#let lotor have a semi normal childhood!!!!

[starfaring-princelotor]

Originally posted by picturesoflotoreveryday.

Moon Flower

Summary: Young Prince Lotor discovers a field of moon flowers and meets his first friend.

Pairings: Lotor x Half-GalraF!Reader

★ Disclaimer: I do not ship Lotura and I respectfully ask that this story to not be tagged as Lotura. This is a Lotor x Reader/Self-Insert OC story which is in no way related to Allura at all. Please be respectful of my chosen pairing.  ★

Warnings: Mentions of half-breeds, cliché romance trope, childhood friends to lovers, awkward teenage hormones, first kiss, ooc kinda?

Foo Fighters - Everlong

Part One___Part Two___Part Three

Extinction (Bad Ending)___ The Giving Tree___Moonlight Path

Evolution (Good Ending)___Breaking the Ice ___For My Family___Priorities

Lotor peeked from behind the tree meekly, small claws digging into the wood in slight nervousness. It was night time and little Lotor, ever the curious Galra, had slipped out the castle walls to explore what laid beyond. His parents wouldn’t know, at least, they shouldn’t. They probably thought he snuck out to the quartberry orchards to indulge his appetite, when in actuality, he ran to a different, more private, field. He discovered it, so it was HIS. It was his secret hide-out.

But, as his wide-eyed self scanned the flowers blooming in the expansive meadow, he saw that there was an intruder. Someone else was here, but he was unsure how to...chase this trespasser out. So for now, he just watched you cautiously, watched how you plucked the flower and sniffed it. Watched you flump back on the ground, arms and legs splayed out as if embracing the starry sky.

He let out a gasp when he watched you eat the flower.

His flowers!

Your ears twitched at the new sound and you turned your attention right in his direction. Lotor let out a small “eep!” then completely hid himself. If he can’t see you, then you can’t see him, right? Though, that young mind of his did not help in this situation at all. Little Lotor didn’t even hear you sneak up on him or the rush of footsteps dig into the dirt while you ran across the field.

“Hey! Who’re you?”

Lotor stumbled back when your face popped up barely an inch in front of him. He let out an indignant noise, something between a yelp and awkward stuttering, then took a large step back. Large in accordance to his smallish legs. Your eyes, big and inquisitive, blinked owlishly at this guy, this anxious, white-haired guy who couldn’t have been any older than you. Slowly, a smile grew on your lips.

A new friend!

“I’m-”

“Lotor. I’m Prince Lotor!” he interrupted, summoning what little courage he could after the shock of having YOU surprise him wore off.

“Lotor, huh?” you poked his side and he pouted, “Wanna play hide and seek with me?”

Little Lotor was...speechless. You took his silence as a yes, grabbed his hand, then dragged him to the field of moon flowers.

“I can’t reach it!”

“Um, it’s because you are short.”

You let out an indignant huff then shoved his shoulder, but all Lotor did was giggle in mischief. Tonight, the two of you had gone to the quartberry orchards after you complained to him that you were hungry. Of course, his little tummy had rumbled too, and he figured some ripe berries were perfect for dinner. Or dessert, seeing as it was very late in the night. You attempted to jump up and snag a bushel of berries, but Lotor was right. You were...tiny.

“Well, how do YOU get them then, huh?” you crossed your arms, sticking your lower lip out in defiance.

“Like this, watch,” his little legs tap tap tap to the tree and he glanced back, “Are you watching?”

Lotor scooted closer to the base then looked down at his hands. He knew how to get those berries easy-peasy. Concentrating with his tongue sticking out, he grunted for a few seconds before...pop! His claws came out! With a triumphant grin, he dug his nails into the wood and started to climb, scaling the trunk like he has done several times before. You let out an awed “Oooh” as he finally perched himself at the lowest branch.

Then, he started eating the closest bushel he could find, figuring it was a good...self reward for his hard work.

“Hey! That’s not fair! How come I don’t got those?” you sadly looked down at your own hands, wondering when you would get some gnarly, cool claws like Lotor.

With berry juice smeared on his lips, baby cheeks in full chipmunk mode, Lotor blinked down at you. Maybe you didn’t know how to get your pointy nails out yet? Either way, that sad, puppy look on your face made him frown, too. He cut a few berry vines, making sure he had enough for the both of you, then dangled it over your head. It was your big, doe eyes and sudden happy smile that made Lotor grin back.

“Here, catch them, okay?” he dropped one, two, six, and you managed to save each of them.

