Chapter Text
It was the fluttering sensation similar to popcorn popping that jolted Keith awake. He laid there on his side, blinking into the darkness of the room. His brows furrowed in confusion when he realized that nothing seemed to be amiss. The room was silent save for the light snoring of his mate and the occasional snuffle of Kosmo at the end of the bed.
Keith twisted in the arms that surrounded him and turned to look at his sleeping husband. Shiro was highlighted by the light of the moon peeking through their room’s curtains. His white hair glittered like the stars they’ve traveled past. The tension in his face from the daily stress of manning the Atlas and meeting up with alien dignitaries had eased from sleep and there was even a line of drool peeking from the corner of his mouth. Keith’s heart clenched at the sight and he was suddenly overcome with the urge to kiss Shiro. Which wasn’t that odd since it was nearly a constant feeling at this point.
Staring at Shiro almost made him forget why he woke up in the first place. Then that slight popping feeling in his abdomen happened once more and Keith’s face scrunched up in minor disgruntlement. He glanced down, moving the blanket aside so he could look at his stomach. The fabric was thin and drifted across his skin like a chilled stream. Ever since he’d gotten pregnant, Shiro had switched nearly all their blankets with the softest ones he could find. Which was fine with Keith even in colder nights. He would always just leech heat off of Shiro when it got particularly chilly.
Keith was about seven months pregnant with his and Shiro’s first pup. When they’d learned that Keith was pregnant, Shiro had never been happier. In fact Keith remembers his Alpha tearing up from how overcome with emotions he was. Then he’d proceeded to shower Keith in numerous kisses, proclaiming his love in between pecks of affection.
The mounting excitement and disbelief he felt then was almost exactly how he felt now. Keith hesitantly placed a hand to his stomach where he felt the bubbling. It had been such a light tingling sensation that Keith could’ve convinced himself it was just gas. Yet the moment he felt something brush against his skin, his throat clenched tight. His next breath was shuddered and sounded nearly wet. Any other time Keith would’ve cursed his hormones but right now he was a little too happy. Was this what Allura had been telling him about? The first kicks of his child?
Blinking through his growing tears of adoration, Keith quickly tried to shake his husband awake. “Shiro, Shiro wake up.”
The other’s snoring cut off with a confused, “Mmm?” Gunmetal grey eyes blinked open and Shiro blearily looked towards his Omega. “Keith? What’s up?” He asked, words slurred from sleep.
“Shiro, it’s the baby.”
Now maybe if Keith took into account how his voice sounded like he was near tears he might’ve chosen his words better. But he was too focused on the fact he was feeling his pup move for the first time to actually take a moment and think how he sounded. Which probably wasn’t the smartest move given how Shiro’s eyes suddenly widened in alarm.
At that Shiro was instantly awake and sitting up. He grabbed Keith’s shoulders, hold gentle even in his mounting panic. “What’s wrong?! Are you alright? The pup?? Hold on! Stay calm! I’ll call someone!!”
Shiro said this all so fast that Keith was momentarily stunned and confused. Before he could say anything Shiro was already twisting around and grabbing his communicator off the nightstand. As he held the device to his ear, he sprung from the bed and scrambled to pull on a pair of pants. He had to hop and shimmy just to try and pull them up with one arm while the other refused to let go of the phone.
From where he lay on the floor at the foot of the bed, Kosmo’s head shot up and he watched Shiro start rushing around the room in a panic. The sweet scent of happiness Keith was giving off should’ve been a sign that nothing was wrong however Shiro’s sense of smell was damaged. The scar bisecting his face had rendered his nose nearly useless. Which, for an Alpha, was something he was quite ashamed about. It made a lot of situations difficult to decipher especially like now.
“Just stay calm! Allura will know what to do!” Shiro rushed to Keith’s side and pulled him close, rubbing his cheek along Keith’s head as he let out a purr meant to comfort his distressed mate.
Keith blinked for a second before he felt fond amusement bubbling up in his chest. “Shiro.”
But his silly, sweet Alpha wasn’t paying attention. The line on the other end finally picked up and a sleepy, confused Lance began speaking. “ Shiro?? What the heck man? It’s like… Three in the morning !”
“Lance! I need you to put Allura on the phone! Something’s wrong with the pup!”
