Chapter Fourteen:
Pidge tapped a finger against their chin, brow furrowed as they stared down at the tablet that laid on the table before them.
"So?" Lance prompted from where he sat across from Pidge, his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his palm. "Are you going to hack into it by just staring at it? I know you're good, Pidge, but forgive me for being a little skeptical here…"
"This thing has got to be at least twenty years old. That's ancient in tech." Pidge said. "I'm worried that my usual hacking methods—with outside equipment—might destroy it."
"So you can't get into it." Keith said, shoulders slumping some.
"I didn't say that." Pidge said. "I just can't break into it like a Galra command ship computer or even the Garrison's computers. I have to go about it differently."
"You haven't even turned it on yet." Shinji pointed out from where he sat on the table beside Pidge, staring down at the piece of tech as well. "If it will turn on at all."
"It's fully charged." Keith said. "I charged it on Earth, and I've got the charging cord for it."
Pidge made a thoughtful humming noise before reaching out to turn on the tablet.
It took a few seconds for the screen to light up, displaying a photo and six character blocks to enter the password.
"What's the picture of?" Lance asked, standing up to lean over. Then he suddenly grinned and snatched the tablet up. "Aw, I knew there had to be more than one picture of you smiling, Keith! Everyone, come look at this picture of baby Keith!"
"Quiznak, I forgot about that!" Keith said, trying to snatch the tablet out of Lance's hands, but it was too late.
"Awwww!" Lani cooed.
"Oh, how adorable!" Allura squealed, hands clasped before her.
"Aw, you were a cute kid, Keith." Tali said, reaching over to ruffle Keith's hair.
"Oh. Em. Gee! Just look at those cheeks! So precious!" Lance said with a huge grin, shimmying a little at the picture as Keith growled and buried his red face in his hands.
"Ugh, can you just give it back to Pidge already?" Keith snapped.
"You know, if I do get it unlocked, there will probably just be more pictures for them to coo over." Pidge said, holding out their hand for Lance to give the tablet back to them.
"And I'll make sure they are all deleted before they get to see them." Keith said, eyes narrowed as Lance reluctantly handed the tablet back to Pidge.
Pidge took the tablet in both hands, studying the photo on the screen. The photo had both Keith and his mother. Keith was a toddler, sitting on her lap, both smiling wide in front of a small, round cake with three red candles on top.
"Hmm, I wonder…" Pidge said out-loud.
"You wonder what?" Shiro asked.
"I wonder if this photo is a hint to what the password could be." Pidge said. A few taps revealed that only numbers were candidates to fill the spaces. "Keith, you said you tried your birthday as a possible combination?"
"Yeah, my birthday, the date of my third birthday, my mom's birthday, the dates she got her degrees… I can't think of any other six digit combination." Keith said.
"Degrees?" Pidge repeated. "How many degrees did your mom have?"
"Including her high school degree, three. Well, three officially. Technically four." Keith said. "Why?"
"Playing detective here. Take a few stabs at the password before breaking out the heavy equipment." Pidge said. "What were her other degrees in?"
"Her Bachelors' degree and her Masters' were in astronomy and astrophysics." Keith said. "She died a week before her dissertation for her Ph.D. was approved, so it was received posthumously."
"Maybe the password has something to do with space, then." Hunk suggested from where he sat beside Pidge. "Did your Mom have a particular aspect that she liked to study? Like a certain planet or stuff she was just really interested in?"
"She loved it all." Keith said. "The university paid her tuition as a Ph.D. student in exchange for her teaching a few Astronomy 101 classes. She taught one class late in the evenings after school got out and she didn't want me to have a baby-sitter, so I would sit under the desk and play or read while she lectured. But it wasn't so much as a lecture as it was… I don't know if there's a word for it. She was so passionate. Planets, stars, comets, other galaxies… She loved everything."
"Well, that narrows nothing down." Lance said. "Space is huge."
Pidge, however, was determined.
"We'll figure it out." Pidge said. "After all, there's only nine hundred thousand possible combinations."
"Only?" Shiro said, arching an eyebrow.
"Hey, that's not bad, all things considering." Pidge said. "What about hobbies?"
"Mom did hapkido when she was a kid, but she didn't practice it much after high school, apparently." Keith said. "But… She always seemed to be surrounded by these number puzzles."
"Like… Sudoku?" Lani asked.
"No," Keith said, shaking his head. "More like these really complicated calculus and physics-type equations."
Pidge suddenly sat up straighter and dug into the pocket of their pants, pulling out a small spiral notebook.
