So this is definitely not very linear or super well written. To be honest, I came up with the idea just an hour-ish ago, so I wrote it all before I forgot it. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks. Also, no editing! Takes place before the series and at the beginning of season two. Keith has been deaged a year as well.

Thanks for reading!

In Keith's defence, he thought everyone knew. It wasn't like he hid anything. Not about that, at least. But he supposed in hindsight, he should have known.

It started back when he'd just enrolled in the Garrison. One of the students, Matt Holt, tried to befriend him. At first, Keith was pretty reluctant. Matt was two years older than him and, not cool, but older. Also, Keith was pretty sure making friends with people younger than you just wasn't something people did.

Against all odds though, he and Matt became friends. Pretty good ones, too. It wasn't long before he was invited over to Matt's house during one of the weekends when Garrison students could go home if they lived close by. At first, Keith was reluctant. Matt was fifteen and his dad was Commander Holt. In the end, he accepted though.

Once he got there it was fun. He and Matt played video games and hung out together. Then Katie arrived. She was four years younger than Matt and two years younger than him, but Keith wasn't afraid to admit that she was probably smarter than him. Matt too, if he was being honest.

She was actually pretty cool. She joined them for some video games and beat them soundly. At the end of the night, she stayed up just as late as them and actually screamed less at a scary movie that she wasn't supposed to see.

The next morning he and Katie traded phone numbers. From that day on, they texted each other at least once a day and called each other a time or two a week. They talked about anything and everything, from the desert to aliens.

If Keith had to list all of his friends, Shiro, Matt, and Katie would be the only ones on the list. He started calling her Pidge too, even changed her name in his phone. It was Matt's nickname for her, but she hated it so much it was just fun to call her it.

The years went by and Keith came over to their house regularly and he started to notice something different about Katie. When he was fifteen and she was thirteen she followed him around and kept talking to him. All. The. Time. Keith didn't really understand it, and when he mentioned it to Shiro, the man only smiled.

He mentioned it to Matt next, who actually laughed. Unlike Shiro, however, he explained it.

"I think she has a crush on you," Matt sniggered. "She hasn't stopped talking about you for a few months." Here he adopted a high pitched voice: "'Oh, Matt, do you think Keith will like this outfit? Matt, when is Keith coming over again? Matt, aren't Keith's eyes the dreamiest?'"

Keith could feel his whole face turn red. "Shut up."

Matt laughed harder. "Aww, does little Keithy have a crush on Pidge?"

Keith knew Matt was joking. He knew that Matt didn't actually think he had a crush on Katie. And he didn't.

Keith didn't think about it any more until he was sixteen. He'd been spending a lot of time with Katie, even when Matt wasn't around. They'd play video games together. He'd sit through her enthusiastic lectures on various mechanical things and she'd listen to him talk about flying.

Then he started to notice a few things like he was staring at her more and more often. He couldn't stop thinking about her and how she laughed and snorted every time she found something super funny. What was wrong with him?

He couldn't like Katie. She was his best friend's younger sister. But… she was also his friend. Just like Matt and Shiro were his friends. Why was he even thinking about it? Why couldn't he stop?

And for a month he couldn't help but avoid her texts, phone calls, and seeing her in general. Then Shiro came and told him about the mission him, Matt, and Commander Holt had been given to fly to Kerberos. Matt was young to be going on it, but he was also the son of someone pretty high up, so he got special privileges.

Keith was happy for them, he was, but he didn't want two of his three friends to leave. Only, he hadn't really been treating one of his friends like a friend. He'd been ignoring her and avoiding her.

Keith felt guilty suddenly, so he skipped class, snuck away from the Garrison, and went to Katie's high school. She was a freshman, and apparently, she hated it. Or the people, at least. Not that anyone was mean to her, just that, as she'd told him, none of them cared about knowing anything.

When the bell rang and people began to spill out of the school, he got a few strange looks, but people mostly ignored him. Then he saw the person he was looking for. Katie's hair was in its usual side ponytail. Her bangs were hanging in front of her eyes.

He walked over to her quickly and tapped her shoulder. Katie turned to look at him. Shock was clear, as was surprise. And irritation. That was fair though. And he wasn't mad at her for it.

"Do you wanna go for a walk?" he asked. "I wanted to talk to you."

Katie shifted her backpack on her shoulder. She was considering his offer, he could tell. And she was just as likely to say no as she was to say yes. It was a toss-up. It could go either way.

"Fine," she finally sighed. "Okay."