“Thanks, Lotor!” you stuffed a handful of berries in your mouth while he climbed down the tree, both of you sitting on the grass together, “You’re the best!”

Lotor smiled with his little kitten fangs showing.

“Ah! When can I get those, too?”

Tick. Tck.

“Psst...Lotor...wake up, I know you’re in there…”

Tick.

Lotor sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. It was so, so late at night, but he knew exactly who was throwing rocks at his balcony window. It was a habit with you, now. Though, even in his drowsiness, a happy smile crept on his lips. He shuffled out of bed quickly then silently opened the large glass doors...only to be pegged in the face with a tiny pebble. He let out that same sputtering when he first met you those few years ago, before looking over the edge.

Your expression instantly lit up when your friend’s face peered down at you, “Were you sleepin’?”

“No,” he lied, but you knew he was just joking around, “But I am sure my parents are.”

“Pssh, c’mon, Lotor,” you motioned him to come down, “Let’s go to the fields again. They won’t know. Besides, didn’t you say you got tomorrow off from studies or something?”

It was true. Dayak has started teaching him all about Galra history, Galra traditions, and while he enjoyed it, Lotor often found himself thinking about spending time outside the desk. Outside with his friend, in that field, playing tag and hide and seek and wrestling and eating and napping. Kid stuff that invaded his thoughts more and more the longer he was stuck behind a book.

Plus, he liked sharing his knowledge with you under the full moon.

“Sounds logical to me,” he nodded, already climbing over the metal border, “Very well. Catch me.”

“W-wai-Lotor, no-”

It took all your willpower, and his, to not laugh too loud when his lanky body crashed on top of you in a tangle of limbs.

Lately, Lotor has been feeling a little too warm. A fever, he thought, but that wouldn’t stop him from sneaking out and continuing your night-time shenanigans. Besides, if he was late, if he didn’t arrive on time, you would have the benefit of pouncing on him in a surprise attack. And Lotor certainly couldn’t let you get the best of him, now could he? It filled him with smug satisfaction every time he managed to pin YOU down first.

He tied up his hair quickly, since last time you almost won by yanking it too hard, then stealthily crept through the woods. The field came in view and there you were, humming innocently and plucking his precious flowers, completely oblivious to your surroundings. So safe. Our private little haven. Lotor crouched lowly and when you turned your head, you only had a split second to see him out of the corner of your eyes before he lunged at you with the speed of a hungry panther.

You had a moon flower in your mouth and you couldn’t even get a word out when Lotor roughly tumbled with you. Still, that didn’t mean you gave up so easily! You wrestled back, rolling and grunting, trying to get the upper hand on the larger teen, but his damn claws were great weapons to latch onto anything he wanted. Mainly, your shoulder since his hips were strong enough on their own to hold you down.

Spitting grass out of your mouth, you let out a groan and laughed, “Okay, okay, I concede! I yield!”

You couldn’t see Lotor’s cocky grin from behind you, but you could hear it in his damn voice, “What is the score? 54 to 21? You must try harder next time, dear.”

“Hey, hey, it’s 54 to 22! Give me some credit here,” you corrected, arms starting to ache as they twisted behind you in his strong hold, “But, y’know, who’s keeping count?”

Lotor chuckled in amusement, but it slowly died down when his nose...tickled. He has been in these fields so many times, he had already gotten used to the smell of moon flowers wafting in the night. It covered you and him, but this scent, it was different, it was spicy. He hooded his eyes and leaned down towards your neck, following his nose and disregarding that this was some odd instinct going on within his body.

He dug his face into your hair and fully closed his eyes, then he sniffed you. Not discreetly at all.

“Lotor? Lotor, you weirdo, did you just sniff me?”

Your voice snapped him out of his intoxicated state, but that scent was already burned into his mind. It was you, that spice came from you. It made him feel much too warm now. That, and he was thoroughly embarrassed he was caught doing something weird, something no Prince should ever do. Lotor released his grasp on you and backed off your body, letting you sit up and face him. His face flushed a cute wine color and his eyes, stars, he couldn’t look at you after that. Shameful, what was he thinking?

Then, you laughed, that carefree laugh, and all the worries mixing in his stomach disappeared.

Lotor’s eyes widened, blush still very prominent on his cheeks, then you tackled him suddenly. Surprise attack, indeed. He let out an “oof!” as you laid on top of him and his arms hugged you in comfortable familiarity. The way you were laying on him with the glow of the moon lighting up your face had a new feeling beat in his heart. He had thought his sniffing would’ve truly weirded you out.

