to do this and though it wasn’t his ideal way he had asked Krolia to marry him. He had shown her that he had a ring with him and that he had been wanting to do this for a while. He said he knew it was pretty crazy because of how young they were and despite the fact they hadn’t been together long but he knew she was the one for him. He knew he would never ever find another female like her ever again. The letter also talked about how Krolia was what Heath was looking for and he didn’t even realize it till he met her. Lastly the note ended with Krolia stating that she would like her father to be part of the kit’s life but she said she would understand if he wouldn’t be able to.

That part right there hurt the most. Her thinking he wouldn’t be able to get past this. That he couldn’t forgive her for being a teenage mother. It was nowhere near ideal or what he wanted for her especially with how difficult it was being parents that young but at least she wouldn’t be alone in this. The human had stepped up and was going to be there to support her which Kolivan was grateful for. Since he knew his daughter had needed that after she found out and felt like she couldn’t come to him with this. She would have been unable to bear the disappointment and fury she thought she was sure to see on his face. Which she would have been dead wrong about. She wouldn’t have seen either of those. Though Kolivan was nowhere near thrilled about this at all, Krolia would have seen nothing but worry and concern for her as he held her in his arms.

He knew it took two to tango and he knew he was also partially to blame in this. He hadn’t been there when he should have. He hadn’t been the father he was supposed to be, since he was more focused on work than family at the time. He had forgotten his daughter was still just a teenager despite how much older she may act at times and was normally responsible. He had also forgotten what it was like to be young and in love after so many deca-phoebs since he and his mate had Krolia much later in life before he lost her. He had forgotten just how quickly and deeply a young Galra fell in love and how near impossible it was to fall out of love.  

Kolivan ended up just standing there in in that very room for vargas on end. He had been thinking back on his kit over the deca-phoebs while mourning the loss of her no longer truly being a kit anymore. He had been there so long that his teammates got worried about him since he wasn’t answering any of their calls and they came to check on him. They tried calling out to him and had no such luck getting his attention. He only snapped out of his reverie when Antok placed his hand on his shoulder. Kolivan had turned to look at him only just now noticing him and the others being there, 

“I need to take some leave.” None of them bothered to hide their astonishment and before they could even ask, he replied “Krolia is having a kit.”

There was nothing but dead silence after that bombshell. They couldn’t believe it. The responsible Krolia whom they all saw as their own kit was having her own. “She’s also going to marry the father…” Kolivan commented going ahead and dropping the second bomb. You could practically hear the screeching of brakes coming from their brains as they tried to process that information. None of this computed to them and if they felt like this, they couldn’t even begin to imagine what Kolivan was going through right now.

The first one to recover from the revelation was Thace “…When?”

“I don’t know but I am going to Earth to find out… I need to be there for her. And as much as I want to throttle the human I can’t. He’s not abandoning her or the kit…He also seems to be as crazy about her as she is him..The human already had a ring….However, if he does leave her I’ll kill him myself and make it impossible for them to ever find the body and never prove I did it.” He said with a menacing growl.

“You mean we,” Antok commented 

“He’s right,” Ulaz quickly agreed causing a small smile to come across Kolivan’s face from his team and his family’s support in this. “Let’s go see our girl.”

Roughly one week later on Earth time in a little apartment Heath was singing ‘Love Like Crazy’ by Lee Brice to Krolia’s belly as he gently rubbed it with a goofy smile on his face as they sat on the couch together. 

Krolia laughed at him “You and your country music,” she teased as he grinned at her 

“Texas boy and the kit loves it. Don’t you little one?” he asked as he gently nuzzled her belly causing her to laugh some more as a loud knock on their door made both of them look towards it. 

“Are we expecting anyone?” he asked while grabbing a weapon just incase wanting to protect his family. 

“No,” she commented while frowning. 

He goes to check who it is “Ah Krolia, your dad has a long braid and one of your uncles has a tail right?” 

