"Laaaance. Come on Maes, say Laance." The blue paladin asks holding Maes up to eye level as if that would have any effect on the two week old baby's articulate skills.
Currently Lance and Keith are held up in the nursery play room on baby duty, while Pidge and Shiro are on a duo patrol around the local quadrant with their lions. It had been two weeks since Pidge had Maes and she had woken up demanding that she be let out on patrol that morning, since it had been 7am no one argued and the couple was sent out to complete rounds. This left the task of watching an adorable two week old baby in the capable hands of Klance.
Allura and Pidge had set up the cozy little room the couple currently occupied months before the delivery. The walls were painted a deep soothing shade of purple from top to bottom, and to the far left of the room stood a single crib that Maes would eventually be sleeping in once he was of age. The rest of the available area, which was a lot, was decked out with different toys the team had found from all over the galaxy, of course the little black haired baby wouldn't be playing with them for some months yet, but it was the thought that counts so Shiro says.
Maes giggles at Lance waving his tiny fist high over his head, the blue paladin melted at the sight. "Not what I was asking for, but hey I'll take it." He tells the baby, moving to set him down butt first on the soft green blanket they had laid out for him. Maes coos and kicks in his new location his eyes wandering lazily around the room.
"I want one." Keith says, quite randomly from his post on the rock chair. This has Lance deadpanning and he looks up from the kicking baby to meet his boyfriend's gaze with a straight face, "Okay sure. Would you like to get pregnant or should I?"
Keith pouts and looks away, in typical red paladin fashion. "Whatever." The two are saved from discussing this further by the automated door sliding open. Maes, who just a second before had been a happy cooing baby, catches the movement and lets out an ear splitting shriek.
Lance winces and with a glance upward to make sure the newcomer was who he thought it was, moves away from the blanket, throws himself onto his boyfriend's lap, melting against him like putty. The rocking chair groans in protest as the two slightly rock to and fro, but Keith smiles and wraps his arms around Lance's waist, always happy for some impromptu cuddles.
"My Little Lion! How are you?" Pidge cries charging toward the shrieking baby on the blanket. As soon as his mother's face comes into his view Maes is once again all smiles, wiggling his fingers up at the green paladin with elation.
Without hesitation Pidge obliges and scoops up her son, placing a hand behind his neck and twirling him before coming to a stop and resting him against her chest. His little hand snakes up her neck and rests there, with his fingers nestled in her soft hair. Shiro, who had walked in with Pidge, nods his thanks to the two baby siting paladins and goes over to wrap his arms around his family. "He's going to be a Mama's boy for sure." Pidge tells him, looking up to meet the larger man's gaze with a smirk. "Uh huh sure." Shiro replies with a exaggerated eye roll, but a smile plays on his lips. He wouldn't mind if his son was a Mama's boy, just as long as he got his share of love too. He leans down and kiss them both before releasing his grip around them.
Pidge immediately misses the warmth and is about to ask him to hold them again when the door slides open. The door reveals a bright faced Princess, her bouncing advisor, and a not so bright Prince, but really when was he. If Pidge thought about it enough, that's what made Allura and Lotor such a good match for each other. The princess was sometimes so bright that she was blinding to look at, Lotor made the shine more manageable, and vise versa.
"Everyone is coming to visit today!" Allura announces throwing her hands wide before clasping them together with a clap. "Coran and I have been preparing the castle all day." There's an unsubtle clearing of a throat and Allura quickly adds, "and of course, Lotor has been helping too. We have all been very hard at work!" Her face splits in a grin as if she just couldn't wait for her castle to be filled with even more people.
"Yeah and I've been baking all day!" A familiar husky shape announces from behind the white haired prince who still stood in the door way, he must have heard the voices and come to see what was up. Lotor moves himself away from the door way so Hunk's grinning face could be seen by the room, the yellow paladin seemed to be vibrating with excitement.
Keith eyes the new group suspiciously from the chair, his face just barely visible behind Lance's lanky form. "Who exactly is coming?" He asks, clearly not liking the idea of the castle being full. Lance pats his knee comfortingly but sits up looking questioningly at the princess to hear the answer.
Allura had made her way over to Pidge and was wiggling Maes' chubby hands, pausing she seemed to ponder on the question before turning around to meet the room's gaze with a small smile. "Shay and Matt."
Lance collapses back against Keith with an exaggerated sigh, "Man Allura! You had me thinking the whole universe was coming to the castle." The paladins chuckled with their agreements.
"Paladins please, why would I have so many people come to visit a newborn? Think of the dangers!" Allura explains as if it was the simplest thing in the universe, waving her hand to dismiss the subject, turning back to Maes to squeeze his leg.