Though, you proved that you were just as weird as he was when you dug your face into the side of his neck and sniffed him too. He was stunned, even more shocked when he could feel you smile against his warm skin. You...liked this? Of course you did. Why would something like sniffing push you two apart? Lotor was a fool to think you would run away over something so trivial. Two half-breeds, sniffing each other.

“You smell good, like,” you paused, hummed, “Like...lavender. Lilac? Forget-me-nots?”

Lotor could get used to this welcoming feeling blooming in his chest.

“And you’re really, really warm. Let’s sleep out here tonight.”

“Damn, that’s...that’s a lot.”

Lotor blanched at you, perhaps pouting just a bit, at your bluntness. Your face was super close to his, examining each and every swollen pimple on his sharp features. Not one, not two, but four. All in the most unfortunate of places, too. His nose, his chin, forehead, and his left cheek. You hummed deep in thought and slowly raised a finger, intending to...poke them. It was fascinating.

Well, fascinating to YOU.

“Oh, shut up, I can not believe I have so many,” Lotor’s complexion was one thing he carefully maintained and to have these abominations pop up overnight greatly knocked down his ego.

To him, it was downright embarrassing, if not a little painful. The second your finger was within half an inch of his pimple, Lotor’s hand came up and clamped around your wrist. Firmly. Now, you couldn’t satisfy your curiosity. Already sensing your other hand rising up, he caught that one in his hold, too. You squirmed in your restraint, though you had no luck breaking free. It was now that Lotor took a chance to truly just...stare at you.

Did your lashes always look so long and full?

“It’s okay, Lotor! They’re like, uh...comets! Yeah, they landed on your face,” you joked, to which he only rolled his eyes, “Little fallen stars, y’know? Let’s draw them together and make a constellation!”

“Absolutely NOT!”

You laughed out loud, not one so easily to give up, even if he said no. Arms and hands wiggling, Lotor had a hard time keeping you locked by the wrists, but you finally broke free. Immediately your fingers pinched both of his cheeks playfully, then stretched them here and there. Can I call you comet face from now on? If possible, his pouty lips only grew more in the light of such a humiliating nickname.

Lotor was getting older and taller than you, much to your playful complaints. That heat didn’t completely disappear, but now it was more manageable. It didn’t impede his studies or anything like that. It didn’t wedge an awkwardness between you two, which he was eternally grateful for. Under the pressure of his father and mother, of Dayak, of his duties as a Prince, he was glad he could steal little moments of freedom with you.

Like now. Your body was curled into his side, you are so squishy, while his hand laid loosely on your hip. Lotor was comfortable, he wasn’t a Prince with you. He was just that same anxious kid those many years ago. No, actually. Lotor likes to think he has grown into someone you could proudly call his childhood friend. Or perhaps...maybe something more than friend.

“Open,” he demanded and you did, your mouth parting while he fed you the apple held in his hand.

“Lotor,” you started, staring at the sky that was puffy with heavy clouds, “I think it’s gonna rain soon. We should get you back before you get soaked. I know how much you hate it when your hair frizzes.”

No, he didn’t want this to end. The night just started! Lotor took a bite out of the fruit then chewed silently, debating on what to do with you. On one hand, yes, he did hate how the humidity puffed up his hair in a what you call an “adorable cotton-headed grape.” On the other hand, you would leave his hold, which was already the worst option in his mind.

“Come stay with me tonight,” he heard you stop chewing and he pressed his cheek against the top of your head, “You hate the rain too, do you not?”

Yes, you did. Wet, cold, soggy. Loud and the storms on Daibazaal lasted much too long for your liking. And the lightning and thunder. You cuddled more against Lotor just thinking about it. His offer was so tempting, though. And when you looked up at him, saw that smile of his, saw that firm caring side reflect his cosmic eyes, you couldn’t say no. Just tonight, just this once.

“As Prince, I have control of who stay-”

“Uh-uh. No. You don’t get to use that title with me, you nerd,” you teased and his eyes lit up at your challenging words, “You said your name was Lotor. Lo-tor. Before you said Prince.”

And that’s how you’ve been calling him since you two met.

On the way back to his balcony, it had begun raining, and it pushed the both of you to start running. His hand was tightly wound with yours as the night sky flashed lightning at your heels, but you two...you were laughing at the circumstances. See? Told ya so. Luckily, it was so loud in the storm, neither of you worried about being caught scaling up to his room or making too much noise.