Her eyes widen and she quickly stands up to protect Heath thinking they were here to kill him “DON’T OPEN THE DOOR!” But it was too late, it was already open. 

“Guessing you found us by quintessence sensing correct?” He asked while putting the weapon away.

Kolivan’s eyes widen in surprise that the human even would know about that and none of them missed the weapon as well. “Do you think that’s wise boy to put that away in the face of four Galra soldiers?” 

Without missing a beat, he replied “You won’t harm Krolia. That’s all that matters to me.” He stepped aside for them “Would you like to come in?” All four of them came in assessing the home as Heath walked back over to Krolia and wrapped his arms around her with his hands resting on her belly. “Sorry, we don’t have much to offer you; but it’s just temporary till we can save enough money, that’s not meant for the baby or build the home we want while getting the loan from the bank as well.”

“Not the wedding?” Ulaz inquired.

 “Not right now anyway. We discussed it and we agreed upon a courthouse wedding for now and talked how in a few deca-phoebs we could renew our vows and give Krolia her dream wedding. Right now, we agreed the baby and the home are more important.”

“How are you acquiring money?” Kolivan tried to keep his voice undemanding for answer but he needed to know how his daughter was being supported 

“DAD!” Krolia gave an outraged cry while trying not to blush. 

Heath put a calming hand on her shoulder “It's alright Krolia he has every right to be concerned. I am actually currently working a couple of jobs. I’m doing some time at the mechanic shop and right now I have a part time job at the fire department. A friend of mine was able to pull some strings to get me in since I can’t officially be full time yet. I am also going to do whatever odd jobs I need to, to make sure Krolia and the kit don’t go without.” 

She leaned into his touch and whispered softly, “You already are with picking up the landscaping job and the other part time at the gym.” 

He rested his head against hers “Anything for the both of you. I need to build the best home I can.”

“You’re building it yourself?” Antok was astonished. Heath looked back over at them “When I was fifteen and sixteen, I had summer construction jobs when I went to go stay with one of my uncles for the summer. I learned quite a bit about making homes those two years.”

“Does your family know about you two?” Thace asked causing an awkward moment of silence as Heath tried to figure out how to best phrase this.

“I don’t know what Krolia has told you about me Sir,”he started while looking directly at Kolivan “but my family is also in the military. They wanted me to be enlisted as well but that’s not what I wanted for multiple reasons. My family has never been around much and well,” he sighed “they have money but I have never once in my life depended on it or their help except when I was forced into those military academies, they enrolled me in. They do know about us and they don’t want anything to do with Krolia, the kit, or me. They see this as me throwing my future away but if they knew me at all then they would have known I was always going to end up walking along this path to begin with.” He held Krolia’s hand “Krolia is my true family and she will always will be along with our kit and how many more we are lucky to have.”

Kolivan silently assessed Heath. He had a strong and fiery demeanor in his eyes and when he spoke of the Krolia and the kit he got a soft glow about him. He also could tell the human was determined to do whatever it took to provide for them and was proving it by having multiple jobs already. He was unafraid in the face of the extremely likely possibility of his immediate death from the four Galra soldiers sitting across from him that could easily kill him at a moment’s notice if they wished. And despite his youth he seemed fairly mature for his age. He could begrudgingly begin to understand how his daughter fell for him. He had a pure and kind heart, he also had a warrior’s strength, was unafraid of working for what he had and was honest about who he was.

Kolivan sighed “Where, when and how do you want your wedding? Also, what do you need to help build this home of yours? Lastly give me a list of what you have bought for the kit so far and we can go from there.” 

Both teens stared at him flabbergasted “Wait, what?” As their brains processed what Kolivan had said, positive they had misheard him. 

He smirked at the look of shock on their faces “I asked what do you want for your wedding?”

“I-I thought-“ Krolia had started but was unable to finish that sentence due to the tears running down her face. Kolivan walked over to her and hugs her tightly as he nuzzles his kit. 