"Like this?" Pidge asked, flipping over the pages until landing on a page that was covered with notes and equations, Pidge's handwriting not the only one on the page, and the other Paladins quickly recognized it as Hunk's.
Keith's brow furrowed, then his eyes widened some with recognition.
"Yeah, a little like that." He said, nodding.
Pidge grinned widely.
"The combination options maybe just got a bit smaller." They said, flipping to a new page and pulling out a pen. "Hunk, help me out here."
"Huh? With what?" Hunk asked.
"Help me remember all repetitive Fibonacci-like digits up to six integers." Pidge said, scribbling a few digits down.
"Base ten or base twelve?" Hunk asked, leaning over.
"Predominately base ten, but any base twelve numbers that only contain numerals." Pidge said
The two worked on this list for several minutes, to the confusion of everyone else at the table, both spouting out seemingly random numbers and Pidge jotting them down.
"Okay, I think that's all of them." Hunk said and Pidge nodded with agreement.
"Mind explaining what the heck a repeating fiber-nut digit is?" Lance asked.
"A repetitive Fibonacci-like digit." Hunk corrected. "A 'refigit'. See, when a positive integer N that appears as a term in a linear recurrence relation—"
"In English?" Shinji said, interrupting.
"In recreational mathematics, they're these rare numbers that match specific criteria. There's only one hundred known numbers that meet the specifications." Pidge said, starting to plug in numbers.
"Why do you believe these numbers will help find the password?" Coran asked.
"Because these numbers have another name," Pidge said, looking up with a grin.
"Is it less of a mouthful?" Tali asked.
"Considerably." Pidge said. "It's the last name of the man who discovered them." They grinned as the lock screen disappeared, bringing up the home menu, turning the tablet around to hold out to Keith. Their grin grew. "The other name for these numbers is 'Keith Numbers'."
Keith blinked once, but then accepted the tablet from Pidge.
There was a camera roll app, one for notes that contained diagrams and charts and equations, one for e-mail that a little yellow number in the corner indicated that the inbox had been filling up with spam for years, and a few other odd apps and notes about meetings and reminders to grade homework. But the one that grabbed Keith's attention was the one labeled 'Journal'.
That was the app he selected and it brought up a long list of entries to choose from. Keith's brow furrowed as he scrolled up to the top, taking note of the date of the first one, which was in the month of October of the year before he was born. He chose that one.
To his surprise, instead of text, a video screen popped up instead and he quickly made sure that the volume was up. He watched as his mother appeared, smiling some but looking tired and a bit pale.
"Hi, Thace." She said, giving the camera a small wave. "It's Sunny. But, uh, I guess you've figured that out by now. Since I'm probably the one who forced these videos into your hands." She took a deep breath then said, "Wow, okay, I really don't know what to say now… I guess, first, I miss you. A lot. And I worry about you, a lot. And if you're watching this, that means you came back. I know you will, someday. But, for now… For now, I'm going to keep these video diaries. Because I have a lot to tell you, a lot I want you to know, and this will probably be a bit easier for the both of us. For you, to know what's been going on. And for me, because maybe it'll feel like you're here with me?" She sniffled and rubbed at her eye. "Oh, crap, I'm crying. I told myself I wouldn't cry. I swear, if you tease me about this, you're going to get another frying pan to the face and you'll totally deserve it, Fluff Butt."
"Another?" Keith repeated, brow furrowing as he stared at the screen.
"Frying pan?" Allura said, tilting her head. By now, everyone had found a way to crowd Keith and the tablet.
"To the face?" Hunk said with wide eyes.
"Fluff Butt?" Lance said, dismay and amusement in his voice.
"Anyway, it's not my fault I'm crying." Sunny said. "And… And that's why I'm doing this. Making these videos. So, it's been about two months since you left. I'm back at school and, anyways, a few weeks ago I thought I caught the flu? And, well, it's not exactly the flu, apparently. And even though you're probably going to be the last person to know this, I wanted you to be the first I told, so to speak." She took a deep breath and smiled, "I'm pregnant. And I'm so happy, but at the same time I'm so scared, because obviously my parents are going to freak, and my scholarships should help me through to the end of next semester, but I don't know if I'll graduate, and I've never really thought about being a mother, let alone a single mother, and definitely not being a single mom to a kid whose dad is an alien and off in space doing alien things, so I'm not really sure I'm cut out for this… And I'm terrified to go to a doctor, because how the heck am I going to explain that there's a high likelihood of this kid coming out purple and covered in fur? Just say 'Oh, no, everything is fine, the baby just looks like their father, who is an alien'? Going to have to figure that out…" Sunny sighed again. "Well. I've got seven-ish months to make a game-plan. I'll figure something out by then. I guess." Somewhere behind her, a door slammed and she frowned. "Crap, that's my roommates, so I've got to wrap this up. Love you, and see you soon."
