Chapter six! In which tiny baby Keith continues to be adorable, and I gushed on several occasions while writing this chapter. He's such a good boy and I support him in all of his endeavors. As always, thanks a bunch for reading! Until next update!


crimson

chapter six

medicine


"Incoming transmission from the Castle of Lions."

"Patch it through."

Unsure what to expect from the sudden transmission, Kolivan nevertheless found himself surprised that only Coran and the green paladin were present. While it was certainly true that not all transmissions originating from the Castle required all paladins to be present, the Altean princess usually was, however she was nowhere in sight. Given that she had stepped up to fill the role of the currently missing black paladin, this was unexpected, to say the least.

The transmission didn't seem urgent, as it hadn't come through the emergency line, and the green paladin had not donned her armor. It should have been reassuring, but it only managed to further confuse him- the paladins were not exactly known for putting out casual calls to the Blade of Marmora.

Perhaps they had acquired some new intel, but he would have expected either the princess or Kyix to be present for such an exchange, if not both. Speaking of Kyix, he had been rather quiet these past few quintants, and now he couldn't help but wonder if that was a cause for concern.

"Ah, Kolivan!" Coran sounded almost chipper, Kolivan noted. "Just the man I wanted to see."

Kolivan arched a brow. "Do you have something to report?"

"You could say that." Pidge said. "We need Keith's medical records."

He didn't blink at the use of Kyix's Earth alias, but he did blink at the unexpected request. "Did something happen?"

"Oh, nothing too serious." Coran was quick to assure him. "Just a minor incident."

"Some weird space tree toxin turned him back into a child." Pidge said flatly.

In his years with the Blade of Marmora, Kolivan had experienced any number of strange and mystifying events. And yet he still found himself wondering if he had heard the girl right. "I'm sorry- did you say child?"

"I didn't say chicken." Pidge said, though he had no idea as to what a chicken even was. "It's a long story. Coran can send you the details."

Resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, Kolivan felt a headache coming on. He knew that Kyix had a knack for getting himself into trouble, but this... this trumped anything that he had done in the past. He certainly was aware that the universe was vast, and that there were any number of strange things out there, but to have himself reduced back into the state of a youngling?

And by a tree?

That was a first.

"Where is he?" Kolivan finally asked.

"He's with Allura and Hunk." Coran said. "It took quite awhile to calm him down."

Kolivan's other brow shot up at that. While he would imagine that having been turned back into a youngling certainly would have been upsetting for him, he couldn't imagine Kyix throwing a tantrum, which was what the Altean seemed to suggest.

"He was upset?" Kolivan inquired.

"Yeah, that's the other problem." Pidge said. "He doesn't remember us. Allura has it handled for now, but we're not exactly sure how long that will last."

Kolivan opened his mouth to ask, before he shut it again. He had heard stories of Alteans having the ability to change their shape and color- Kyix had reported on as much himself. While he doubted that Kyix would calm down just for any Galra, he would likely calm down for a Blade- and there was at least one set of Blade armor on the Castle of Lions. While part of him chafed at the idea of someone wearing it without first going through the trials, he was willing to admit it was probably the smartest call to make in the situation.

But the green one had a point- it would only last for so long.

"I will have our medical staff gather Kyix's information and send it to you." Kolivan said, rising to his feet. "I will go-"

"Leader," the Blade monitoring the transmission room glanced up at him, slightly shaking their head, "-you have a mission soon."

Right. Of course. While he wasn't exactly one to forget his own schedule, he would admit that the unusual turn of events had thrown him slightly. As much as he would like to go himself, he could hardly be absent from his own mission.

He quickly ran through a list of available Blades in his head. Regris was free, but they had failed to specify just how young Kyix currently was, and he did not trust the younger Blade with the smaller younglings. Ilun and Vrek had their own young one to deal with, and Naveera had her own responsibilities. Ulaz and Thace would have each been ideal choices, he thought with a pang, wondering what they would have made of this odd situation.

Krolia, of course, was completely out of the question.

"I will send Antok." Kolivan concluded. He should be available, and was familiar enough to Kyix to suffice for the task. "What are your coordinates?"