“You thought wrong kit,” he whispered as he moved a hand to stroke her hair and she ended up hugging his neck tightly as tears of relief roll down her face. Father and daughter stayed like that for a few doboshes having their moment. When they finally pulled apart Krolia wiped the tears from her eyes. 

“Can we have some time to talk about it?” Her voice cracked from the overwhelming emotions she was having right now. 

Kolivan nodded “Take all the time you need. We have enough leave to be here until about three phoebs after the kit is born.” 

Both Heath and Krolia’s eyes widened at that causing all adult Galra to smirk. “That’s what happens when you never take leave in deca-phoebs.” Thace commented. 

“You should have seen their faces when we all took leave at once,” Antok replied with his tail swishing fondly at the memory “priceless.”

Kolivan and the others ended up staying the night and learning more about Heath and watching how the young mates were together. They could tell they truly loved one another. Over the course of the next couple of phoebs the Dads which Heath taken to calling them that instead of uncles since that’s practically what they where in his mind from all his memories of his friends fathers being exactly like them. The dads had been helping with building the home, funding it and making some suggestions here and there as well. 

They were completely involved with the wedding as well and had insisted on paying for it even though it was nothing extravagant just a small simple wedding. Heath also swore they bought something new for Krolia and the kit every single day. The kit was already spoiled and had all of them wrapped around their little claws and they weren’t even born yet! Heath and Krolia were running out of room to put their gifts while trying to pack up to get ready to move into their new home. They were going to officially be one hundred percent moved in the day of the wedding. Somehow the dads had planned everything out perfectly for it to happen on that day. Heath and Krolia didn’t even want to know what they did to make that possible and they were a little too preoccupied to think about it between the wedding plans and Krolia’s doctors’ appointments. And before they knew it the day of the wedding had arrived.

It was a simple outdoor wedding. It was actually at the fire departments chief’s home. He lived on a ranch and was more than happy to let the young love birds use his home for their wedding. He himself had never been fortunate enough to have children and with Heath being the youngest member officially on the payroll he began seeing him as a son shortly after he started. And with Krolia being around all the time to eat dinner with him and show him pictures and videos of what he missed at the appointments since he had to work was seen as the daughter that the chief had always wanted. So, he too had been giving the young couple baby gifts along with Heath’s brothers on the force. Then add in the presents the local paramedics Heath had become friends with and the police officers, everyone was excited for the newest tiniest member of the first responder family. It was safe to say that baby Kogane being spoiled was the understatement of the century.

And every single one of the first responder family that could be there at the wedding was. All of them had become a part of this extended family that loved them no matter what. That chosen family was the one who had helped decorate for the party throwing in both the human and Galra customs into this wedding for them. They had decorated the trees in fairy lights, and small lanterns which held purple candles inside of them.Though the majority of the candles did hold the normal Earth flame, there was one candle that flickers between a dark and bright purple. The lanterns were there to symbolize both of their different heritages at Krolia’s insistence. The lanterns may not have been the traditional paper ones like Heath’s ancestors may have had at a wedding but they were meant to represent that culture and to help remember his roots. While the purple flame of course helped convey the Galra heritage and though that flame traditionally was symbol of the Emperor’s rule from the moment they lit the flame till their death. This purple flame was being used to embody their love for one another and as long as both of them were alive the flame would remain lit. In a way it was like an eternal flame for their love for one another.

