"Keith?" There was a hand ruffling his hair and Keith's eyes flickered open as he recognized the voice. "I think it's time for bed," Shiro smiled. "For both of you." Keith yawned, his arms tightening gently around his napping buddy as he moved to sit up.

"What time is it?"

"Pretty late." Keith and Violet had conked out on the couch hours ago, the baby happily curling up on Keith's belly as they slept off their dinner. (Hunk, feeling proud that even alien babies and half-Galra paladins liked his cooking, had snuck an adorable photo of the two.)

"Can you hold her for a sec?" Keith asked Shiro. The black paladin tensed up as the sleeping Violet was carefully handed to him. The baby fit neatly in the crook of his arm (the non Galra one) and Shiro let out a relieved breath when she didn't wake. Keith stood up and stretched, attempting to get the cricks out of his neck and back. "Relax, Shiro," he grinned at the older man. "If I can handle baby duty, anybody can."

"I don't know about that," Shiro chuckled, still eyeing Violet warily. "You all have been doing a great job." Shiro reached out with his free hand and squeezed Keith's shoulder. "I've been really proud of you the past few days." Keith smiled and shrugged, trying not to show how pleased he really was.

"Thanks. Do you want me to take her back?"

"Hm, maybe you'd better."

"Ta-daa!" Lance cried, holding up his finished project.

"Oh…my…" Hunk all but squealed. "That is the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life."

Lance's creation, a tiny purple and white sweater, was emblazoned with a purple letter V, causing it to resemble their paladin armor in miniature. Once Violet was modeling her new outfit, Hunk snapped a least a dozen pictures and carried her into the common room for the rest of the team to admire. Pidge gawked, her glasses lifting on her forehead.

"Lance, how did you even?" The blue paladin grinned proudly.

"Real men knit, Pidge. Didn't you know that? I'm just glad it fits. Babies grow like crazy."

"That is quite adorable," Allura cooed, giving Violet a tickle that caused her to shriek with laughter. Hunk grinned and held her out to the princess.

"Do you wanna hold her?"

"Err…maybe later."

"That is pretty ridiculously cute, Lance," Keith admitted.

"Right?" Lance beamed. "Now she's official as our newest paladin." Shiro and Allura exchanged anxious looks.

"Oh Lance," Allura began gently. "You know we can't-"

"Coran, look!" Pidge interrupted, her head snapping up from her laptop. "I think I'm getting something." Coran rushed to Pidge's side as she pointed at the nearly inscrutable lines crossing her screen. "It's really faint but do you think it could be a signal?"

"Could be," Coran admitted, stroking his moustache. "It's certainly a good place to start, Number 5. I'll attune the ship's communication relay to it and we'll see if anyone's out there." There was a flurry of activity and Keith, Lance, and Hunk were left alone in the common room.

In the silence, the three of them looked at each other, Hunk cuddling Violet close to his chest.

"Do you think they're alive down there?" he asked.

"I hope so," Lance answered. "I can't imagine a whole race of people getting wiped out in one night. That'd be horrible. Violet would be the last of her species." Hunk shuddered.

"I'm gonna see if they need help with the relay," he said, passing the baby to Keith. Once they were alone, Lance nudged him.

"You're really quiet, mullet head. You okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Keith deflected, staring at Violet. She seemed to sense his disquiet and she reached a pudgy hand out to pat his cheek. Despite himself, Keith chuckled. "That's what I get for getting attached." He hadn't meant to say it out loud and kicked himself when Lance's face fell. The blue paladin scooted closer to Keith and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him and Violet close. Keith sighed and closed his eyes.

"It's nothing short of a miracle."

"You were right, Coran. They were hiding out under ground."

"It's truly remarkable, the resilience of the Araxi people."

"Pidge, thank you for your tireless efforts. We never could have located the survivors without you."

"I'm just glad Violet's getting her family back."

"And we can help the Araxi rebuild. Great work, Team!"

"So we're sending a shuttle down to pick up Violet…I mean Laika's parents. They'll be up in a couple of hours."

"That's great," Keith said. "But then where are they taking her? The planet's trashed."

"Apparently the Araxi had prepared for this to a point. They couldn't save everybody but they do have everything they need to start rebuilding."

"Did we find out where her parents have been all this time?" Keith asked, unable to keep the heat out of his voice. "Why they left her to die?"

"Keith," Shiro replied sternly. "Laika was visiting her grandparents when the storm hit and they were killed before they could get her to shelter. She's lucky to be alive." When a chastened Keith didn't reply, Shiro reached over and rubbed the back of his head soothingly. "Buddy, I'm sorry. I know it's gonna be hard but this is the best ending we could have hoped for. She gets to go back to her family." Keith could only nod.

Poor Hunk was completely choked up as he said goodbye. When baby Laika reached out a tiny hand to touch his cheek, the big guy lost it. Shiro wrapped a comforting arm around Hunk as he stepped back and Pidge patted the older boy's arm, all the while swiping at her own eyes.

