There will not be a chapter next week (April 19), since I'm taking a week off to focus solely on my short fics for Kidgeweek. So watch out for the next update on April 26!

Chapter 4

ALTEA – CASTLE OF LIONS

Yorak listened from the door with wide eyes as Shiro and Allura talked. His furred ears twitched slightly, straining to pick up on their words and his tufted tail curled around one leg as his worry spiked.

He knew eavesdropping was bad, but he only wanted to say "hello" and ask if they would play hide-and-seek with him and Uncle Matt, and then he heard them talk about Mom and Dad and how they were gone...!

But weren't they supposed to be gone? They told him they were going on boring adult vacation and he was going to stay with Uncle Matt, grandpa, grandpa, and pawpaw to have a fun vacation! So why were Shiro and Allura talking about it like it was a bad thing? Did something bad happen?

Yorak swallowed the whine that started to build in his throat and rubbed his eyes, trying his best not to cry. He shuffled closer to the door to try and better hear what they were talking about.

"...have to tell him. He's with Matt today, so if we go tell the others first and give them time for the news to sink in, they'll be better prepared for any questions Yorak has," Shiro said.

Allura sighed heavily. "I know you're right. I just wish we didn't have to. He's not even five yet! How are we supposed to tell him that his parents vanished and we aren't sure where they went or how to get them back?!"

Tears spilled over as Yorak backed away from the door, no longer interested in what Shiro and Allura were saying.

Mom and Dad were gone?

But that wasn't right.

They couldn't be.

Yorak wrapped his arms around himself and sniffled. They were wrong. His parents weren't missing and he would prove it.

He raced through the halls, paying no attention to the Alteans he passed by. They were familiar with his boisterous antics anyway and were hardly fazed by the sight of him running. He didn't stop until he was standing in front of his parents' door, panting from exertion. Yorak stood on tiptoe to reach the keypad and hit the buttons in order just like he'd been shown and the door soundlessly slid open.

"Mom?" Yorak called out as he stepped inside. "Dad?" His eyes landed on two people in the room, who stared back at him in surprise, and for a moment there was only silence.

And then Yorak's vision swam as tears filled his eyes. He sniffled as the truth set in; his parents really weren't there. An ugly sob broke free and he started crying in earnest, too overwhelmed to know what else to do.

Pidge and Keith exchanged a startled glance. They'd been quietly reviewing what they learned from Shiro and Allura and trying to come up with their own plans for getting home, when the door opened and presented a whole new unexpected dilemma.

Hearing that she and Keith were married was as much of a surprise as seeing that he had a Galra form. And while Shiro and Allura hadn't said much more about the lives of "Katie" and "Keithir", Pidge had put together her own assessment of them after looking at all of the photographs and shared them with Keith. Some he'd figure out on his own – like the fact that the Galra cub who appeared in later pictures was their son.

The same Galra cub who was sobbing in front of them.

Pidge had no idea what to do. Should she try to comfort him? Or go find someone who knew him? It didn't seem right to leave him alone when he was so obviously distressed, but-

Keith was already moving. He knelt in front of the cub and reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. The cub responded by sobbing louder and latching onto Keith.

"Shh, it's alright," Keith whispered reassuringly.

Pidge moved a little closer, watching in amazement as Keith slowly calmed him down. After a few minutes of soothing words, the cub pulled back and rubbed his eyes, only to freeze again when he got a good look at Keith.

"D-dad?" His lower lip wobbled and for a moment, Pidge thought he might break down again. Violet irises set against gold sclera turned to her next. "Mom? But... but you're so little..."

"We're not exactly..." Pidge faltered, unsure of how to tell him.

"Where's Mom and Dad?" demanded the cub, standing up straighter. "What did you do to them? I want them back!"

"We swapped places with them," Keith explained, keeping his tone calm. (A feat Pidge admired him for, considering the current level of frustration she felt had her teetering on the edge of panic.) "We don't know how yet, but Shiro and Allura have some very smart people working on a way to fix things. And where we came from, I'm sure your mom and dad are looking for a way to get back to you."

Pidge took a deep breath and knelt down next to Keith. "I'm going to help too. I won't give up until you have your parents back, I promise."

The cub gazed at them for a long moment and then nodded. "'kay..." He shuffled his feat, ears twitching as he thought hard about something. "You look like them."

"We're kind of them, but younger," Pidge said. "I'm Pidge and he's Keith."

"I'm Yorak."

At last, a name to go with the face.

Yorak looked much more hopeful, if still (understandably) upset. "You're really gonna help?"