The wedding had started off in the traditional human way with Kolivan walking Krolia down the aisle that was made out petals of Krolia’s favorite flower. Krolia was in a long flowy sleeveless dress that hid her baby bump and had a v-neck. The dress also shimmered like the stars. If you didn’t know any better you would have sworn it was made of out starlight. Krolia had chosen not to go with a veil and was not holding a bouquet either and the song she had chosen to walk down to was a mash up of a ‘Thousand Years’ by Christina Perri. Krolia took Heath’s breath away.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her if he tried. The world faded away the moment he saw her walking down that aisle towards him. All he could do was focus on the one he loved and grin like a fool. He didn’t think it was possible for him to love her more than he had already. He was wrong. He swore in this moment his love grew even more so for the woman who was about to become his wife. He didn’t even realize he was crying, both from the sight of her and the love he felt for her in the moments until she gently cupped his cheek while failing not to laugh as she wiped the tears from his eyes “I love you too.” He laughed roughly due to the emotion in his voice that he didn't bother to hold back as Kolivan moved from besides Krolia to officiate the wedding.

Now this was the part Heath had insisted on. He had wanted a more Galra like wedding ceremony since to him it felt more significant than just the traditional human one. In the end both Krolia and Heath had compromised to do part of the human ceremony with keeping the majority of the vows and the ring exchange. While also doing the part that felt most important of the Gala ceremony for Heath. After they finished vows and the ring exchange, Kolivan grabbed a traditional ceremonial knife that was used in the exact military branch the Dads were in. It was a Marmora blade. Though this type of blade was not the norm for a wedding ceremony Heath had insisted on the military one knowing how important Krolia’s military family was to her and wanted her to know if she still wanted to follow that dream, she could. 

Kolivan cut the inside of both of their wrists and joined them together by tying them to one another with two different colored sashes. One was purple and the other was  red, symbolizing both Heath and Krolia. The red represented Heath’s fireman’s color and the purple of course represented Krolia. After the sashes were tied they both made a promise to one another repeating the words in the Galran language. In English it translated as “You are Blood of my blood, and Bone of my Bone. I give you my Body, that we Two might be One. I give you Soul, ‘til our Life should be Done.” When they finished Kolivan said “You may kiss your bride.”

Heath leaned into kiss her and as soon as he did their family started cheering for them. The kiss went on so long someone joked about having to spray them with the fire hose causing everyone to laugh and to have blushing newlyweds when they finally broke apart. The wedding had the typical pictures, first dance, father daughter dance, and feeding the cake to one another like any other human wedding. Krolia was fine without many of the traditional Galra parts of the ceremony. However, both her and Heath did want to bind their souls together so they would always be able to sense and feel one one another. They would also be able to see into the deepest parts of the others soul. The pair of them always wanted to be connected to another and never be apart. But they had agreed to wait to do the binding till after the kit was born worried doing it now would harm them.

When it was time for the newlyweds to finally part from everyone instead of leaving in the traditional way like with bird seed being thrown at them or under glow sticks or under sparklers, they left to fireworks being set off. As they made their way to the hoverbike Heath looked at Krolia “Remind me how Antok talked us into agreeing to that.” 

She looked at him “I don’t even remember. With him there is no telling how he did it. I wouldn’t put it past him for asking us in our sleep and recording us saying yes for proof that we agreed to it,” she said as helped her on the bike. 

He then got on himself and drove to their new home and when they got there, he picked her up bridal style causing her to laugh. He kissed her as they cross the threshold and smiled at her “Welcome home Mrs. Kogane.”

“Mmmh I love the sound of that.” 

He grinned and kissed her again “Good because you are going to be hearing it for the rest of our lives together.” He carried her to their room as she grinned back 

“I can live with that.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and just as she was about to kiss him again there was sudden kick causing her to laugh “Seems little one likes the home and he’s happy to be here too.” 

Heath’s gaze softens and he runs his hand across her growing belly “Glad to hear that little one. We kept you greatly in mind while we were making this.” He turned his attention back to Krolia and had so much love in his eyes for her that they were screaming ‘you are my entire world’ “Welcome home Krolia.” He kissed her softly and gave her the first of the numerous bone melting kisses to come that night.