She started walking and Keith followed her. She looked mad now. Really mad. She didn't say anything for the longest time. Until they were at an empty park. She took a seat on one of the swings and gestured for him to join her.

"Why weren't you talking to me?" she asked.

Keith winced. "A dumb reason," he said. "I just, Shiro and Matt are going soon and I realized I'd only have one friend left. Then I realized I hadn't really been a very good friend. I'm sorry."

Katie tilted her head, seeming to consider his words. "Okay, I guess that makes sense. I missed you too, Keith."

They sat in silence swinging for a few more minutes. Finally, Katie stood up.

"Wanna go play some video games at my house? You're skipping, you may as well have fun."

Keith shrugged, but he was smirking.

They went back to her house and spent the rest of the day playing video games before Keith had to leave. It was dark. Katie followed him out the door, arms crossed.

"You know, you never told me why you weren't talking to me?"

The question was clear. Suddenly Keith felt very brave. Katie was standing close to him. They were barely five inches apart. He leaned forward and kissed her.

Katie stiffened briefly before returning the kiss gently. They separated. Keith was feeling giddy like he was floating on a cloud. Katie was smiling softly. The tips of her ears were red.

"Um," she stuttered. "That was… thanks, Keith. That was nice."

Keith rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, that was, Katie."

"Should we, do you wanna, maybe… do this again sometime?" she asked shyly.

Keith didn't look at her. "Um, yeah. I'd… I'd really like that."

And from there it was history. They started… Keith wasn't sure what to call their relationship. They didn't exactly hide it, but neither of them were very touchy people either. They really only kissed occasionally, during special moments. They held hands a little more often, mostly when they were watching TV together or walking. They were dating. That was what they were.

Keith was sure Matt knew, but his friend never said anything. Shiro probably knew too, if the looks he gave Keith whenever he said he was going to hang out with Katie were anything to judge.

Then the mission happened. Shiro, Matt, and Commander Holt were declared dead. And Keith was just… he was so mad. Katie was too. Then Keith got kicked out of the Garrison.

They stayed together through it all. Through Keith getting kicked out and Katie getting banned. They texted and met up occasionally. Keith looked for answers in the desert and Katie did the same in the Garrison, under the disguise of Pidge Gunderson.

Then Shiro arrived back and it was all a blur. He didn't really have a chance to talk to Katie until after forming Voltron for the first time. And when he did, well, she was so happy that her brother and dad were alive. They kissed right there in the hallway of the Castle of Lions.

Nothing changed. He knew Katie didn't want to tell anyone she was a girl yet. But she didn't seem to care about them dating. Really, it was only luck no one caught on. Then she wanted to leave and he yelled at her. He could see the hurt in her eyes and he knew he messed up.

After the whole mess, while Lance was in the healing pod, Keith apologized. It was… awkward. He knew he'd messed up. But Katie was a better person than him. She knew why he'd said it. And she forgave him, somehow. She understood, even.

Then one day when they were relaxing after getting separated, Keith came into the living room area. Katie was on her laptop, predictably. Keith jumped over the top of the couch and slung his arm around her shoulders. Katie paused briefly, looked up at him, and went back to work.

No one else's reaction ( other than Shiro) was that blaise, however. Lance gaped. Hunk's eyes popped out of his head pretty much. Coran looked bemusedly between the two. Allura seemed caught somewhere between shock and… something else. Keith didn't know though.

No one said anything though. Not until right before Keith was about to go to his room and sleep, at least. He was cornered by Lance and Hunk. The space mice were there too, so he was sure they'd be reporting to Allura about whatever happened.

"What was up with you and Pidge earlier?" Lance hissed. Behind him, Hunk nodded his head vigorously.

"What do you mean?" Keith asked, confused. Sure, he'd thought their reactions were interesting, but he also thought they knew about him and Katie. He thought it was obvious.

"You put your arm around her!" Lance said. His own arms were waving wildly.

"And?" Keith asked.

Lance slapped his face and Hunk stepped forward. "We were wondering what was up with that?"

Keith raised an eyebrow, and that was when it hit him. They didn't know.
"Traditionally, why do people do that, Hunk?"

Hunk's eyebrows furrowed. "So you and her? How long?"

"Since a few months before Kerberos," Keith told them. "I've known her since I was thirteen."

"And you never told us?" Lance yelped.

"I thought you knew," he admitted.

Lance slapped his face again. "You might be the most annoyingly oblivious person I know."

Keith shrugged again. "I've been called worse."