He lets out a squeal and kicks his leg out of the princess' grip. "I think he's ticklish." Pidge laughs holding her son closer, she didn't think it would ever be possible to love another being quite as much as she loved the baby she held, well and Shiro of course.
*~*~*
Matt was the first to arrive to the Castle of Lions, dropped off Jetpack style by the still active rebellion. Sure they were more of a humanitarian group now, but they kept the name.
As soon as Matt saw Maes it was love at first sight, and the Holts hadn't separated for even a second since his arrival. "Where's the baby?" The newly named Uncle asked, "There he is!" Maes squealed and kicked his legs, absolutely besides himself even though this was around their hundredth round of peek-a-boo.
"He's such a happy baby." Matt commented without looking up, "Nothing like you were Pidge. He must take after Shiro."
Pidge reaches out to punch her brother's shoulder with a thunk, and again Maes cries out with laughter his little cheeks reddening with the effort it took. "Was that funny Little Lion?" She asked reaching down and picking him up.
"No, it wasn't." Matt claimed rubbing his sore shoulder, his little sister wasn't so little anymore and a punch from a paladin of Voltron even as a joke hurt like hell.
Maes laid his head against his mother's chest with a hum and reached up with a single hand to grab onto her honey colored hair. Pidge swings them around the room in a slow dance, knowing her son was probably ready for a nap after all the games.
"Doesn't he look just like Shiro?" Pidge asked her brother to keep up conversation. She had learned that if there was noise around the room, then her Little Lion would fall asleep faster. It was almost as if the more the baby boy wanted to stay up, the quicker he was to fall asleep, and it was truly the cutest thing.
"Sure, but he has Dad's eye color." Matt replies, referring to the golden amber of Maes' eyes. He was right, they were definitely a good two shades lighter than the two siblings. "You know, I've never known a new born to look around like he does." They watch Maes force his eyes open and gaze around curiously before slowly shutting once more. "Are you sure he was only born two weeks ago?" Matt asked, while folding the blanket he and Maes had been laying on.
"Yup, And I would show you proof but Allura's super Altean birthing pod healed everything right up." She answered, holding Maes with one hand and motioning to her waist and bellow with her other.
"I don't want to know." Matt said, scrunching his nose and placing the neatly folded blanket across one of the crib's railings.
As soon as Pidge was sure Maes had fallen asleep, the door slid open and revealed a smirking Lance. "How's my little potato nephew!" He called walking into the room.
Pidge closed her eyes and took a deep breath to stop herself from snapping at the well meaning, but very idiotic, blue paladin. Although she knew a little conversation was like a lullaby to Maes, he was still a baby and would wake up at sudden noises, such as a lanky uncle popping into the room. Sure enough Pidge felt the tiny hand in her hair tighten into a fist and she opened her eyes to see her son's face smooshed up in an 'I'm ready to cry' face.
Pidge raises her gaze to glare at Lance a few choice words for him coming to mind, but as she looks away she feels the grip on her hair loosen and a chubby hand falls against her neck. Maes opens his round light colored eyes to gaze over at Lance, the pout gone from his lips.
The Green paladin released a breath she hadn't known she was holding and shakes her head, this child was way too much like his father. "Lance what did I tell you about calling my baby a potato?" She asks.
Lance forces out a chuckle, well aware he narrowly escaped a brutal yelling. "But just look at how chubby and cute he is." He explains coming over to squeeze one of Maes' legs.
Pidge allows him to gush but still glares, "A potato is neither cute nor chubby." She huffs, repositioning Maes so he sat facing forward.
"I think Hunk would beg to differ." Lance shoots back, taking advantage of the new position to rub the baby's little stomach. Pidge rolls her eyes but a smile tugs on her lips signaling a win for the Cuban paladin.
Matt, who had been watching from over by the crib, shakes his head, and gives a heartily laugh but he had always been a sucker for stupid jokes. He stares at his little nephew for a moment before looking up at his sister with a sad smile. "I wish Mom and Dad were here to see him."
"I already sent some pictures to them." She assured her brother, "Hunk and I were able to rig a high speed shuttle that should take around a week to get to earth from here and I've already sent them two rounds of pictures." She explained, gently grabbing one of Maes' hands and bouncing it up and down.
"So when is Shay supposed to get here?" Lance asks trying to change the subject to a more pleasant one. Just as Pidge had opened her mouth to tell him she didn't know Allura's voice came on the over head. "The Castle of Lions welcomes our second visitor! Everyone to the bridge please."