"Sending them now." Pidge said.

Glancing down towards the communications officer, they gave him a curt nod of their head. Turning back to the screen, Kolivan set his lips in a thin line. "We have received them. Is there anything else?"

"There is one other thing." Coran said. "Kyix seemed quite worried that he might get sick if he so much as left the infirmary. Any chance you might know what that's about?"

Kolivan stiffened, his breath hitching in his throat. The oddity of the situation had distracted him from the possible complications, chief of which was Kyix's own immune system. Depending on how young he currently was, even the slightest of colds could be potentially fatal.

That was, of course, depending solely on the idea that Kyix's immune system had been reset alongside his age. The only thing that prevented him from outwardly panicking was the fact that the paladins must have done their own scans, and would have likely picked up on that if that were the case. If that were the case, he sensed this call would have been far more urgent than it was.

Letting himself breathe a little, Kolivan gave the Altean a stiff nod of his head. "Kyix's immune system was severely compromised as an infant, so he is likely referring to that. It took considerable time for it to fully recover."

Coran and Pidge exchanged a glance, and he didn't miss the anger that flashed through the green paladin's eyes. "It's because of his father, isn't it?"

The question caught him by surprise. Kyix had not informed him that he'd spoken to the paladins about his father. He knew it was a sensitive subject for him, and consequently, not one that he liked to talk about.

He didn't care much for it either.

Shutting his eyes, Kolivan drew in a deep breath. If this was the conversation they would be having, then so be it. Opening his eyes, the Blade leader squared his shoulders. "He was poisoned using the extract of the florness blossom."

His words meant nothing to Pidge, but Coran paled. "But that's-"

"Highly fatal, yes." Kolivan finished, at which point the green paladin did pale. "We keep a small stock of it to use in assassinations. We believe that is where he obtained it from."

They also kept a stock of its antidote, in the event that it was used against one of their own. It had saved Kyix's life, though if Krolia had arrived at the base even a few ticks slower, he likely wouldn't have made it. There was a reason the florness blossom was their poison of choice- it was fast-acting enough that in most instances, an antidote could not be obtained in time as the ingredients to make it were rarer than the blossoms themselves.

It was an extremely painful poison, producing a sensation of burning in the throat. It also ravaged the immune system- by the time they had gotten the antidote into Kyix, the damage had been done. They could only wait for him to recover on his own.

Coran muttered something underneath his breath, something he was fairly confident was an Altean swear far more serious than quiznak. "Perhaps I should do another scan, just in case."

Kolivan swallowed back the observation that his first scan was most likely correct. His time leading the Blade had taught him that an abundance of caution certainly never hurt.

"Antok should be there within a few vargas." Kolivan informed them.

"We'd offer you the use of a wormhole, but..." Coran trailed off, his meaning clear. With the princess occupied, there was no one to make them.

"Antok will make haste." Kolivan said simply.

Coran nodded. "Good to hear it. I'll go inform Kyix of the good news."

Nodding back, Kolivan exchanged a curt farewell with the pair. Once the transmission was cut off, he closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. This was not a turn of events he had anticipated, but when it came to Kyix, he had since learned to expect the unexpected.

But this was unexpected, even for him.

Opening his eyes, he looked towards the communications officer. "Speak of this to no one."

The Blade gave him a curt nod in response. Whatever else was true, he doubted that Kyix would be capable of piloting the red lion currently. Voltron was in a fragile enough state as it was already, having had next to no time to adjust to having a new leader. Now that they were down a paladin, things would be more difficult than ever. They had to make sure that word of this didn't spread.

Especially to those who might find a reazit youngling desirable.


"You, my friend, are in for a treat."

Pursing his lips together, Kyix frowned up at Hunk. He was sitting at the kitchen counter, his tiny legs dangling off one of the chairs, nowhere close to touching the ground. "We're not friends. We just met."

"Maybe, maybe." Hunk nodded his head, seemingly unfazed by his statement. "But that doesn't mean we can't be buds."