With that, she reached over and turned off the camera, ending the entry.
"Your mom hit a fully-grown and most likely highly-trained Galra soldier in the face with a frying pan. Possibly on more than one occasion." Pidge said, shaking their head some. "I feel like this explains a lot about you, Keith…"
"His name is Thace." Keith mumbled, staring at the screen blankly.
"And your Mom called him 'Fluff Butt'. I'm totally going to borrow that, by the way. That's too good to pass up." Lance said with a huge grin. "So, now that we know his name, do you want to see what info we can find out about your father?"
"That may be a little difficult." Coran said. " 'Thace' was a very popular name for young male Galra ten thousand years ago, as it was the name of one of the first Galra Emperors. I imagine the same is true today. Without a surname or a rank, it may be very well impossible."
"Sometimes names go in and out of fashion." Lani said. "Maybe this is one of them?"
"It can't hurt to find out." Shiro said.
"No." Keith said, turning off the tablet and setting it aside. "That's… That's okay. For now, I've got all the information I want about him."
"Are you sure?" Allura asked. "Just a name is enough?"
"Yeah." Keith said, nodding, his fingers absentmindedly running over the seams of his gloves. "I'll watch some of the other entries later. Maybe I'll change my mind. But for now… For now, I'm good."
Pidge quickly wrote something down on a blank page of their notebook and tore the page out, handing it to Keith.
"This is the password," They said.
"Thanks, Pidge. For everything." Keith said, accepting the paper. He frowned down at the numbers there. 197742. "But, uh, how did you figure it out?"
"Well, I started to wonder why the photo your mom used was an older one, then I wondered if it was a clue to the password. A picture of you, the day you turned three. Once you mentioned that she liked math, I wondered if there was a chance she did recreational mathematics like Hunk and I do. And there's only two three-digit Keith Numbers in base-ten, one hundred ninety-seven and seven hundred forty-two. Figured it couldn't hurt to at least test a theory." Pidge explained.
"I'm still blown away by the fact that people do math. For fun. But at the same time am not surprised that you two nerdy geniuses are some of those people." Lance said.
"Pidge and I make up problems for each other to solve all the time." Hunk said. "It's really fun!"
"We'll take your word for it." Shiro said. "Alright, lights out in two hours."
With that, everyone began to disperse to their own projects. Keith usually headed back to the training deck at this point of the evening. He'd take on the gladiator for a few rounds, get a shower and then not leave his room until morning. But, tonight, he wanted to head back to his room straight away, ready to explore more of the tablet's contents in privacy.
"Keith, wait up!"
Keith paused to see Lance come running up behind him, skidding to a stop to wrap his arm around Keith's waist, pulling Keith towards him.
Keith blushed and gently elbowed Lance in the side as Lance pressed a kiss to his temple, but stopped when Lance whispered,
"Now it's my turn to ask you a question, and have you answer honestly. And if you don't—and I'll know if you don't—I'll just get Shiro, because I know you can't and won't lie to Shiro."
Keith sighed.
"Alright, fine, what?" He demanded irritably.
"Why don't you want to find out more about your dad?" Lance asked. "You usually don't stop until you know absolutely everything. You're like a cat, always curious. So, what's up?"
Keith was quiet, then started to walk, putting his free hand on the small of Lance's back to push him alongside him.
"I just… I'm okay with not knowing everything." Keith said.
"Because he's a Galra?"
"Because he might not even be alive. Because if he is, he's most likely serving Zarkon." Keith said. "Because I won't ever know why he left. I won't know if he ever really intended to go back to Earth for Mom. Because I won't ever know if he really loved her."
"Your mom loved him." Lance pointed out as Keith opened the door to his bedroom, following Keith inside as the door hissed shut. "And didn't you say that your mom always told you that your dad left her his knife as a betrothal gift or something? He wouldn't have popped the question if he didn't love her, right?"
"I don't know." Keith said, taking off his jacket and hanging it up before sitting down on the bed beside Lance. "I won't know what they were like together. If it really was love. Or, I don't know, maybe my mom got abducted and it turned into Stockholm Syndrome or something."
