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“I think it’s finally happened,” Lance said, eyes wide and focussed on the intruder.
“If you’re thinking you’ve gone crazy, that happened long ago,” Pidge said, though it was clear they were trying not to freak out.
“What do we do?” Hunk asked, looking around the group.
“Do we pick it up?” Allura asked, but no one moved a muscle.
Finally, Keith rolled his eyes and took several confident strides forward. The infant dropped her block, glow fading as she did. She looked up, met Keith’s eyes, and giggled.
Full on, gleeful giggles. At Keith.
Lance’s jaw dropped as he watched. He ignored the way his heart skipped a beat as Keith reached down and picked up the baby. She couldn’t have been older then two years, if Lance’s experience with his enormous household was anything to go off.
The infant giggled again, making grabby hands for Keith’s unkept hair. He hoisted her safely into his arms, keeping her away from his hair on his hip. The team watched, unable to do anything else. The small child just looked so at peace in Keith’s arms, so comfortable.
Seeing the panic on Keith’s features was also comical. They’d been in space for several months now, this was just another strange thing to add to the list. Apparently, the list wasn’t complete without accidentally acquiring a baby.
This was fine.
“What do we do?” Allura asked, looking like the baby might reach forwards and harm her. She was a baby, she probably was still learning how to walk properly.
Lance ignored the fear in her eyes and moved closer to Keith and the baby. She looked up at Lance’s arrival, giggling, her eyes lighting up. It was almost like recognition.
She made grabby hands for him then, almost tipping Keith over in her hurry to get to him. Lance reached out, immediately taking her from Keith and watching her settle in his arms easily. Lance looked down at the infant with a smile. None of his nieces or nephews had settled this easily.
“Looks like she’s chosen her caretakers,” Shiro said, a gleeful look in his eye.
Lance met Keith’s eyes, trying to hide his own panic. Keith flinched, looking anywhere else. “Shouldn’t we be trying to figure out who she belongs to? Get her home?” even if she was so very adorable. She had the most dazzling purple eyes, the shade almost reminding him of Keith.
“Dada,” the baby babbled, grabby hands reaching to pat at Lance’s face. He laughed, taking the soft hands within his own and blowing a raspberry on them.
“She call you dad?” Pidge asked, laughing more then speaking.
Lance shot them a glare, but Pidge continued regardless. “She’s a baby, let her be.”
The infant looked back to Keith, who’d taken several steps back. She looked ready to cry when she realised he’d left. “Dada!” she cried, making a lunge for Keith.
Lance gripped her tighter, the infant surprisingly strong given she was so small. He turned the momentum into something more fun, becoming an aeroplane, and she giggled. Fingers still stretched towards Keith, so she wasn’t fully distracted.
“You can’t both be dad,” Pidge said, shaking their head. “That’s confusing.”
“Yeah, that’s not the confusing part,” Keith said, taking the infant back from Lance. She went willingly, babbling and patting at Keith’s cheeks.
“How do we get her back home? Someone will miss her.” Hunk asked, worrying at his lip. “We don’t know where she even came from.”
One second, they’d been in the brig, debriefing after another successful mission. The next, alarms had sounded, an intruder in the halls. The intruder happened to be a baby, clutching some sort of cube. A very cute little baby who was no threat.
Lance moved closer to Keith, watching the girl. He wondered if her parents were anything like his own, had written his name in everything he’d owned. It was easier that way, when there were so many of them.
He was in luck, checking her onesies tag with a grin. “Her name is Clara.” At the sound of her name, she turned and demanded back into Lance’s arms. He folded immediately, taking the squirming child from Keith.
“Maybe the castle picked up a residual signal? Could we follow that?” Pidge asked, trying to look anywhere other then Clara. It was abundantly clear the child would not be seeking Pidge’s care.
Allura nodded, moving back to the control room with the rest in tow. She kept a wary eye on the baby, as though she’d suddenly leap out and attack the others. Lance thought the idea was preposterous. She was a baby.
An adorable baby.
Lance turned to Keith, readjusting the girl on his hip carefully. “What do we do?”
“Ah,” Keith’s mouth was open, staring at the babbling girl. “I guess, if she won’t let either of us leave, we just. Stay with her?”
Lance watched Keith, saw the tension in his body, the urge to flee so high on his mind. He sighed, shaking his head and lifting Clara a bit higher. She giggled, patting at Lance’s cheek with glee. “You know nothing about babies, do you?”
“Not a bit,” Keith said, not even bothering to sound concerned.
“Awesome.”
They moved to the floor, putting Clara down. She crawled on the carpet between them, shuffling between laps. She would sit there a moment, fiddling with something, before darting back to the other. She seemed to be quite content with her laps, babbling as she went.
“What about when she gets hungry?” Keith asked, a look of raw horror dawning on his face. “Or, you know, needs changing?”
Lance couldn’t keep his laugh, but he did make it short. This wasn’t funny, but seeing his friend so panicked, that was. This was just a baby.
“There are spare clothes and cloths around, if we need them,” Allura’s voice piped up, clearly having already wondered the same issue.
“So, we just. Watch her?” Keith asked, cringing as Clara grabbed fistfuls of hair, he’d let get too close.
“She’s a baby, not some enigma,” Lance rolled his eyes, catching one of Clara’s hands before she fell over. She giggled, leaping at Lance again.
“How are you so calm with her?”