Kyix's frown only deepened, looking thoroughly unconvinced. Allura had to admit, there was something almost endearing to his usual pout when it was cast on features so young. She felt her heart melt just looking at it. She'd never thought about Kyix as a youngling, nor any of the paladins, really, but she had to admit, he was far cuter than she had expected him to be.

She only wished she could savor the situation a bit more. As it was, she couldn't help but worry. What if they couldn't find a way to fix this? It wasn't as if she could keep up this charade forever, and they desperately needed a red paladin...

She shook the thought off, trying to focus on the here and now. She was certain that Coran would find some kind of solution. If there was a way to turn Kyix into a child, then surely there had to be a way to turn him back.

There was a tug on her hood, prompting her to look down. Kyix was staring up at her, his deep set frown still in place.

"What is it?" Allura asked.

"You look serious." Kyix told her.

Allura blinked, before forcing herself to smile. "Just a bit lost in thought, that's all."

Kyix didn't look convinced, but perhaps that was simply his default expression. It certainly had been when he was his natural age, so perhaps he'd just always been that way. She knew very little about Kyix's childhood.

She hadn't known very much about him at all up until recently, actually.

"That's how she always looks, trust me." Hunk said with such sincerity, that for a tick she couldn't help but wonder if that was actually true. Surely she didn't frown that often, did she?

"Kolivan says not to trust people you don't know." Kyix insisted, puffing out his cheeks ever so slightly. He was still speaking Galran, but thankfully there seemed to be no further issues with the onboard translators. Either that, or he simply subconsciously remembered more of the paladin's language than he realized.

She made a mental note to double down on her efforts to teach the paladins Common, at the very least. Who knew when they might run into a situation like before again, where they were unable to rely on their translators. They were certainly useful, but it was best not to get too dependent on them.

"And Kolivan is right." Hunk agreed, nodding his head. "But I'm a paladin of Voltron, so you can probably trust me at least a little."

Kyix tilted his head, seeming to consider it, before he slowly nodded. "Okay. Can I see your lion?"

Hunk must have dealt with children before, because he didn't even blink at the sudden subject change. "Once we're done here, sure. Yellow would love to meet you."

Kyix seemed to brighten at that, though he didn't go so far as to actually smile. Instead he kicked his feet, almost seeming to brim with anticipation. Allura found that she couldn't help but smile at the sight of it- it just seemed right that he would be so interested in the lions, even as a child. After all, he was a true natural in the cockpit, something he had proven time and time again.

"So what is it that you're making, Hunk?" Allura inquired.

"Oh, I figured I'd just make up something quick." Hunk glanced back at her, but didn't stop mixing together the batter. "And it just so happens that I have all the ingredients for pancakes on hand. So I thought, why not make pancakes?"

"What's a pancake?" Kyix asked, carefully enunciating every syllable. He seemed to be a little more relaxed now, stretching his arms out across the counter, resting his chin on top of it, cocking his head in Hunk's direction.

"Only one of the most delicious treats known to man!" Hunk beamed. "You'll love them, trust me."

Kyix huffed slightly. "Because you're a paladin?"

"Yup, exactly." Hunk nodded his head. "Now you're starting to get it."

Kyix only huffed again in response, though nevertheless, Hunk seemed to have his full attention. He watched, fascinated, as Hunk heated up a skillet, and carefully began to pour a measured amount of batter into it. Recalling what they had been given to eat during their time on the Blade of Marmora's base, she couldn't help but wonder if this was the first time he would have ever seen anyone actually cook.

It was a shame, she couldn't help but think. Before the war began, she had vivid memories of being invited with her parents to many a feast on Daibazaal. She suspected that culinary tradition in the Empire had suffered even worse in the past few centuries- not that she could say much for Altean culinary tradition either. She'd never learned to cook, and though Coran knew how, his taste was... well, there was a reason his paladin lunches had always been so greatly feared by the paladins of old.

"One piping hot plate of pancakes, fresh off the griddle." Hunk announced, setting down a plate in front of Kyix. "Bon appetit."

Lifting his head off the table, Kyix stared down at the plate, giving it a suspicious sniff. He glanced skeptically up towards Hunk, who just beamed at him. Tearing off a tiny piece with one hand, he nibbled on it- and then seemingly lit up, tearing into the rest of the plate.