Under the awning, both Lotor and yourself were soaked to the bone. After the laughter died down, you two simply stood facing each other, taking in each other’s appearance. His hair was limp now, just like your mop, and his hands were still latched onto yours. Lotor was tethering you to him and he found that, well, he didn’t want to let go. Not yet. The door could wait. He wanted to stare at you a bit more, let that warmth rise over his body pleasantly. Judging by the adoring look in your eyes, he guessed you felt it too.

His heart nearly burst from his chest when you brought his hands up to cup your face, allowing him to hold what he deemed the moon of his life. Lotor wasn’t that nervous kid anymore. Never again, not when your eyes shined up at him like those nights you would gaze upon the distant galaxies. Like those nights when the both of you spotted a shooting star whizzing through the dark sky.

Lotor leaned down, pulled you to his body, and kissed you gently with all the heat and passion he could muster.

He heard the distant chime of bells ringing in his head when his eyes slid close in pure bliss.

“Let us review your alphabet in Ta’kivy.”

Like clockwork, Lotor automatically began speaking words along with every letter Dayak announced. His mind unconsciously, yet perfectly, nuanced each of them all in proper order, not once missing a beat. She was proud of him, nodding in approval as her pupil continued to impress her. He will make a fine Emperor one day. That is, until he said your name.

Lotor knew instantly he made a mistake. He gulped as nervousness spiked in his arms, all the way up to his chest, and his eyes widened in...panic.

“What was that?” Dayak asked, narrowing her eyes at the Prince’s reaction.

He quickly scrambled his brain for the correct word, the one that would hopefully deter Dayak from any suspicions she had in him. If you were found out, his father, his mother, they would no doubt banish you. Or worse. Lotor knew for a while now that a Prince was not meant to socialize with half-breeds, even though he, himself, was one. He knew the implications it could lead to and how grave it would be for you.

And that struck fear straight into his soul.

[pipedreamprayer]

Street Kid Vigilante AU

This originated from looking at all the family AU’s where only the youngest 4 were de-aged, and wondering what it would be like if Shiro was a teenager to their pre-teen status rather than still an adult. What's the first situation where the closest thing to an adult leading them was a teenager I could think of? Street kid AU. Then I had a way to incorporate Allura and Coran in a way vaguely paralleling their canonical story, and from there it only made sense that this group would try to fight back against the bad guys, both because if they don’t then no one else will stop these people and in order to defend their new friends and because it was the right thing to do. Then it was similarly obvious how to include Voltron and it actually didn't work as well without it, and suddenly I realised that this idea of a handful of helpless kids with too big a job and some equipment that should not be in their young hands against an economic, political and societal superpower is almost literally what they are up against canonically! There's so much emphasis in the show of how big a job it is, how impossible it is that a grand total of 7 people, most still experiencing puberty, are against such an enormous, indomitable force, that I absolutely HAD to develop this!

In other words this AU went from an even cuter de-aged family fic to a sincerely profound metaphor for the main continuity that promises to have a ton of angst and tension juxtaposing the fluff (because goddamnit, this started off as a fluff-appeal and no matter how off-track it's gotten it will incorporate at least some if it kills me!)

But oh good god, I started out planning a small one-shot series with a cute set-up, and wound up with a full length story idea that just keep pushing more and more ways to parallel the main series in my face and looks like it's going to have a whole plot from start to finish. Help.

BTW Does anyone know of any automobiles with ‘castle’ in the name? If not I'll probably end up making one up to use at some point, the plot bunnies won't let me leave it out!

 Edit a little for summary: Shiro is a teenager (maybe about 15, so if the others are 9 the canonical equivalents could be seen as 16 versus 22, which is pretty viable) who's somehow become the unofficial guardian of 4 younger children - while they're all homeless. Enter Allura, the daughter of a rich businessman who was recently murdered by a competitor, and her current guardian, his right hand man Coran, both on the run from the same murderer. It's chaotic, dangerous and not something these poor kids ought to be having to deal with, but it's life.

 Ideas, also known as more parallels to the original series:

The rival companies are Altea Tech and Galra Corp, maybe the Garrison is the social services, or at least the orphanage that they keep trying to drag the kids to. In other words Iverson is seriously on their case, more or less the person they’re on the run from. MAYBE they’re the police force I. E. Iverson is a cop after them.

 Galra Corp is after Allura because she holds the prototypes for a series of breakthrough technology that would revolutionise the way we live. The issue was that the ‘Voltron series’ could easily be weaponised, as Zarkon intends. The kids initially assume he intends to sell it to military and militia groups for high prices, but it eventually turns out that, having essentially monopolised the world with the fall of Altea Tech, Zarkon intends to become a world dictator himself!