“ What?! ” Lance sputtered in confusion, “ Wait what do you mean put Allura on? She’s not even a doctor ! You think she’ll know about human anatomy? Or half-human in Keith’s case?! ”
Shiro froze and nearly cursed, “Right- you’re right. The ambulance. I’ll call the ambulance!” He then hung up without giving Lance time to respond. At this point Keith was shaking from holding back his laughter. But Shiro took that as Keith shaking from holding back tears. He crooned, taking Keith’s face and pressing kisses to every inch he could reach. “It’s alright. You both are going to be fine. Just hold on a little longer.”
“ Shiro .” Keith snorted, his laughter finally spilling out. He reached up to mirror the hold Shiro had on his face, keeping him in place while he pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. The lingering touch of his lips against Shiro’s had the Alpha freezing in place. Keith slowly drew their lips together, his own raspy purr of comfort causing a tingle to spread where they connected. Then when he pulled away he made sure to give Shiro one of his small smiles. “Shiro the pup is fine . I’m fine.”
Shiro’s wild look of concern melted away into one of lost confusion. With the adrenaline no longer pumping through him he deflated like a popped balloon. “What? But I… I thought…”
“I know, that’s my fault. I should’ve explained.” Keith said with a chuckle.
Shrio blinked in bewilderment, “Explain what?”
Instead of answering verbally Keith merely smiled and took one of Shiro’s hands. He pulled it down to rest against his stomach. Right over where he’d first felt the fluttering. The moment Shiro’s expression shifted from confused to surprised, Keith knew he’d felt the little shift in his abdomen.
“Oh…” Shiro said breathlessly. The sour scent he’d been given off was blown away by one of pure, unadulterated joy. His face broke out into a wide, beaming smile and he was looking up between Keith and his stomach. “Is that..?” He trailed off in his mounting excitement.
Keith nodded and let out a small, wet laugh. “Yeah. Yeah it’s them. It’s our pup.”
Shiro sucked in a sharp breath of air and blinked furiously to keep away tears. He curled closer to Keith, running his hand reverently over his stomach. The little flutters were sporadic and so light, but they were there. This was distinct proof other than Keith’s growing stomach that their pup was real and they were alive .
Suddenly overcome with emotions, Shiro bent his head down and locked their lips in a kiss that could bruise. Keith responded just as enthusiastically, wrapping one arm around Shiro’s neck while the other rested over the hand on his stomach.
When Shiro pulled away his breath was shuddering and a stray tear slipped past his lowered lashes. “I love you so much.” He whispered against Keith’s lips before diving in for another kiss.
“I love you too,” Keith responded when he was able. He leaned into Shiro and looked down to their hands placed over his stomach. “They’re really there…”
Shiro traced the light purple marks that have gradually begun appearing on his body since the pregnancy began. A deep purr began rumbling in his chest and he couldn’t hold back the small laugh that broke past his lips. He shuffled on the bed so he could lay down between Keith’s legs so he could get as close to his mate’s stomach as possible.
He placed a kiss to Keith’s swollen belly, letting his lips linger as he crooned into the skin. “My little star, hey.” Shiro’s voice wavered slightly as he held back tears. It all felt so unreal. This was his pup he was feeling. They were actually there in Keith’s stomach. Alive and moving . “You dad really gave your papa a scare, you know? Made me think something had happened to you both.”
Keith snorted and lovingly ran his fingers through Shiro’s hair. “I didn’t mean to.”
His Alpha chuckled and pressed another small kiss to Keith’s skin. “I know… But I’m still shaking.” And now that he said it, Keith could feel the soft tremors against his skin. His heart clenched and he was quick to curl over Shiro, purring in apology and rubbing his cheek against the top of Shiro’s head. Answering his Omega’s purr, Shiro crooned softly and leaned up to kiss Keith’s cheek. “I’ll be fine in a bit,” He assured after another sweet kiss.
“You sure?”
“Yeah,” Shiro spread his palms out over Keith’s stomach and sighed lovingly at the little tap he felt against his Altean hand. Now that he was able to process he was feeling the stirrings of his little pup, Shiro felt driven to tears. He wasn’t the type to cry often but when it came to his mate and by extension his pup, Shiro was weak. He’d cried when Keith said yes to marrying him, at their wedding, then when he found out that Keith was pregnant. And now he was crying at his pup’s first movement. The happiness Shiro felt was near suffocating, his throat closing off and air struggling to escape. If he died in this moment, he’d die a happy man.