"You're not supposed to use your-" Hunk began, only to heave a sigh when he realized that Kyix didn't even seem to be listening to him. "You know what? It's fine, actually."

The stack of pancakes was gone in less than a minute, Kyix producing a pleased rumble as he licked his fingers clean. Once finished, he glanced around the table, as if in search of something, clearly not finding it based on the knot of his brow.

"Is something wrong?" Allura asked.

"Where's my medicine?" Kyix asked. "I'm supposed to take it after I eat."

Allura blinked, staring helplessly up towards Hunk. She hadn't heard anything about any medicine, and they certainly didn't have any.

"You know, it may be back in the infirmary with Coran." Hunk lied. "Why don't you stay here with All- Alora, and I'll see if I can find it."

She merely quirked a brow at his near misstep, though thankfully Kyix didn't seem to notice. "I have to take my medicine. Ulaz says I won't get better if I don't."

She tried not to flinch at the mention of Ulaz's name. It struck her then that he had no idea that the Blade was dead. They would have to tread cautiously so as to not upset him.

"Don't you worry about a thing, buddy." Hunk lied through his teeth, though it was clear to her that he was starting to feel a little anxious. "I'll go and get it right now."

With a nod to Allura, Hunk hurried off. She hoped he could find Coran, and that they could come up with some kind of solution. She didn't want to risk giving him medicine he didn't actually need, but hopefully he'd been able to obtain Kyix's medical records from Kolivan, and a placebo could be arranged.

"Now then," Allura began, smiling at Kyix, "-in the meantime, how about I tell you a story? I bet you've never heard any Altean stories before."

"How do you know Altean stories?" Kyix asked, cocking his head.

Allura inwardly flinched. "Coran told me them. He can be very chatty."

Kyix only nodded, apparently taking her words as sage wisdom. "He looks like it."

Allura couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yes, that he does. Now, how would like to hear the story of Oriande, and its lion guardian?"


"Coran! Oh man, just the man I wanted to see."

"Hunk?" Coran frowned. "Is something the matter? We were just about to come find you."

"Uh yeah, something's the matter." Hunk said, trying to reign in his internal panic. "Please tell me you talked to Kolivan. And got Keith's medical records."

"He's sending them as we speak." Coran informed him.

Heaving a breath of relief, Hunk's shoulders slumped. "Good. Because Keith said something about taking medicine after he eats, except we don't have it."

"Medicine?" Pidge asked. "What kind of medicine?"

"I don't know, hence why I'm asking Coran." Hunk huffed. "We lied and told him it was back in the med bay, but I'm pretty sure he's going to notice if I take too long coming back. And I'm pretty sure the last thing we want is a suspicious baby Keith."

"Well, the good news is that Antok is on the way." Coran informed him, before glancing down at his wrist device. "And from the look of it, the medical information from Kolivan just arrived. Let me just take a look... ah, here we go!"

Coran hummed to himself as he scanned the information, in a way that reminded him of the doctor in charge of his annual physicals back at the Garrison. Except in his case, his hums had always sounded kind of disapproving- or at least, they had always felt that way to him. Coran's were a bit harder to read, which didn't actually make him feel any better.

Because nothing about having to take medicine with every meal sounded good to Hunk. And based on the anxious way Pidge was trying to peer at what Kolivan had sent them, he couldn't help but wonder if they'd gotten some bad news from the Blade leader. They didn't seem to be freaking out, which he hoped was a good sign, but honestly, as far as he was concerned, there were no good signs out in space.

"I do believe this is something I can replicate, and quite easily, too." Coran said. "Or at the very least, a placebo version of it."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Pidge asked. "I mean... you heard what Kolivan said."

"Mm, his scans didn't show any major signs of trouble." Coran said. "I think it should be alright."

"I thought you said his white blood cell count was low." Pidge pointed out.

"Only slightly." Coran said. "Nothing too concerning. I'll do some more scans to be sure, of course, but I'd rather not give Kyix medicine that he doesn't need."

"Okay, hold up," Hunk cut in, holding up his hands, "-is someone going to tell me what's going on here?"