Lance shrugged, watching as Clara began to explore outside their small circle. She didn’t go far, stumbling over her own feet. “I grew up in a big family, lots of younger cousins or nieces and nephews.”
“Oh,” Keith looked down. Lance knew he was an only child, this wasn’t the sort of thing he’d been prepared for.
“I always wanted a kid someday,” Lance said, ignoring Keith’s gloom. Pushing past it, trying to brighten the mood once more. They were different, they’d had different home life. Lance had a big, loving family, but now Keith had this one.
“I guess that’s a bit hard now that we’re in a war. Who knows how long before we get a break?”
“You’ll be home someday, Lance. You’ll see your family again,” Keith’s voice was so sure, so determined, it was hard not to believe it. “And there’s heaps of time for your own family.”
Lance found Keith’s attempts at comfort endearing, far more reassuring than they ought to be. He smiled. Clara bounced towards them, almost falling but Keith caught her with an easy grab. She was back on her feet a second later, bounding off again.
Allura appeared above them, over the back of the couch. “How’s she going?”
“She’s just playing, I think she’ll need a nap at some point.” Lance said, seeing her yawn. At the mention, she perked up and darted back to Keith.
“It doesn’t look like the castle can help much,” she said, shaking her head. “Pidge thinks we can create a device that will find her family. They’ve gone to get Hunk for help.”
Lance sighed, shooting Keith a look. “So, I guess in the meantime, we just, watch her?”
“She does seem quite taken with you both,” Allura said, as though she wasn’t entirely too relieved it wasn’t her in this mess.
A day later, Lance was ready to give the girl back to her rightful parents. She’d made a fuss when Lance had gone to put her in a crib. Apparently, cribs were something the castle had packed away in a small supply closet. It was only when Keith had appeared with a bottle and blanket that she’d settled.
The moment Keith left, she’d cried again.
In the end, to keep her quiet, the red and blue paladins had slept in the same room with Clara, who slept soundly through the night.
Lance had not. He’d slept so poorly, woken up far more exhausted than he’d started. He was sleeping next to his self-proclaimed rival, who also happened to be his crush. He couldn’t get the image of Keith holding Clara from his mind, he was a natural with her.
At breakfast, the others had the good sense not to ask. Clara was bubbly, calling both Lance and Keith dada, then waving at the others. She simply refused to leave Keith or Lance’s side, barely letting them from her sight long enough to go to the bathroom.
And then, on the third day, when Lance’s patience – and resolve – was wearing thin, a portal appeared. Lance, who wasn’t actively holding Clara, stood protectively in front of her and Keith, weapon drawn.
He stopped short.
On the other side of the portal was what looked to be an older version of himself and Keith. Scars littered their faces, their hair had changed, but it was them.
The Lance from the portal looked relieved, glancing past castle Lance to see Clara. “Told you we could be trusted.”
Portal Keith rolled his eyes, nudging his companion with his hip. “Yes, yes.”
Portal Lance extended a hand, meeting Keith’s eyes. “Mind if we take back our daughter?”
Lance looked to Clara, who hadn’t noticed the commotion and was too busy pulling strands of Keith’s mullet. A protective instinct drove him to speak. “What’s her name?”
Instead of looking offended, both men in the portal looked pleased. “Clara, and she has a small scar under her foot,” Lance said, smiling softly.
Keith moved to check, Clara taking the opportunity to yank more of his hair. He nodded, and it was the moment Clara noticed the portal. Her eyes lit up and she almost tried to throw herself from Keith’s arms.
“Dada!”
This time, Lance had a feeling she meant it.
Portal Lance reached through and Keith passed her off, something like sadness flickering through his eyes. But Clara looked so happy to be in their arms, Lance couldn’t help but be relieved.
“Thank you, when she stole our portal block, we were so worried. Pidge said she was here though, and we knew we could trust you two.”
Lance felt a strange sense of pride. “She’s lovely,” he said, meaning every word.
“Something to look forward to,” Lance winked as the portal shut behind him.
“Did our old selves spoil you rotten?” Lance asked, cooing down at his daughter. She was making a fuss over Keith having left the room for a millisecond. “I think they might have, maybe it got their act together.”
Keith appeared again, blankets in hand and a bottle. “How is she?”
“Perfect, of course. Don’t you trust yourself at all?”
His partner paused. Lance watched him carefully, saw him chew his words as he stalled with Clara. Lance knew how hard this had all been for Keith, but he also knew how easy it was for them.
“I’d never had experience with babies before,” Keith finally said, folding a blanket over Clara’s body. “I knew I trusted you.”
Lance felt like his heart might burst, seeing the honest love on Keith’s face. “That is because I’m awesome.”
Keith rolled his eyes, stepping away from the crib and into Lance’s waiting arms. He pressed a soft, gentle kiss to his lips and Lance hummed. “You are, so awesome. How did I ever get so lucky to be married to you?”
“It’s a gift,” Lance said, leaning his head to Keith’s shoulder. He was so glad Clara had been returned safely, had been in such good hands. Their past selves, despite not having their act together with each other, would never have allowed any harm to fall on the little girl.
“I’m glad she’s back,” Keith said.
Lance hummed, turning out the light as they moved to their adjoining room. “How much longer until they get their act together?”
Keith laughed, dragging Lance down onto the bed. The past three days had been a mixture of horror, terror and fear. The exhaustion that plagued them was worth it to have their little one back.
“Doesn’t matter, we have this now.”
“Worth it.”