About three phoebs later Kolivan rushed to Heath and Krolia’s home. He just received the news about the kit being born; and Kolivan was extremely apprehensive. The kit had come much sooner than anyone had expected. It was early for a Galra pregnancy but late for a human pregnancy so of course he was on edge especially since it was an at home birth. There had been no time nor warning for them to get to Krolia to a hospital. He prayed that both Krolia and the kit were okay with no complications for either of them. He didn’t want to even think of the possibility of losing either of them or worse; both of them. He quickly pushed that fear to the deepest darkest corners at the back of his mind to keep under lock and key so it could never rear its ugly head ever again.

Kolivan burst through the door, not even bothering to knock and he was panting. It was obvious he ran all the way over there. More heavy footfalls made their way towards the home. Seems like the rest of the dads had also received the news and were hot on Kolivan’s heels as he headed inside not even noticing his hands were shaking as he made it to the Krolia and Heath’s bedroom. He opened the door just a crack and saw someone lying in the bed. He opened the door a bit wider and saw Krolia there holding a bundle in a red blanket in her arms while cooing at it with a smile on her face. She hadn’t even heard him come in being lost in the exhilaration of motherhood. Kolivan’s whole body went lax seeing that both of them were alright. He didn’t even care if the others found him laying on the floor like a pansy right now. He was so overcome with relief and elation at this very moment his pride and reputation could and would be damned.

When Kolivan was finally able to make his away over to Krolia’s bedside that’s when she finally looked up from her kit and beams up at him “Would you like to hold your grandson?” 

He cleared his throat “I would be honored to.” 

She smiled at him once again and gently placed her son in his arms as Health sits next to Krolia on the bed wrapping his arms gently around her shoulders. That’s also when the rest of the Dads had also come into the room and found Kolivan holding the kit with one of the softest looks they had ever seen on their leader and friend’s face as he purred at the kit. “What’s his name?” He asked gently

“Keith Yorak Kolivan Kogane.” Krolia said with a grin on her face as Kolivan looked at her astonished. 

“Kolivan? You named him after me?” He asked surprised and it was Heath who answered him “Of course we did. Why wouldn’t we name him after the person that loves and supports not only him but us as well? That has been there through everything every single step of the way. Kolivan you didn’t have to help us but you did. You helped make this home a reality. You gave Krolia her dream wedding, you accepted me and have been more of a father to me than mine ever has been. You have helped me grow and mature as man in just these few Earth phoebs than my own father has done in my entire life. You are a kind and a just man, an incredible leader, a fierce protector and extremely loyal. I hope our son turns out to be like his grandfather.”

Kolivan had to blink back tears truly touched by Heath’s words. He ended up clearing his throat a few times before he was able to speak. “No Heath, if the kit is anything like you, he will be just fine.” He stroked the kits cheek “just fine indeed.” He looked back up towards Heath “Heath, I know we had a…rocky start you and me. But you proved your worth as a man and to show you are worthy to be my daughter’s mate over and over again. You two are truly meant for one another.”

Krolia and Heath looked at each other and shared a secret smile between them. Krolia rested her head against Heath’s chest “So want to do the bonding ceremony now?” He was shocked that she would have suggested that right this moment and tried not to look at her like she's crazy since she had just given birth at home without the proper medical attention. 

Ulaz laughed “Don’t worry Heath I’ll check on her condition. I also want to check on the kit too. I may not know the human and Galra hybrid norms as well as I would like. But I can give you an idea of what the norm is for most of the Galra hybrids and see how that also falls with what you know the human kits stats to be with your medical training.” Heath was only able to nod at his words still trying to get over the fact that Krolia wanted to bond their souls together with practically zero recovery time after giving birth.

Ulaz did a full medical assessment on both mother and child and though Keith appeared human to the naked eye he did have quite the number of Galra characteristics. He possessed Galra muscles in his ears, the eyes they could tell were also Galran though lacked the yellow to them at least for now anyway, they would have to see if that would remain the same as got older since humans eyes sometimes did change in appearance after all most human kits did change as they aged. His hair was as soft as Galra fur and it also appeared like he might have  purple highlights to it when the light hit it just right. They also believed he may possibly have retractable claws and teeth already coming in. As for Krolia she was doing fine and already recovering nicely and was cleared to do the ceremony.