"You really don't think it's possible that they both really just loved each other, huh?" Lance said, snaking his arm around Keith to rub at the back of Keith's neck. "Come on, we know there have to be some good Galra. Why can't your dad be one of them?"
"Because the likelihood of him being a good Galra is slim, and I'd rather not get my hopes up." Keith said. His eyes slid shut and let out a small moan as Lance's fingers gently eased some of the tension in his neck. "That feels good…"
"Of course it does, my fingers are magic." Lance said teasingly before becoming serious again. "Alright, so what exactly were you hoping to get out of Pidge's hacking expertise and your mom's video diaries? You said you wanted answers about your dad, but now you're not even going to find more information based off the information you do have?"
Keith was quiet, laying his head against Lance's shoulders.
"Lance… If Mom really loved him… If I was conceived out of love, even if it just was one-sided… Really, I'm okay with just knowing that." Keith whispered.
Lance's fingers paused, looking down at Keith with wide-eyes.
"Keith… What were you-? Were you wondering if—" Lance cut himself off, not quite sure how to phrase his question.
Keith avoided looking at Lance.
"You know, my grandparents called me a demon-child the only time I met them, which was at Mom's funeral. They wanted nothing to do with me. How I ended up in the system." Keith mumbled into Lance's shirt, his hand absently feeling Lance's ribs underneath the fabric of his shirt, trailing up and down. "For a while, when I got a bit older and knew more about the world, I thought maybe I was the result of a one-night stand, and that's why they reacted like they did. Why they hated me and disowned Mom. But then… Lance, we have no idea what the Galra did to Shiro. But what we do know is that it was violent and his brain has blocked out as much as it can from that time. I didn't know… That was what made learning about being half-Galra so… so terrifying. If I was the result of violence or not."
Lance shifted, turning to cup Keith's face, looking him dead in the eye, all seriousness.
"Keith, no matter what happened, the circumstances that brought you into the universe… You're here now, and you're doing good. You're a good person and I'm sorry that your grandparents were too stupid to realize that. I'm sorry for all the crap you had to go through because you didn't deserve it. I don't even believe for one moment that even Zarkon or that freaky witch lady deserves what you went through. You're a wonderful human being, who just happens to be half space were-chinchilla-cat-bat-thing. You're kind, and talented, and smart and passionate and selfless. You are you, and you are loved for who you are. By me, by Shiro, by Red, by Hunk, Pidge, Allura, Coran… I'm pretty sure Tali, too, for as much grief as she gives you. But just don't forget that." Lance said firmly. "The actions of others cannot and will never define you."
Keith smiled some.
"I think we've come full circle." Keith said, reaching up to put his hand to Lance's cheek. "Because we've all been telling you that pretty much the entire day."
Lance blinked, looking a little confused, then he smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah," He said with a small chuckle. "Yeah, you have." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Keith's forehead. "Alright, I think we've got all existential crises out of our system. It's exhausting, and I've got to fly tomorrow."
"Yeah." Keith said with a small sigh, pouting slightly. "I guess you're going to be wanting to go to bed then, huh?"
"Yep. I'm ready to call it a day." Lance said, gently running a hand over the back of Keith's hair. Slowly, he untangled himself and got to his feet. "I'll be back in five minutes."
Keith's small pout suddenly faded, eyes widening as he looked up at Lance.
"You'll be back?" He said.
"Yep. Just give me a few minutes to put on PJs and stuff." Lance said, smirking and giving Keith a wink. "Unless you don't want to cuddle tonight…"
"I want cuddles!" Keith blurted out, eyes going very wide.
Lance laughed.
"I know you do." He said teasingly, reaching forward to bop Keith on the nose with his fingertip, making Keith's nose scrunch. "Despite your best efforts, the only thing 'hard-core' about you is that you're a hard-core snuggle machine."
"Hey, I haven't been able to really hug you for the last few days. And I'm losing you again tomorrow morning." Keith pointed out. "I need my fix."
"Same, Fluff Butt." Lance said.
"Do not call me that." Keith said, narrowing his eyes at Lance.
"Fine, but you know I'll just come up with more nicknames for you." Lance said.
"Oh, trust me, I know you will. It was killing me not to ask your siblings for translations." Keith said.
"Aw, but you not knowing is half the fun." Lance said, smirking. "For me, it is."
Keith scowled.
"You going to go change or what?" He said.
Lance laughed.
"Yeah, be back in five. Prepare for the most epic snuggle session you've had yet!"