"What's going on is that Keith's immune system basically didn't even exist as a child, and he didn't even tell us." Pidge said.

"Well I wouldn't go quite that far," Coran frowned, "-but yes, the aftereffects of florness blossom extract can be quite severe."

"Wait, is this because of Keith's dad?" Hunk asked. He didn't know what a florness blossom was, but it sounded pretty related. "Because it sounds like it's because of Keith's dad."

"I'm afraid so." Coran shook his head. "Kyix wasn't exaggerating when he said his father fed him a deadly poison. He's just lucky to have survived."

Hunk swallowed, positive he'd turned pale. He'd never doubted Keith's claim, but he hadn't known it was that bad. He hadn't mentioned anything about any lasting effects.

"Okay, so let's just mix up this placebo, and give it to Keith before he starts getting suspicious." Pidge said. "Hunk, why don't you go with Coran? I'll check on Keith and Allura."

"Right, yeah, okay." Hunk nodded, still feeling somewhat numb.

"It'll be alright, lad." Coran reassured him. "Once I whip up that anti-toxin, he'll be back to his old self in no time!"

"You can fix this?" Hunk asked.

"Of course, of course!" Coran assured him. "It's a all a matter of finding the right ingredients- in the right amounts, of course. Hopefully we won't need to find anything too rare."

Hunk just swallowed. He hoped so too. Keith might be fine for now, but they didn't know for sure if he would stay that way. And frankly, he'd rather not take his chances.


"Then the great lion- oh, Pidge, there you are!"

Pidge frowned slightly, tilting her head. This was such a weird sight.

"Am I interrupting something?" She asked.

"I was only just telling Kyix a story to pass the time." Allura said.

Judging from the glare Keith was shooting her, she was going to assume that he didn't care for being interrupted. She sort of edged her way around him, part because she hadn't exactly forgotten the earlier fit he'd thrown, and part because she kind of didn't know how to handle children. She was the youngest in her family, and it wasn't like she had any relatives with kids, not like Hunk and Lance did. She just didn't spend that much time around them. What was she going to do, ask someone to borrow their kids?

Plus, Keith was Galra. Who knew what kind of differences there were between their two species?

Given just how bad Keith's human act had been in hindsight, probably a lot.

"You don't have to be shy." Allura told her. "I don't think he'll bite."

"I might." Keith muttered, presumably under his breath. The translator picked it up anyways.

Geez, he was just a real charmer, wasn't he? Hunk seemed to have fallen in love with the little guy, but all she could see were the extremely sharp teeth that flashed whenever he opened his mouth. His claws might only be little baby nubs, but she was willing to bet anything that a bite from those would do some damage.

"Ran into Hunk in the hall. He and Coran are heading to the med bay to pick up Kei- Kyix's medicine." She said, hastily correcting herself. Using his real name after all this time felt weird. She'd gotten so used to calling him Keith.

"That's wonderful news." Allura said, picking up on the underlying meaning of her words. If they were getting medicine, then it meant that they had been able to get Keith's medical records.

She wished she'd gotten a better look at them- not that it would have done much good. They were all in Galran, and she barely understood Altean. She hadn't exactly wanted to give learning it another try, not after the first time had nearly ended so horribly. Just thinking about it still gave her the shivers.

"Plus, Kolivan told us that Antok is on his way over." Pidge said.

Keith perked up at that, his golden eyes going wide. She swore if he had a tail, he'd be wagging it. "Antok's coming?"

Okay, she'd admit it. That was a little cute. He was still on thin ice, though.

"Said he should be here in a few hours." Pidge said.

Keith hopped down from the stool, looking up towards Allura. "Take me there."

Allura blinked, staring down at him. "Now?"

Keith huffed, crossing his arms impatiently in front of his chest. "Yes."

"Like Pidge said, he's not due to arrive for another few vargas." Allura said.

"So?" Keith huffed. "I want to be there when he comes."

"But what about your medicine?" Allura asked. "Hunk said for us to stay right here until he returns. Don't tell me you've forgotten that?"

Keith grumbled, staring down at the floor. "Fine."