"I guess now." Matt says with a shrug, walking toward the door. The sudden noise must have scared Maes making the baby's pink lip tremble threateningly, he lets out a sharp cry and Pidge immediately has him flipped around and pressing into her chest.
His little hand shoots up to the very roots of her hair and stays tangled there. His crying fades down to tiny hiccups and Pidge rubs his back soothingly, "Does that hurt?" Lance asks leaning forward to get a better look.
Pidge looks up at Lance curiously before realizing he was referring to the baby hand currently tangled in her hair. "Not at all, I think it calms him down. Now let's go greet Shay." It looked like Maes' nap would have to be put off indefinitely.
*~*~*
The Holt crew, plus Lance, files out on to the bridge. Hunk already had his arm wrapped around Shay's waist while Allura, Coran, and Lotor stand a little ways off.
As soon as Shay saw Pidge she peeled herself away from Hunk and makes her way over to the green paladin leaving a pouting yellow one behind.
"Greetings Pidge. My greatest congratulations to you, your mate and your son." The balmarian exclaims clasping her hands in front of her.
"Thank you Shay, would you like to hold him?" Pidge asks, bouncing Maes so that he faced forward once more. His nose was still red from his most recent cry, but he gave the room a happy smile none the less.
Shay's yellow eyes go big, as if she couldn't believe that the new mom would offer such a thing. Pidge laughs and nods holding Maes out carefully with an encouraging smile.
The large Balmaria takes the baby with the upmost care, holding Maes just slightly out in front of her. Hunk comes up behind her and gently brings the dark haired baby closer to Shay's body, shifting the baby so he rested on comfortably on her chest. Shay's face breaks out in a splitting smile her gaze flickering from Maes to Hunk in a excited frenzy.
Off to the side Lance and Matt began debating, rather heatingly, the meaning and importance of Schoolhouse Rock. Allura and Coran both lean in to try and understand what the exactly the earthings meant by a 'Tyrannosaurus Debt'.
Pidge steps back from the cooing couple to give them a moment alone with her son, but she isn't alone for long as a familiar purple Prince looms next to her. "Pidge, how are you feeling." Lotor asks in his ringing accent.
"I'm completely fine. More than fine really." She assures him waving her hand to brush him off.
"Yes well the last time you said that..." he trailed off knowing the paladin knew exactly what he was talking about.
Pidge laughs remembering what he must have gone through during that time. "Right, well I really am fine this time. Healthy as a whistle." Lotor glances at her peculiarly, not getting the last part. "Anyway where's Shiro?" She asked brushing past his questioning look.
"He and Keith are running drills with their lions-" Lotor began. "We were running drills with the Lion." Red paladin corrects cutting the prince off, walking toward them.
"Really Keith was just flying circles around Black and I." Shiro complained from behind Keith, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly.
Keith shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Red is our fastest Lion, what did you expect?" Lance took this time to go over and wrap his arms around his boyfriend. "I can attest to that, when I flew Red she just wanted to go faster and faster. Kind of like Keith in-" he was cut off as Keith whipped around and covered the paladin's mouth and nose.
The red paladin had his eyes closed and his face was slowly turning to match the color of his jacket. "Lance." He practically hissed before releasing the man. Lance took a deep breath of air once he was freed and glared at Keith, "I was just going to say in training!" He shouted indigently.
Keith some how gets even redder and looks down at his shoes, "I know." Shiro rested a large hand on the poor paladin's shoulder and turned to the newest member of the group. "Shay, how was your travels?" He asked smoothly switching the subject.
Shay's yellow eyes flash up to meet Shiro's dark ones, "Adequate. I have never liked traveling far from my home, but for this I find the troubles to be worth it." She explains truthfully returning her gaze to the baby she held.
"I am most glad to hear that Shay, please know that you are welcomed in the Castle of Lions for as long as you wish." Allura stated kindly. Hunk looks over to the princess and nods his thanks, a classic Hunk smile plastered on his face. It was a common occurrence for the yellow paladin to be in good spirits, but Pidge always thinks he looks the happiest when Shay was around.
Shiro came over to Pidge and leaned down for a quick peck before straightening out. The room formed itself into a makeshift circle none of them bothering to find a place to sit and was filled with idle chatter as the paladins caught up with old friends.
*~*~*
Hello!
Special thanks to my amazing editor ninja_nerd18 for looking over this chapter. Without her this thing would be riddled with countless miss spellings and other foolish errors. But that's not to say it's now completely perfect because we are still human and this by no means is a professional work.
Anywayyyy thanks for reading and please don't forget to like and comment! Next chapter I may or may not have a special surprise planned for y'all so keep your eyes peeled, I'm hoping to get it out by next week but I am a college student so bear with me (:
~Dearest