Can we please have a continuation of the small fic where Keith and Pidge have adopted the baby Galra? I really loved that one
Oh my goodness, absolutely! I wanted to do another part for this one so bad!
Minor Trigger Warning: Racism, Implied Abuse/ Neglect of a Child, Small Smidge of Sad Times
They hadn’t been planning to spend as long on Nuestow as they did; especially considering the blowout between Keith and Gizo about the fate of the half-Galran orphan. However, the planet had been in desperate need of real attention; countless buildings had been destroyed, there were tons of sick and injured, resources were incredibly scarce, and the current governmental figures were still on shaky terms at best. If it were up to him, they would have ducked back out to Earth with the baby at the first chance they got. However, it was clear he and Pidge were still needed here, to help get things in order. For as much as he wanted to be selfish and give them a taste of their own medicine, he knew that it wouldn’t be fair to all the innocent lives on the planet that didn’t know about the baby.
They had agreed to give it two weeks’ time before heading home. They figured that would be plenty of time for things to be gaining some positive momentum.
In that time, however, they did have the chance to learn a bit more about their new baby and what, exactly, he’d been through. The blood work came back confirming he didn’t have any life-threatening illnesses, but upon a second examination they found he had a pretty nasty infection in both his ears and was severely underweight. “To be this small,” the Blade medic explained, starting to prepare some vaccinations for the little tot, “is a sign of more than just neglect for the two days we have been told about. I’d be willing to wager that the village was limiting how much food his mother was being allotted, which affected how much milk she was able to produce for him.”
“That’s disgusting. What is wrong with these people?” Pidge hissed out, her hands shaking a bit. Keith looped an arm around her waist to pull her a little closer, trying to offer her some comfort. She offered him a small, grateful smile before reaching out to gently stroke one of the infant’s cheeks, her smile widening when he looked over at her and gurgled eagerly.
“Not many in the galaxy are fond of Galra. Sadly, to them, it does not matter if the ones they harm are infants; if they are any portion Galra, they are seen as deserving of scorn,” the Blade answered, tone mostly calm but with just the slightest hint of resentment in their tone. The rest of the little doctor visit after that went by well aside from how upset the baby got over getting his vaccines. They were given some drops to put in his ears to clear out the infection, a small sling for each of them to carry him around in, as well as a special type of formula that should help him put on weight a bit faster. The medic also explained to them to feed him as often as he felt necessary, but to keep the feedings to a specific ounce amount. “He is very small and needs to put the weight on, but doing it to quickly could make him incredibly sick. Multiple, smaller feedings should do the trick, though.”
The first few days after that were difficult, though.
They learned very quickly that the little guy hated his ear drops and would start losing his little mind when it was time for them. It was most likely because of the sensation being foreign and weird and scary to him, not being big enough to be communicated that it would help. Giving him his medicine, despite how necessary it was, left them both feeling like bullies. And then, when it came to feedings, he would get panicked, too.
Those were the really difficult moments.
He would chug his bottle down, frantic and eager. Every time it was taken away so he could breath, though, he would start shrieking, releasing the most terrified, heart-wrenching wails either of them had heard. It was as if he was afraid that he would never get to eat again. After those first few days, he slowly seemed to settle into the rhythm of everything. He still got fussy when the bottle was taken away, but he didn’t get nearly as distressed as before. He seemed to have some understanding that he would be fed as often as he needed.
Then again, the two of them had needed a little bit of time to adjust as well, so it seemed fair.
Getting up to check on him through the night was the first big change to adjust to, and that job normally went to Keith. He was a lighter sleeper than Pidge was, so the slightest cry or distressed sound would cause him to wake up. Sometimes, though, if he was particularly tired, he’d nudge her until she jerked awake to take care of the baby. More times than not, though, the little guy ended up getting brought back to bed by either of them. He seemed to like being snuggled, so it helped him fall asleep again easier.
The biggest relief to Keith, though, was how quickly Pidge and the baby took to each other. There were still moments of uncertainty or discomfort for her, but she was already fiercely protective of him.
After a few days, Keith and Pidge realized that they would need to approach the subject of a name. If his mother had already named him, they would need to find out what it had been, wanting to keep something for him to remember her by, when he was older. When he reached out to Faluma, given she had been the more civil of the duo, she informed him that the infant hadn’t been given one. “Infant survival rates are not what they could stand to be for us,” she admitted, “so we began a trend of only naming our offspring once they reached an age where they can be part of a hunting or gathering patrol, as a form of limiting the amount of grief a family would experience. I doubt that it would have been given a name, assuming its mother had survived, though. If it is common amongst humans to name theirs so early on, I believe you would be fine to give it one, if you are so inclined.”
