@zjofierose tagged me in the meme where you post...
Okay, my interests say “shklance soulmates” but my morbid curiosity votes for “Galra puberty”
In his defense, as Keith points out after the dust has settled somewhat, it's not like he'd realized that Galra had a different set of nutritional needs than humans, or that those needs might have an effect on him, given his own Galran heritage. Who thinks about those kinds of things? Not Keith, that's for sure, especially since he's as phenotypically human as the next guy.
Given that the next guy is Lance, who doesn't know how to let anything go, this defense doesn't get him too far. Keith sticks to it anyway, especially because it's true: he really hadn't known, and since no one had thought to tell him, well. It really wasn't his fault.
It starts with Ulaz, or rather Ulaz's base: while Pidge and Hunk are busy being dazzled by the space-folding technology and Lance is oohing and ahhing over the field of crystal thingies and the princess is glowering at Ulaz and Shiro is pumping Ulaz for more information on his missing year, Keith is focused on two things: one is Ulaz's dagger, which is way too much like his own knife for Keith's peace of mind. The other is a bowl of some kind of dried fruit sort of thing—not much to look at, just small, brown-green spheres that smell like cut grass to Keith, and even though he's never really been all that fond of salads, Keith can't stop eating them.
He doesn't even realize that he's doing it until he reaches for another and finds only the empty bottom of the dish. His dismay doesn't escape Ulaz, who fixes a long, unnerving Galra gaze on him before saying, "I see that you like the horpek, Red Paladin. If you like, I will share some of my stores with you before you depart."
"Uh—thanks," Keith tells him, confused but pleased even though he's not sure he does like the horpek per se.
Ulaz really is as good as his word after all; after the mess with the robeast and Ulaz's self-sacrifice, Keith finds that there's a box of horpek on the castle-ship, apparently just for him. Hunk is the only other human who shows an interest in them, and that's primarily as an ingredient. "They might make some interesting stuff," he says, "But there's not that many. I'll wait to experiment once this isn't our only supply."
Since Keith was already beginning to bristle over his box of horpek—his box, not Hunk's!—this was clearly the most diplomatic option. Keith appreciates it nonetheless.