Allura only smiled. "I'm sure it won't be much longer now. Then we can go and wait for Antok."

"You sure that's such a good idea?" Pidge asked, casting a pointed glance towards Allura's attire. She didn't know which part was weirder- seeing Allura all purple, or the fact that she was wearing Keith's armor.

Allura had the decency to flush, clearing her throat in an attempt to hide it. "I'm sure it will be just fine."

Keith stared up at her, a crinkle forming in his brow. "I thought I was free to wander around the ship?"

Pidge winced. He must have taken something very different from their exchange. In light of what she had learned from Kolivan, Keith's confusion about being able to leave the med bay made a lot more sense. He might have been sparse on the details, but if the damage to his immune system was as bad as Kolivan made it sound, then she wouldn't be surprised if he had been confined to one throughout most of his childhood, maybe even given a specialized room. She couldn't even imagine what that must have been like, much less that it was Keith it had happened to.

He always seemed so... well, healthy. According to Lance, he hadn't been effected in the slightest by the cold that had ripped through the Garrison, so either War of the Worlds had lied to her, or his condition had drastically improved since childhood. She was willing to bet it was the latter.

"You are, of course." Allura said quickly. "I believe Pidge was just referring to the fact that you've hardly seen any of the Castle yet."

Keith chewed on his lip, considering it. She was just amazed he managed not to break the skin.

"Hunk promised I could see his lion." He finally said. "But then we can go wait for Antok."

"You know," Allura began, casting a sly glance in Pidge's direction, "-I'm quite certain Pidge would be more than happy to show you her lion as well."

"Wha-" Pidge began, stopping herself short only upon seeing the glimmer in Keith's eyes, at which point she simply forced a sigh, "-oh fine. But only if he promises not to touch anything."

Keith nodded eagerly, though somehow she wasn't sure if she believed him or not. Either way, she'd be keeping a close eye on those little hands of his.


He had just pulled himself back up on the stool when Hunk returned. He caught a whiff of his scent even before he entered the room. It was kind of weird how familiar it was to him, even though they had basically only just met. Alora had said he'd hit his head, but he didn't think he'd hit it hard enough to lose that many memories.

They all smelled kind of familiar, really, now that he'd calmed down a bit. It was weird.

Maybe he should have been more suspicious about all this. He hadn't heard anything about the paladins of Voltron being back, much less the Blades teaming up with them. He didn't even think Kolivan even did that kind of thing, but he guessed maybe he was wrong? Alora had said that one of the paladins was a Blade, so maybe that was how they had become allies.

"Oh hey, see you've been getting some bonding time in with Pidge, great." Hunk beamed. "Got your medicine."

Kyix made a slight face at the sight of the vial. He didn't like taking his medicine, but he knew he needed it. He used to have to take it a lot more often, and eagerly looked forward to the day when he wouldn't have to take it at all anymore. He hoped it was soon- Ulaz had said he was getting better.

Maybe that was why he was here- to get better. Honestly, just being outside of the infirmary made him nervous, but he wasn't about to pass up the chance to explore. And to see two of the lions of Voltron? He'd never get a chance like this again. As excited as he was for Antok to come, he might have him confined back to the infirmary again.

But he didn't want to go back to the infirmary. He was tired of the infirmary. Even if this was a new infirmary, it didn't change the fact that it was one. Everyone always told him these amazing stories about the world outside the infirmary walls, and while he knew he had to be good, or he'd get sick and then maybe never get better, he still couldn't help but long for a taste of that.

Extending his hand, he muttered a half-hearted thank you to Hunk under his breath. The yellow paladin merely smiled, carefully placing the vial into his hands. He scrunched his nose at the gray goop, already tasting its nasty aftertaste. It never got any better.

"Did Coran not accompany you?" Alora inquired, peering behind Hunk.

"He said he had some stuff to take care of." Hunk shrugged.

Kyix frowned, shifting in his seat. Uncorking the vial, he took a sniff of its contents. It didn't smell any different from what he was used to, so he downed it in one big gulp.

Yup. Yucky.

"That does not look like it tasted good." Hunk observed. "Want some water to wash it down?"