One by one, each of the paladins and the Alteans said goodbye and wished the family the best, until finally only Keith and Lance were left. Keith stepped forward first.

"We will never forget what you've done for us, and our daughter," Laika's mother promised. "Thank you, Paladin." Keith nodded but kept his eyes on the baby.

"Bye Vi…Laika," he said huskily. Keith brushed the top of her head with his fingertips. Laika cooed at him and grabbed one of his fingers, eliciting a chuckle from the red paladin. "That's some grip, kiddo. You're a lot stronger than you look." He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "You take care of yourself, okay?"

Keith stepped aside for Lance and kept walking, ignoring the concerned stares of his teammates. Hunk moved to follow but was stopped by Shiro's hand on his shoulder.

"Let's give him some space for now," Shiro said.

Keith stalked towards the training deck, eyes burning, and mentally cursed the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps behind him.

"Hey Keith! Wait up!"

"Not now, Lance." Lance jogged up beside him and touched his elbow.

"Slow down, will ya? I just want to talk." Keith jerked his arm away.

"What's there to talk about, Lance? It's over! She's gone."

"So what are you just gonna duke it out with the training bot until you're too tired to think?" Keith gritted his teeth, snarling,

"What's it to you?"

"I'm worried about you, pendejo!" Lance exclaimed, throwing up his arms in frustration. "You're hurt and you're just gonna bury it?"

"Don't tell me how I feel!" Keith spat, jabbing Lance in the chest with a finger. "You don't know anything about me."

"I would if you'd tell me!" Lance shot back. Keith flushed and turned away, knuckles whitening as he clenched his fists at his sides. There was a long, tense pause.

"Why do you care so much?" Keith asked him. Lance opened his mouth to reply and closed it, taking a moment to think about the answer.

"Well, we're a team…but I wanna think we're friends too." Keith sighed and turned back to face him.

"We are friends, Lance. I'm sorry. This is just…new for me." Lance pondered that and then smiled thoughtfully.

"You know, it's a good look for you." Keith frowned in confusion.

"What is?"

"The mushy, paternal look. The one you'd always get whenever you held Laika." Keith's gaze sharpened. "No, I mean it!" Lance's smile was fond. "I think you'd make a really great dad someday." Keith's eyes widened in surprise, but when he realized that Lance was serious, his lips quirked into a sad smile.

"We did make a pretty good team, didn't we?"

"Heck yeah, we did. Best babysitters ever!" Keith's smile faltered and Lance put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, man. Talk to me." The dam burst.

"I'm so stupid!" Keith snapped. "I always knew it had to be temporary. We're in the middle of a war!" Lance nodded. "And I know we didn't have her for very long and that she's back with her family and I should be happy but still…a part of me thought…hoped." Keith's indigo eyes welled and he swiped angrily at them. Lance squeezed the other boy's shoulder, heavy-hearted.

"Keith, it's okay. I'm gonna miss her too. And so are Hunk, Pidge, and everybody."

"I know," Keith said raggedly, his shoulders slumping as the anger drained.

"And Laika's parents said we could come visit her anytime."

"Yeah," he was sniffling now. Lance's face fell.

"But it still sucks, huh?" Keith nodded. The tears were escaping now, and Lance pulled him into a tight hug. Keith clung to him, his arms wrapping tightly around his torso and his face disappearing into Lance's chest. Lance could feel the front of his t-shirt getting damp as the thin body trembled against him.

"Who knows?" Lance said. "Maybe when this is all over and we're heroes or whatever. Maybe," he took a breath. "Maybe one day we can adopt a kid. One of our own." Keith stilled in his arms and Lance worried that he'd gone too far. "I mean," he continued quickly. "Like you said, we do make a good team."

"Lance," Keith pulled back to look him in the eyes, his voice little more than a breath. Lance swallowed. It was time to go all in.

"Keith…I would seriously do anything to see you smile like that again."

Something flickered in Keith's eyes, like a spark. Without thinking, he grabbed the front of the taller boy's jacket and pulled him in, pressing his lips against Lance's. The blue paladin's heart skipped.

Okay. This was happening. Lance responded immediately, bringing his hands up to cup Keith's face, his fingers tangling in the sides of that dumb mullet. Keith had balled his hands in the lapels of Lance's jacket and was kissing him with the same fervor he applied to his flying, fast and hot.

For Lance, time slowed down, giving him the opportunity to record every detail in his mind's eye. He memorized the feel of Keith's soft dark hair between his fingers, the shape of the red paladin's slim, athletic body pressed against his own, the rhythm of their two heartbeats hammering as one. This moment represented something new and special for both of them, and Lance wanted to savor it.

Breathlessly, they ended the kiss, keeping their foreheads pressed together for a long moment before either of them spoke.

"It's okay if you don't mean it," Keith said finally, still holding onto Lance's jacket. "I mean, we've got a long way to go before any of us can think about the future."

"True," Lance agreed. "We still have Galra butts to kick. But I did mean what I said." He hugged Keith a little tighter, letting the shorter boy tuck his head under his chin. "For now, let's let the future worry about itself. We've got time."