Chapter Text
"Hurtful Teasing"
Keith was glad his dads were living on the castle ship with him. He couldn't believe he was a Paladin of Voltron, but he had been on an infiltration mission on a Galra ship, and a large robotic red lion reacted to him. He couldn't bear to leave her there. Kolivan wasn't exactly happy with him but understood what happened. His kit was fated to pilot the Red Lion. All four of his dads from the Blade of Marmora went with him when he went to talk to the other Paladins and the Altean princess.
That had been a few deca-phoebes ago. Keith was still considered a kit by the Blades, but they knew his duties as a Paladin were important. When he wasn't on missions, he acted like a kit. He napped in their nest, play fought with them, and sought affection from them. He also made Galran noises; chirps, purrs, whines, and whimpers. The other Paladins didn't understand Galra culture, so they didn't understand why Keith did certain things or made certain sounds, even though he looked human.
The Paladins were all on the training deck, finishing up their group session, when the Blades entered. Keith perked up and chirped, bounding over to his dads and flinging himself at Antok, who flipped him over his shoulder. Keith tucked himself into a roll before popping to his feet with a little playful growl. Antok grinned under his mask as he play fought with his kit.
The other three Blades alternated between watching their kit play fight and observing the other Paladins' reactions. They knew the Blue Paladin liked to tease their kit, but, judging by the expressions on the other three's faces, they weren't too far behind.
Once Keith was done, Antok threw him over his shoulder and marched over to the rest of the Blades. He deposited their kit in the middle of their pack. Thace started grooming Keith's headfur, removing the sweat he worked up. Keith started purring in response as he always did.
"I can't believe the Blades are Galra. Galra are vicious, but the Blades are just pussycats," Hunk said.
"Keith is just a kitten! He's purring!" Lance exclaimed.
"I thought I was the youngest Paladin!" Pidge mentioned.
"Maybe I was wrong to agree to having Keith on the team," Shiro added. "He still seems to need to play."
Keith whimpered, hearing his teammates' comments. He had always had an issue trying to balance his Paladin duties with his kit needs, but he was trying his best not to mix the two. Kolivan pulled his kit closer to his chest but not away from Thace, who kept grooming him. Keith nuzzled Kolivan's chest, careful to not dislodge Thace's tongue. "Father."
"It's all right, kit. You did nothing wrong. Nothing at all. The Paladins just don't understand."
Antok wrapped his tail around Keith's waist in a type of hug, put a clawed hand on the back of Keith's neck, and gave a slight squeeze. It was a soothing movement for kits of any age. Keith's subsequent purr could be heard in his voice. "Dad. That feels nice."
Ulaz stepped over and rubbed Keith's back, making sure to not catch his claws in the fabric of Keith's shirt. "Kit, do you want to go back to the nest?"
"Yes, Papa. I would like to."
Thace stopped grooming Keith's headfur and wrapped an arm around Keith's shoulders. The other three Blades released their hold on their kit. "Come with me, kit. The other three are going to have a talk with the other Paladins before joining us."
Keith nuzzled Thace before they started walking. "Yes, Daddy."
The three Blades and the four Paladins watched as Thace and Keith walked out of the training deck. Once the doors closed, Antok started growling at the Paladins. The Garrison trio shrunk back and hid behind Shiro, who was a second away from activating his arm.
Kolivan placed a hand on Antok's shoulder and shook his head. Antok stopped growling, and Kolivan approached the Paladins. "Why were you cruel to Keith?"
"We weren't cruel. It was just teasing," Lance corrected.
"He didn't grow up on Earth. He doesn't get the different social situations and cues. He grew up Galra. In our culture, he is a kit. He has kit instincts and tendencies," Ulaz explained.
"You hurt him," Antok almost snarled.
Kolivan turned around and rumbled to Antok, who hummed in return. The leader reached out and ran a hand down the other's mask in an approximation of a caress. Antok gave a soft purr before he left the training deck. Kolivan turned back around to face the Paladins.
"Should we explain ourselves or apologize to Keith?" Shiro asked.
"He does not need an explanation, and apologies are just words. He just needs reassurance from us that he is all right and that this experience will not reoccur," Kolivan replied.
"Now, you four should think about what you did, preferably either in your rooms or the lounge, and we are going to see to our kit," Ulaz ordered.
The two Blades watched as the Paladins left the training deck with the Black Paladin dragging the Blue Paladin, who was still insisting that he was just having a bit of fun. Once the door closed again, Kolivan turned to Ulaz with his eyes widened in what Ulaz could tell was amusement. "You just put the Paladins in time out like they were kits."
"Well, except for Shiro, they are younger than Keith. Besides, it's effective."
"No doubt. I hope they get through to the Blue Paladin. He seems unusually stubborn about this. Now, let's go comfort our kit."
The two Blades exited the training deck and walked to their nest room. They entered the room and were met with a heartwarming scene. Keith was sandwiched between two of his dads. Keith had his face buried in Antok's neck. Antok, who had his mask off, had his tail wrapped around Keith's waist. Their kit loved Antok's tail, so the second-in-command made sure to use his tail when he comforted Keith or played with him.
Thace was behind Keith, nuzzling his neck, effectively burying his face in the longer strands of Keith's headfur. Keith was purring loudly at the affection. Kolivan and Ulaz entered the nest and joined in the cuddle pile. Kolivan carefully maneuvered himself under Keith, so his kit was laying on top of him. Ulaz sat down between Kolivan's head and Thace's head and ran his claws through the top of Keith's headfur.
"You are all right, kit. The Paladins won't be doing that again," Ulaz told him.
Kolivan smiled at Keith. "Ulaz put them in time out."
Keith jerked his head out of Antok's fur, being careful not to knock his head against any of his dads'. "They're in time out?"
"Yes," Ulaz replied.
Keith giggled as he settled back into Antok's chest. "I hope they learn their lesson. They won't enjoy the next punishment."
Fin