Kyix nodded, eagerly accepting the glass Hunk handed him. He drank it down, until he couldn't taste the medicine anymore. Heaving a sigh, he set the glass down, peering up at the pair of paladins. They looked... odd. They had no claws or fangs to defend themselves with, and the green one was tiny. Maybe she was aket too.

Alora didn't have claws or fangs either, but he was pretty sure she was just mixed, like Naveera and Regris. There were a lot of Blades like that. Thace had once told him that it was hard for those of mixed blood to live in the Empire, so a lot of them ended up drifting away from it if they could. Some of them ended up joining the Blade, others just ended up as mercenaries, and others...

...they were recruited by Prince Lotor.

"Better?" Hunk asked.

Kyix blinked, looking up at Hunk with a jolt. Hastily nodding, he tried not to think about Lotor. He sort of knew that his dad had done something bad for the prince once, and that was why some Blades didn't like him, but he didn't know the details. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"So," Hunk began, beaming broadly, "-how about we go check out Yellow, huh?"

"Can Alora come?" Kyix asked, glancing over towards the Blade. He didn't know her either, but he was just more comfortable with another Galra around.

"Of course I can." Alora told him with a smile. "I'm sure Pidge would love to come as well."

For her part, Pidge just shrugged. "I mean, I did promise to show you the green lion."

"And hey, maybe if we run into Lance, he can show you the blue lion!" Hunk said.

Kyix just crinkled his nose at the offer. "No thanks."

He wanted to see the blue lion too, but he didn't think he liked Lance. He was too noisy. Hunk and Pidge were much better, even if Hunk talked a lot.

Pidge snorted, ducking her head to badly hide her grin. Hunk just glared at her, elbowing her lightly in the side. She didn't look remorseful at all.

"In that case," Alora interrupted before either could say anything, sharply clearing her throat, "-why don't we head down to see the yellow lion?"

Kyix nodded his head, jumping down off the stool. Extending a hand, he waited patiently for Alora to take it. She did so without a fuss, though he swore he heard Hunk make a gushy-sounding noise behind them. It wasn't that he needed her to hold his hand or anything, he just didn't want to get lost. The Castle looked big, that was all.

It definitely wasn't because he was just as nervous as he was excited to be in a new place. Not a chance. He might not be one yet, but one day he'd be a Blade too, and Blades were brave. They didn't get scared, and neither did he.

"Oh man, you're going to love Yellow." Hunk promised him, taking the lead. "He's the best."

Kyix pursed his lips, wondering how a spaceship could be the best. He knew the stories said that they were kind of alive, but he didn't see how that could be true. He knew Thace had a favorite ship that he was the most fond of and flew all the time, so maybe it was like that? Maybe the paladins just got really attached to their lions.

"I don't know, Hunk," Pidge said, a sly smile spreading across her face, "-I'm pretty sure Kyix would like the red lion the best."

Alora's grip tightened slightly on his hand, prompting Kyix to look up. She was shooting Pidge a glare, for reasons he didn't understand. Wasn't the red lion the one the Blade pilot flew? He really wanted to meet them, but Alora had said that he was away on a mission right now. Maybe she just didn't think it was a good idea to show off his lion to someone while he was gone? That made sense.

But then... why would he have left, and not taken his lion?

Maybe it was a Blade mission, so he couldn't. Maybe the lions were too flashy.

"I think two lions in one day will be quite enough." Alora said.

"Fine, suit yourself." Pidge just shrugged. "Anyways, Hunk's wrong. The green lion is the best lion, trust me."

"You just say that because that's your lion." Hunk pointed out.

"Yeah, but so are you." Pidge countered.

Hunk considered it, before spreading his hands in defeat. "Okay, so you've got me there. I'm pretty sure we'll all biased about which lions we like best."

Kyix listened to them talk amongst themselves about their lions, mostly staying quiet. He felt a little bad about almost scratching them earlier. Now that he'd calmed down, he actually didn't feel too out of place here, which was weird, but whenever he tried to think about it too hard, he started to get a bit of a headache.

All such thoughts were pushed aside when he laid eyes on the yellow lion, however.

