Love heals all wounds -Klance -

Chapter 10✨

Once everything had been cleaned up and Keith had been moved into the healing pod kicking and screaming, everything seemed to have calmed down. The baby Galra slept soundly wrapped in his blanket, in a makeshift cradle set up next to Keith's pod. It seemed that the baby could sense his momma's close proximity, and so he didn't put up too much of a fuss.

Pidge placed a curious hand over the glass of Keith's healing pod, noting the dark circles beneath his eyes and puffiness of his skin. It's as if, somehow, he had aged immensely in just this short year. While that could be true of all of them, they were all nearly run ragged defending the universe after all. The rest of the paladins quietly hovered over the baby, curious, but none enough so to venture any closer. Coran seemed occupied pressing some buttons on the healing pod, and the princess had returned to the helm of their ship to find somewhere safe to dock for a while.

"How long do you think he'll need to be in here?" Pidge motioned to Coran, still muddling with something beside her.

"Shouldn't be too long. Or can't I should say. The baby will need to nurse eventually. We have some baby formula on board, but it is in no way designed for a Galran baby and there's not much left of it now. But there should be enough left to let Keith heal a little bit and calm down, at the very least."

Pidge and the others gave a silent nod. None of them could ever imagine Keith holding the baby, let alone nurse it. The look in Keith's eye's when he'd caught glimpse of the baby had been. . . frightening. After a few hours people began to mingle out, back to doing their own things. Coran stayed behind, insistent on watching the baby while Keith was recovering. No one was too keen to jump on that one, so everyone agreed and fled the room in their own time. Everyone except Lance.

"Lance, you can go. I know it's been a stressful day for all of us, but especially you, during delivery. I don't think he could have done it without you," Coran spoke between yawns.

Lance eyed Coran carefully. He looked tired, behind his happy-all-knowing façade, as if he hadn't slept in days. Thinking about it, he probably hadn't; between the Galra attack, Keith's delivery, and now watching the baby, it had been well over 24 hours. Lance felt bad for him.

"Hey Coran, I'll watch the baby. You go get some rest, it looks like you need it."

Coran puffed up at that, "You calling me ugly?"

They both laughed at that. Eventually Coran gave up and gave Lance some basic baby instructions before leaving the room.

"If you need anything, just call for me!" Coran said, and then the door closed.

Finally alone, Lance inched up to the baby's cradle. He looked nothing like Keith, but his big fluffy ears sure were cute. The baby stirred, wrinkling its nose a bit, though not waking. Lance sat down next to the cradle so he could be eye level with the baby, but still have a good view of Keith from the corner of his eye.

"Heya, baby," Lance cooed in what must have been his sad attempt at a baby voice, "I'm Lance. But I guess you don't have a name just yet."

Lance chuckled.

"Your momma is one of the most stubborn, angry, and reclusive person I know, but I know he also has a gentler side in him. I hope you can bring it out of him, little baby."

He sighed, facing the healing pod quietly.

"I hope you get to see it."

Lance reached out his hand, the baby clutching his finger with his tiny ones.

"I only hope."

Lance had baby duty for a few hours while Coran slept but nothing much happened. Keith still stood inanimate in the healing pod, a neutral look on his face as opposed to his usual scowl. The baby had been fed from a bottle with what little formula the ship had on board but they would need a lot more very soon. And three days passed like that, nothing eventful, the ship completely silent as if everyone on it was holding their breath.