It was agreed that Thace and Antok would get what they needed for they ceremony and get it set while Kolivan and Ulaz stayed there. Ulaz for obvious reasons incase of any medical assistance needed and Kolivan because well, there was no way to pry Keith away from his arms anytime soon and Keith needed to remain close to his mother and to those that had the most medical training since none of them wanted to take any chances with the kit. Thace and Antok came back half an hour later with everything they needed which mainly was incense and a special kind of charcoal to make markings all over both of Krolia and Heath’s bodies. They also got another sash this time a black one as per the tradition.

It took one varga before they could actually perform the ceremony. Mostly due to Keith having gotten hungry and then spitting up on both of his parents. Causing them both to clean up and dry off and then needing the symbols to be redrawn again. It was a fairly simple ceremony because after they had said the words needed the incense continued to burn as the mates kept their eyes closed and began to feel the world slip away from them. They found themselves in darkness having to find their way into the very heart of the other’s soul. It was different for each couple and person on how they found the way to the soul and what they would see there.

For Heath it was a bit of a cliché on how he found his way to Krolia. He saw the red string of fate attached to his pinky and easily followed to what was there home. When he got there he saw the most important things to Krolia. It came across as pictures of him and Keith and of their family. All of her dads and those who had become Heath’s family in a short amount of time. His brothers and sisters in arms in the first responder world. He also saw the ceremonial Marmora blade there as well. He knew how the military was still important to her and couldn’t help but smile at that. It reminded him of they were similar yet different at the same time and he cherished that. In fact they seemed to have been just like that from the moment them had met one another. So similar yet different at the time time. But unlike many people today those differences didn’t hinder them or make them weaker they accepted one another even if it was not always easy to do so. They found ways to make it work to once again to match one another perfectly.

Now for Krolia how she found her way to Heath was by piloting the hoverbike down a familiar path that ironically also happened to be their home. When she came inside, she saw multiple clips of what felt like home movies. The majority of them were of both together and she realized they were the moments he held most dear. The one that caught her attention first was their first non-date. It was when he had just put the flower in her hair and she was blushing. She could just see the love he held for her at the moment and with the way the stars had glowed in her eyes you would have thought it actually was from a movie.

The second one that caught her attention was of her walking down the aisle with her father on their wedding day and the final one was from today. Shortly just after giving birth and she was glowing while holding their newborn son in her arms. All of these where deemed the most precious and special to Heath and there where a few others here as well too that didn’t relate to her. She could tell one here was his first official day on at the firehouse and the other was the day her father and her uncles had come to Earth in their old apartment. She was surprised Heath had this moment here and not another with the dads after this first meeting. Although, when she thought about it, it made sense in a way. He knew that moment was important to her since she knew it was her father was accepting her pregnancy, the kit and in a way him.

And he knew that’s what all Krolia had ever wanted for her father to accept all of them. So of course that moment would be important to him since it was important to her and that just made her love for this man grow even more so than before. She also was sure it was important to him too since he knew his family would never accept them but her family had. Especially him or was on the way to do so from the day on which she knew had gratefully affected her mate even if he never said anything about it. After all she knew he didn’t think they would be able to do so, since his family never had. 

As both of them came back to reality feeling the bond there in their souls Krolia wished her mate could see his worth even more than ever. Now understanding even more so than she had before what the start of her family's acceptance had meant to him. She hoped now by seeing through her eyes with their bond he would finally be able to understand how invaluable he was and why he was the one for her and would always be the one for her. 

Krolia wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck as she kissed him deeply and let him see her thoughts. Which told him even if they had met in another lifetime or another reality, galaxy or universe she would chose him. Even without the bonding of their souls forever being joined she would always chose him. For her he would always be the one.