It was big. A lot bigger than he had expected. Letting go of Alora's hand, he took a few steps forward before he stopped, just staring up at it in awe. It somehow looked kind, though he wasn't sure how.

"You wanna go inside?" Hunk asked.

Nodding his head, Kyix stared up at him with wide eyes. "Yes."

Hunk just beamed, turning to look up towards his lion. Kyix watched in amazement as the lion began to lower itself, seemingly without anyone to pilot it, opening up it's great jaws to reveal an entrance ramp. Hunk beamed even brighter, taking a few steps forward before signaling for him to follow.

Kyix did, so quickly that he nearly stumbled over his own feet. He hesitated slightly just outside the lion, but it felt so comforting that he quickly got over his apprehension and joined Hunk inside. The yellow lion came to life around them, the hallways growing just bright enough for its paladin to see, but not bright enough to blind him.

"So, what do you think?" Hunk asked. "Pretty neat, huh?"

Neat, Kyix thought, didn't even begin to describe it.


They spent the next half varga inside the yellow lion, listening to Kyix ask questions, and Hunk answer. All of his earlier shyness had melted away, giving way to unbridled curiosity that frankly lifted her heart to see, something she direly needed.

Pidge had pulled her aside to brief her on the details of her conversation with Kolivan. They were... concerning, to say the least. She'd heard how deadly the poison made from the extract of the florness blossom could be, so to think that it had been used on a child- an infant, no less- it truly was nothing short of a miracle that Kyix was still alive.

It only made her revile his father even more.

But seeing Kyix so bright and cheerful took some of the edge of her worries. She was certain that Coran's initial scan hadn't been wrong, and that whatever weakness had plagued him throughout childhood was not present now. After all, his body hadn't gone back in time, only shrunk- the peach colored splotches on his hand were proof enough of that.

Which incidentally, he'd yet to ask about. She wondered if it was because on some subconscious level, it didn't surprise him that it was there.

Heaving a slight sigh, she hoped that Coran could figure out this anti-toxin he'd mentioned to Pidge and Lance soon. She knew she could keep up her chameleon act for however long it was needed, but she did feel kind of strange about borrowing Keith's armor like this. She made a mental note to clean it thoroughly before she gave it back, and secretly hoped that when he went back to normal, he wouldn't remember a thing.

It had been something of an impulsive decision on her part, she'd admit. But seeing as it had produced results, it had been a good one. At any rate, she need only stick with it until Antok arrived, at which point he could take over.

"Psst," Hunk said in a hushed tone, using his head to point towards the pilot's chair, "-guys. Check it out."

Allura blinked, tilting her head so that she could get a better look. Curled up in the chair was Kyix, who appeared to be fast asleep. Clearly, the day had gotten to him.

"I'm guessing no green lion tour then." Pidge remarked.

"Nope, looks like it's nap time." Hunk whispered.

"Perhaps we should move him to somewhere more comfortable." Allura suggested.

Pidge just stared at her, raising his brows. "You want to move Keith? While he's sleeping?"

"Nope, not it." Hunk said, backing away from the chair like it contained some kind of vicious monster, and not a slumbering child he was nearly twice the size of.

"Oh please," Allura rolled her eyes, "-it will be fine."

She'd heard the stories, of course- that Kyix could be violent when awoken. But somehow, she didn't anticipate that being a problem, at least, not at the moment.

Sure enough, when she moved to scoop Kyix off, he barely even stirred. Using one arm to steady his head, she tucked another underneath his legs, bringing him close to her chest. She had vague memories of her father holding her the same way, after she'd tired herself out after a long day of lessons- or avoiding them, as the case was sometimes.

Kyix produced a soft sound, before burying his head into her shoulder. Turning back towards Hunk and Pidge, she merely arched a brow, daring them to say anything.

"Okay." Hunk said, holding up his hands in defeat. "Point taken."

"Come on then." Allura said, keeping her voice low so as to not disturb Kyix. "I'll need a few more hands if I'm to make the infirmary a bit more comfortable."

Exchanging a glance, Pidge and Hunk merely shrugged.