Taking A Chance

Little Molly

'I don't recognise the ship design,’ Allura said.
‘It's...Earth design,’ Pidge said.
‘But how did it get way out here?' asked Hunk.
'Are there any life signs?' asked Shiro.
‘It's hard to tell, I cari get a clear signal,’ Pidge said.
‘I'll go and bring into the hanger,’ Shiro said.
The rest of the Paladins made their way down to the biggest hanger and waited for Shiro to bring the ship in.
Once the ship was brought in, Shiro landed Black next to it and they cautiously made their way on, bayards at the ready. The sthips door slid open and the lights overhead flicked to reveal bodies strewn everywhere. Blood pooled on the floor and was spattered over the walls.
‘Oh god,’ Pidge muttered.
Keith and Lance moved further in hoping to find someone alive.
They turned when they heard a weak cough. On the floor, under a man who looked to be trying to protect her, they found a woman. They moved him gently out of the way. Lance sat down and pulled the woman up and sat her with her back against his chest.
She blinked up at them. The wound in her stomach was severe.
‘C...can...you look...after Molly, I…want her…looked after…by humans,’ the woman said.
Keith crouched down. ‘Who's Molly?’ he asked.
The woman weakly pointed to a supply crate next to her.
Standing, Keith opened it and his eyes widened. Lance frowned as Keith reached in and lifted out a baby. She had chubby little cheeks and curly blonde hair.
‘How old is she?' asked Lance.
‘13 months,’ she muttered. ‘Please…please look after her.’ The woman push an old Earth phone into his hand. ‘Photos and film of…us together. .Let..Let her know…how much…we love her.’
‘We will,’ Lance murmured.
The woman smiled and went limb in his arms. Reaching up Lance felt for a pulse. He looked up at Keith and shook his head.
Lance lay the woman down and moved over to Keith and looked down at the baby in his arms.
‘I guess we're dad's,' murmured Lance. ‘I don't know about you, but I can't go back on my word.’
‘Neither can I,’ said Keith. ‘Um, but I don't know anything about babies.’
‘I do. I have younger siblings,’ Lance said, he pushed the phone into thes back pocket. looking in the crate he found Molly had been nestled in blankets and baby clothes. ‘These will come in handy.’ He held up some of the clothes.
‘Hey everyone,’ called Hunk. ‘This ship is full of Earth supplies and food.’
Keith and Lance made their way back to the others.
‘A baby,' Pidge said, drawing everyone's attention.
Lance told them what had happened with Molly's mother.
‘That's so sad,' Hunk sniffed.
‘I know this will be a horrible job, but there are items there we can use,’ Shiro said, sadly. ‘It's not going to help any of them now, so Iet's unload the supplies we can use,’ said Shiro. ‘I’ll then take the ship back out and destroy it.‘
Keith tried giving Molly to Pidge to look after while the helped with the grim job of moving dead bodies out of the way, and unloaded the ship, but as soon as he let her go, Molly started screaming and crying and she only settled down when Keith took her back.
‘I guess you're on baby sitting duties,’ said Shiro. ‘Why don't you remove some of the smaller items, and we’ll take care of the big stuff.’
It took hours of work, but when they were finished Shiro took the ship back out and fired on it blowing it up.
Keith had separated out all the items Molly would need and now stood in front of a large pile.
‘This is a lot of stuff,’ said Keith. ‘The cot’s going to take up room.‘
‘Yep, how are we going to do this?’ asked Lance. ‘I would rather have Molly be with someone over night, in case she's scared.'
‘Then it would make sense for us to share a room, since we pretty much do now anyway,’ said Keith. ‘And since I have the least stuff, I should move into yours.’
Lance blinked at him. ‘What...move in together?'
Keith looked over at him, eyes wide. ‘Too soon?’ he asked worried.
‘Hell no,' grinned Lance. ‘It was just you said it so matter of factly, it took me by surprise.’
Keith gave a soft laugh. ‘If we do that, we can store everything else in my room, and move Molly in there when she is older and settled.