Pidge had looked about ready to deck the other woman over her refusal to acknowledge that the tot was, in fact, a living creature, but Keith had simply given her a swift thank you and gently ushered his wife away. The last thing they needed was further breakdowns regarding communication between themselves and the Nuestrian. Once they were far enough away, Pidge let out a furious huff. “I can’t believe these people, seriously! ‘If you are so inclined’ my ass! He’s our baby now and he’s getting a proper name!” she huffed. She then paused to look down into the little sling, tied off over her shoulder, at the small infant inside, curled up with one of his little feet in his mouth. He blinked when he noticed attention shifting and gave a little gurgle around his foot. She giggled a bit. “Is that some good foot? Very tasty toes?” she cooed, reaching in to lightly pinch the hand holding his foot in place.
He squealed, letting his foot drop, and babbled baby nonsense at them.
“I’m thinking that’s a yes,” Keith chuckled. A small, comfortable silence followed, in which Pidge fished out a tissue from her back pocket and wiped the drool from the baby’s foot. “You should pick his name.”
She jumped a bit in surprise. “What?” she asked.
“You should pick his name,” he repeated. He then reached into the sling to gently push some his unruly curls out of his face. Maybe he should start carrying a little comb when he was watching the infant. “I mean, obviously we’ll talk and agree on his name, but I think you should be the one to figure it out.”
“What if I told you I already had one in mind?” she asked. He blinked in surprise and she offered a sheepish smile. “Well, I was looking up names online the other night, because I thought that it was pretty likely that no one would know what his name had been. I wanted to make sure I was prepared!” she insisted.
He laughed and shook his head. “This is a judgment free zone, you know. I’m glad you were already thinking about this,” he said gently. “So what name was speaking to you?”
“Noah. He looks likes a Noah, doesn’t he?” she said, indicating him with a nod of her head.
They both glanced down to find that he had pulled his foot back into his mouth. “I like it,” Keith said, reaching in to gently tug his foot back out. “Man, he really does think his toes are yummy!”
“Formula will just never compare now,” she lamented playfully before looking back down at him. He was giggling and playing with Keith’s fingers now that they were in reach, so much more alert and energetic than when he’d first been found. “I was thinking Miles would be a good middle name.”
“Noah Miles Kogane… I think it’s a good fit for him,” he hummed.
The rest of their time on planet was relatively uneventful. They took turns watching after Noah, deciding who would take him based on who was taking care of what responsibilities that day, and started using his name immediately. Pidge made sure to correct every single Nuestrian they encountered that tried to refer to the baby as anything that wasn’t his name or a distinct ‘he’. He had to admit he got a kick out of watching it all go down; especially when it all capped off with Pidge telling Gizo quite bluntly where to stick his opinions.
It had taken all his self-control to not flip the bird at the other as he joined Pidge and Noah on the ship to start the course back to Earth.
That was when they realized they didn’t have any of the things they’d need for him when they got home, or a room prepared for him. “Well, we can call my parents,” Pidge suggested, settling into her seat with Noah bundled up in a blanket, little face pressed into her collarbone as the little guy dozed in and out from a nap. He’d had one final check-up and round of vaccinations earlier that morning, leaving him rather distressed and then, once the shock subsided, completely tuckered out. “They know where we keep the stash of emergency cash, and I’m sure they could get a nursery put together for us in the three days it’ll take us to get home.”
“Good point. Here, I’ll take him while you make the call,” he said, walking over to her. They moved him carefully, making sure to be careful with his legs, where his shots had been administered. Once the baby was in his arms, Keith settled into his own seat and made sure the tot was comfortable, smiling as Noah burrowed into him with a little grumble.
Pidge smiled as she watched them herself, putting in the contact information for her parents. After a moment, the screen flickered to life with her mother’s face. “Hello, Katie. You two heading back?” she asked happily.
She nodded. “Yeah. Sorry we were gone for so long; this place needed a lot of help and we had a lot going on,” she said with a small laugh. She glanced over at Keith and Noah again, smile widening when she picked up on her husband gently humming to their new son. “If you and Dad don’t mind, we actually need a little favor.” she said, turning her attention back to the screen.
“Of course. Want to come home to some fresh, clean bedding for a good night’s rest?” Colleen teased.
“Not quite. We actually need one of the spare rooms spruced up for this little guy,” she said, adjusting the holo-screen so that the view was on Keith and Noah.
A gasp came from her mom, covering her mouth with her hands. “Oh, is… Is that a…?” she trailed softly.
“His name is Noah,” Pidge answered, turning the screen back over to herself. Her mother’s eyes were wide and a bit watery, a bit of concern and disbelief in her eyes. “I’ll tell you the whole story once we get home, but… Well, you’re a grandma now.”
Colleen opened her mouth a few times before swallowing hard and nodding. She looked like she wanted to say something, but cut herself off, instead seeming to compose herself. “We can get something put together,” she said slowly after a moment.