Shiro sniffled, not even bothering to try and wipe his face as he placed his cheek against Keith’s stomach. “I love you both so much. You’re going to be so beautiful when you’re born. I can’t wait to meet you, you know? We’re counting down the days.”
Keith’s breath hitched when he felt more of those little flutters. It was like their pup was reacting to Shiro’s voice and twitching just to let him know they heard that they were listening. Keith’s own eyes grew glossy with tears. He covered his mouth with one hand and tried not to sob. Was it truly possible to be this happy?
When he felt the little twitches against his hands, Shiro’s face lit up like a star. He turned shining eyes up to Keith, his excitement turning his scent impossibly sweet. Keith chuckled between his teary sniffles and ran his fingers through Shiro’s hair. “They can hear you.”
The two looked at each other with gazes brimming with love and joy. Then Shiro laughed, hiccuping softly as some tears escaped his lashes and fell against Keith’s stomach. “I don’t think I can go back to sleep.”
“Me either.”
“Want some of that tea Allura brought last time?”
“That’d be nice.”
Despite saying this, it took a solid five minutes before Shiro peeled himself away from Keith and stood. He kissed Keith’s forehead, hesitating for a moment before bending down and placing a swift kiss to Keith’s belly that prompted a small giggle from the Omega. Then he grinned and shuffled towards their bedroom door. “I’ll be quick.”
“We’ll be here,” Keith promised with a smile.
Shiro stubbornly stood in the doorway just watching Keith for a moment longer before his mate gave him a pointed yet fond look. Then with a sheepish smile and another promise to be quick, Shiro left the room.
Keith sighed and leaned back against the pillows. He placed his hands to his stomach and rubbed at the purplish skin. As the months into his pregnancy progressed he’d only turned more and more violet. Soon he’d probably match Krolia in colouration. Keith couldn’t say he minded though. He liked the little signs of his heritage that would show up as time passed.
A soft whine at the edge of his bed caught Keith’s attention. He looked up and couldn’t help the little chuckle that escaped him. Kosmo’s massive head was resting at the foot of the bed and he was looking up at Keith with large eyes.
The Omega held out his hand and fondly said, “Kosmo, come here. Want to feel your newest family member?”
Kosmo was quick to come over at that. He even went so far as to teleport the few feet in his own eagerness. Yet despite the visible excitement coursing through the space wolf, he refrained from climbing onto the bed like a good boy.
Keith guided the wolf’s furry face near his stomach and jolted slightly when his wet nose pressed directly against his stomach. And maybe his pup felt it too for his stomach twitched involuntarily as well.
As Kosmo’s tail wagged excitedly and he woofed softly like he was greeting the baby, Keith kept an ear out for Shiro and his movements. He could hear the clanking of pots and glasses as Shiro moved around their kitchen. By the time he returned Keith was already dozing with Kosmo’s head in his lap. The wolf licked at Shiro’s hand as the other sat next to Keith before yawning and turning around to head back to his spot on the floor.
Keith chuckled, taking the mug Shiro offered him with a small thank you. He sipped at the warm drink and hummed in content. Shiro placed a loving kiss to the bond mark on the side of Keith’s neck before he returned to his drink.
Shiro wrapped his free hand around Keith and snuggled in close as the two gradually finished off their tea. Shiro set their empty mugs on the nightstand and then tucked them both back under the covers. Keith snuggled in close and began purring the moment Shiro’s hands found his stomach.
He chuckled and kissed the scar across Shiro’s nose. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Shiro murmured, copying Keith by kissing his scar.
“Did you call Lance back to let him know everything was fine?”
Shiro paused in thought before he offered a small smile, “No? But I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Honestly Keith would’ve liked to argue but he was warm and tired. The tea really did help and already he felt himself drifting off. So he decided as he snuggled even closer to Shiro that they could deal with it tomorrow. Little did he know that in an hour’s time Allura would be breaking down his door in concern for him and the baby followed by the rest of the former Voltron paladins. But that was fine. He and Shiro would deal with it together, just like they always have.