‘Good plan,’ Lance said, kissing Keith.
Shiro saw AlIura standing in the hanger doorway. Lance kissed Keith and Shiro saw tears fall down her cheeks as she rushed out the door.
Shiro frowned. He knew Lance had flirtered with her, but he never made it a secret that he was gay, did she not understand?
Shiro followed her and found herin the corridor crying.
‘Princess?’
She looked at him a moment before looking away.
‘Princess, I thought you understood Lance was gay,’ Shiro said.
‘I do,’ she murmured. ‘But I didn't know Keith was. I knew he and Lance were close, but until I saw them kiss I didn't believe it.‘
Shiro frowned. ‘He's bisexual, he likes both men and women.‘ Shiro felt anger rise in him. ‘Why do you care anyway?'
‘Before he went to the Blade, we had a relationship,’ she said. ‘I still love him.’
She started to cry harder.
‘You tried to kill him,’ spat Shiro, ‘that's not love.’
She ran down the corridor until all he could here were her sobs echoing in the silence.
‘Damn it,' muttered Shiro as he went into the hanger. He strode over to Keith and took the top of his arm roughly.
‘We need to talk, now,' Shiro said dragging him
‘Hey,’ said Lance. ‘What the hell.’
‘Give us a minute, Lance,’ Shiro said.
‘Just wait here,’ said Adam. ‘I'll find out what's going on.'
Adam caught up with them as they stopped away from everyone else.
Keith frowned at hirn. ‘What's gotten into you?’
‘You need to tell Lance about the Princess,’ Shiro snapped, ‘before she says something to him.’
‘That was over a year ago, I broke it off two weeks before going to the Blade.'
‘She's still in love with you,’ Shiro said.
Adam frowned. ‘She shot him.'
‘I know, right,' said Shiro, in disbelief. ‘But she might say something to Lance out of spite. You need to tell him first.’
Keith nodded. With heart racing he went over to Lance. He had no idea how he was going to react to the news.
‘What's going on?' asked Lance.
‘I need to tell you something,' said Keith, ‘but I need you to understand it happened before I went to the Blade.’
‘Okay,’ said Lance, slowly.
‘I had a brief relationship with the Princess,' Keith said.
‘You fucked the Princess,' Lance practically yelled, and all attention turned to them.
‘I broke it of weeks before I left,' Keith said.
‘You mean before you ran away,’ Lance snapped.
‘I didn't run away,' said Keith, ‘and I broke it off because I knew I'd never be able to love her, no matter how much I tried.’
‘Oh yeah, and why's that?’ Lance demanded.
‘Because I was in love with you, you idiot,' Keith snapped.
Lance looked at him and then at Molly in Keith's arms. He realised he was looking at his family. The man he loved more than anything in the world, and the baby they were going to call their daughter. Stepping over to them, Lance wrapped his arms around them, and kissed Keith. Unable to stop himself, Keith purred.
‘Did he just…’ began Shiro, pointing at Keith.
‘…purr,’ finished Adam, nodding.
'That was unexpected,' Hunk said, with wide eyes.
‘That's so cute,' Pidge said. She ran over to them. ‘Do you purr when you two have...’
‘Pidge,’ Shiro warned.
‘What?’ she said, innocently.
‘Just don't,’ Shiro said shaking his head.
'Fine,’ she whined, and walked away from them.
‘I can't believe I did that,' groaned Keith, resting his forehead on Lance's shoulder.
Lance chuckled. ‘I think it's sexy,’ he said in a low voice. ‘I like that I can make you feel good enough to do it, even by just kissing you.’
‘There's no doubt about that,' Keith murmured.
Molly reached out to Lance, and he took her from Keith. The others waited for her to start screaming, but it didn't happen.
Lance grinned. ‘It's like she knows we're both her new parents,’ he said. ‘Hey little girl. Daddy and Papa are going to look after you, and make sure you're safe.’ In response, Molly made a gurgling sound at them.