“Thank you,” Pidge said quietly, a bit hurt by her Mom’s reserved reaction. She’d been kind of hoping that she’d be excited about the latest addition to their family.. In the background, she could hear the door leading to the garage creaking open and shut. After a moment, Sam’s face peered over his wife’s shoulder, smiling when he saw his daughter on the screen. “Hey, Dad. So, you guys know where we keep the emergency funds, right?” she asked.
“Hey there, Kit-Kat. What’s going on?” he asked.
“I’ll explain later,” Colleen said evenly, glancing up at him briefly, before turning her attention back to Katie. “And yes, we do. You want us to get the full works?”
“Yeah. Oh, and when we land, if you could meet us back at the base, that’d be great. We don’t have a car seat in the car and we want to make sure to get him home safely,” she explained.
“Car seat?” Sam parrotted, tilting his head. Pidge smiled and turned the screen again so he could see Noah and Keith, hoping for a more enthused reaction from him. Keith perked up, one arm still securely wrapped around the now sleeping baby, and offered a small smile and wave with the other hand. Her father looked stunned as she turned the screen back over to herself. “Okay, so definitely need a car seat.” he said after blinking again.
“Mmhmm. We can figure out picking out car up if you guys can just get the car seat and put it in your car,” she said. They briefly discussed everything and figured out the rest of the plan after that, with the Holt’s planning to meet up with them when they arrived at the Garrison base with the things they would immediately need for Noah. Once the call was ended, she slumped back in her seat and looked over at Keith. “Do you think they’re excited?”
He blinked in surprise at the question. “I’m sure they are, but they’re just focused on helping us get things set up. They know how important it is that we have everything we need him, after all,” he said, trying to be reassuring.
“Do… Do you think that they think it’s too soon after… You know?” she asked quietly, pulling her legs up into her seat and hugging them close to herself.
He blinked then frowned. “I think they’re just getting focused on getting things done,” he said, carefully adjusting his hold on Noah so he could reach out and take her hand. He gave a little squeeze, smiling when she moved her own hand out to meet him. “I’m sure it’ll all work out; especially when they get to meet him.”
She nodded, seeming to take some comfort from him, if not entirely convinced. She seemed even more concerned when they received a message from Sam and Colleen, explaining that because they had some last minute details to finish up, they had installed the car seat in their car for them and left a winter outfit with Iverson for the tot. They shuffled out of the ship and into the lobby, where Iverson led them back to his office so they could get Noah dressed properly. Pidge couldn’t help but smile when she saw that a matching outfit had been left for them; a little grey onesie with penguins on lawn chairs on the it, and one last penguin on the butt of the long pants.
They learned just in the trip from Iverson’s office to the car that Noah didn’t like his little boots. He nearly pried them off at least five times. The drive home was entertaining simply in how fascinated the baby was by everything. He let out excited and energetic little noises at the snowy landscape outside, which had them both giggling. Keith was glad to see it seemed to have perked Pidge’s mood up, as she turned every so often to watch Noah’s reactions.
And then they received the shock of a lifetime when they walked in the door.
“Welcome home!” The congregation of the Holts, the Paladins, Krolia and Kolivan shouted the minute they walked in the door, a bright blue banner reading “It’s a Boy!” dangling over their heads. They both jumped in surprise while Noah visibly flinched before letting out a short, scared little squawk.
“Oh, we’re sorry baby boy! We didn’t mean to scare you!” Colleen gasped, hurrying over and gently reaching out to the tot. She stroked his cheek and made quiet, gentle shushing noises to help calm him down. “Oh, you’re such a handsome little guy! It’s nice to get to see you in person.”
Pidge blinked then let out a small laugh. “Uh… What’s all this for?” she asked, looking around. She could already see a little high chair poised at the kitchen table, as well as what she knew had to be baby toys laid out on the carpet.
“Well,” Colleen trailed, making grabby hands towards Noah.
While Pidge carefully handed him over, Samuel walked over, setting a hand on his wife’s shoulder and beaming at them. “We figured the little guy needed a proper welcome. He’s a Kogane-Holt now, so we gotta get him used to what that means, you know?” he mused, waggling his fingers at the cooing infant.
“Be careful with him; once he decides he likes you, he’ll cuddle you into oblivion,” Keith warned playfully as Krolia approached as well.
She and Colleen both looked at him, their eyes bright with excitement. “You don’t say?” Krolia hummed as Colleen adjusted him, grinning at him.
“Oh, you’re gonna love it in this family, then! You’re gonna get so many cuddles, you won’t know what to do!” she cooed, leaning forward to give him little Eskimo kisses. He let out giddy little gurgles, as he was prone to doing when he enjoyed something.
Pidge smiled before looking up at Keith, reaching out to take his hand. He met her gaze, smiling back, and squeezed her hand. He gave a small tug to pull her into him as the other crowded over, everyone eager to meet their son. He could feel the tension leaving her body as she seemed to find comfort, knowing they had made the right decision and things were starting to turn up for them again.