Pidge nodded. "Absolutely."

That was enough for Yorak, who sniffled and rubbed his eyes, composing himself as much as a four-year-old could before leaving without another word. Pidge and Keith sat in silence for a long while, until Keith stood up.

"How did you know what to do? With Yorak?" Pidge asked as she stood as well, stretching out her legs to alleviate the cramped feeling.

Keith shrugged. "I just thought of what my dad would do. The rest was just, I dunno, instinct or something. Kolivan..." He paused to get his thoughts in order. "Kolivan says that's what my gut feelings are. It's Galra instinct."

"I'm glad. I was so busy thinking about what I should do, that all I could do was stand there, overthinking things like always."

"Better than being reckless and impulsive," Keith muttered bitterly, turning his back to her as he walked to the bathroom. He shut the door behind him, signaling the end of that conversation.

Pidge couldn't help but stare after him in wonder. What was that about?

.

.

ORBITING OLKARION – CASTLE OF LIONS

Katie happily sighed as she curled into Keithir, content for the first time since waking in the unfamiliar reality. If not for the fact that her stomach had finally settled and was beginning to grumble, she would have happily stayed in bed with him for a while longer.

"Think they'd be mad if we sneak out to the kitchen?" she asked sleepily.

"They never said we couldn't," Keithir murmured. "Want me to go so you can rest, or do you want to go too?"

Katie reluctantly extricated herself from his arms and shook her head. "No, I'll go too. They might ask us to stay in place after this, so I may as well walk around while we still can. I also want to see if Hunk's there. I bet he'd answer some of the questions we have."

Keithir nodded in agreement and a few doboshes later the pair made their way down the too-quiet hall, thankful that the layout of the Castle of Lions was the same. They arrived unhindered and found Hunk and Lance hanging out in the kitchen. Hunk was busy baking, while Lance played the part of the taste-tester.

It was such a familiar sight, that Katie found herself smiling at the two of them, any trace of apprehension gone.

Hunk noticed them first. "You're here! Wait, are you supposed to be here?"

Keithir answered him the same way he answered Katie earlier. "No one ever said we couldn't."

"Oh, um, yeah. No, I guess we didn't." Hunk looked from them to the food and then back again. "So are you guys hungry?"

"I don't recommend the food goo," Lance spoke up, gesturing for them to join him on the bar stools.

Katie looked a little green. "Yeah, I think I'll pass on that for now. Have anything peanut butter flavored?"

Hunk shook his head. "I haven't managed that yet. What I do have is a bowl of berries that taste kind of like bubblegum, but also kind of not? I think it's just the texture that throws it off and makes it weird. Oh! I have bread!" He excitedly pointed to a loaf that was bright yellow in color with specks of red and orange. "I've been thinking about making a jam to go with it, but I haven't found the right fruit yet. Lance threatened to throw the berries out of an airlock when I tried to use them."

Katie and Keithir settled in next to Lance and listened to Hunk ramble on about his ideas for meals. Lance pushed a bowl of what resembled oatmeal toward them, along with a plate of what Katie recognized as quetzlflakes.

Figuring it was the best of the (clearly experimental) food available, Katie spooned out some for herself and then passed it off to her husband.

"Is it safe?" Keithir wondered out loud.

"Well Lance is still alive. Seems safe to me," Katie said jokingly.

"Ha ha," Lance said dryly, rolling his eyes. "Maybe next time I'll let you taste before I do." There was a pause and then he grinned at them. "Things really aren't so different, are they? I mean, I know this whole war is different for you, but all of us are the same, right?"

Katie took a bite of food and took a moment to chew and swallow before answering. "Everyone seems mostly the same. You and Hunk are just as inseparable in our reality."

Keithir chuckled, but otherwise kept his amusement at her statement hidden.

Hunk perked up at the topic. "Will you tell us about them? Or anything about your reality? You took all that time to listen to us – well, Allura – fill you in on the basics of ours, but all we really know is that the two of you are married."

Katie figured it couldn't hurt. It wasn't like they were dealing with time travel, where they'd have to be careful about what they revealed. Still, she figured she'd start small.

"Well, Coran has recently taken it upon himself to expand his knowledge of courtship in different planets we're allied with. They're highly entertaining to read and I think he inspired Shiro to write his own on what to expect while courting an Altean," Katie told them.

Lance and Hunk listened raptly as Katie talked about whatever silly thing she could think of. And while she'd initially hoped to gather more information for herself, bonding with the younger versions of her friends felt more important.

That was how they spent the rest of their evening; like four old friends catching up on things they'd missed.