 The Voltron series is split into two: the Bayards and the Lions. What makes them both Voltron is that they utilise never-before-seen technology that connects with your mental assets to work, making the 10 pieces one of a kind and utterly priceless, especially seeing as how Allura and Coran burned the blueprints, prototypes and patents to keep Zarkon’s hands off them. However, aware that they may be the only things able to stand against him as well as all that remains of Alfor’s legacy and life's work, they keep the recently completed final prototypes. When Zarkon sent his people after them to obtain them they had already gone on the run with them.

The Lions are small patches (in the shape of the Voltron crest from canon - or maybe bracelets? Like the wrist-guard part of the paladin armour?) that can boost certain capabilities and unlocks a person’s full potential in various ways. The Forest Green Lion Patch allows Pidge to hack with her mind alone (like in Greening the Cube, even though I hadn’t seen the second season when I came up with these ideas!!), the Earth Yellow one gives Hunk at least 3 times his usual strength (like the grip claws!), the Aqua Blue Patch enhances Lance’s senses to the point he can tell when people are coming from vibrations in the ground and hearing footsteps no other human could detect (like the sonic scans! S2 was a bit of a mind-blow for me when I realised all the parallels), while the Flame Red Lion made Keith as agile and quick as a cat (the kids choice of comparison) and the Cosmos Black one allowed Shiro to make one hand (the prosthetic) into some sort of energy blade-like weapon. The idea is that someone with all the patches will be rather unstoppable, and are called ‘Voltron’ as a result. In other words the Lions combine to form a Voltron of unmatched strength, though they start to suspect there is even more adaptability to this, even more abilities hidden in the tech. For example, the kids prove to be building up resistance to certain effects: Keith can handle high temperatures unflinchingly, Lance doesn’t seem to get cold, Pidge has lost her hayfever and, apparently, other allergies to plants (maybe even building up an immunity to things like poison ivy and nettles as well), while Hunk’s skin seems to be toughening to the point that what would normally graze someone doesn’t break his skin at all (e.g. he can crawl through thistles without it making a difference to him so long as he protects his eyes). Notably, Allura and Coran didn't know what the Lions and Bayards actually did, so finding these effects was as much a surprise for them as the kids. Maybe there's even some sort of semi-permanent link effect between the tech and the user, so once the kids use it they’re sort of stuck with them.

 The Bayards are physical, able to morph from small devices to different objects depending on the users will. There is of course a limit in terms of mass, and imagination is vital. Luckily they're now in the hands of small children, who make them anything from toys to tools to weapons of self-defence, with the powerful imaginations of childhood, no matter how much they've been through. That said, they sometimes come up with ideas that aren't possible, or don't think things through properly. Shiro was completely against giving the children potential weapons until it was pointed out that they're used to having to defend themselves already (hence Keith’s knife, that he refuses to let Shiro take off him) and as they refuse to be left behind (they'd just follow him if he tried to separate from them, and would therefore be in even more danger being unprepared) they'll need something to defend themselves and get out of tight spots the most. They prove to be the best candidates out of the group anyway - their imaginative minds conjure things no one else would of through of e.g. robotic mice to serve as a distraction. Then, after that, one of their favourite things to do with their Bayards was to make pets out of them until needed as something else - particularly robotic mini-lions, already thinking about the animals a lot because of the names of the other line of Voltron products.

 Zarkon already has the Black Bayard, having stolen it at the same time as Alfor, Allura’s father, was killed, and he always has it on him to remind himself of the taste he's had of the power available, of why he wants more. The Black Bayard and Lion are connected (as are all corresponding colours) so he can sometimes sense when Shiro is near, or when he activates the patch - either way he can’t exactly track them in the traditional way, but does know when to look for them. The group don’t realise for a good while that this is happening and just think he has people out looking for them everywhere for them at all times and they just pick up on the signs they give away when they get into a situation that requires Shiro’s weaponised hand.

 Maybe Allura had pet mice in real life, and it was the stories she had about them that inspired the kids move with the Bayards. Allura is maybe 17, so older than Shiro by about 2 years but still a teenager and also on the cusp of legal adulthood - at which point she’ll inherit her father’s company. At the moment though, she tentatively bonds with the kids surprisingly well, Shiro coaxing her into opening up and being a kid with them rather than a future CEO. She sometimes jerks out of phases of loosening up somewhat by snapping that they can’t afford to be kids when they have her father’s murderer on her, and now their, trail.

 If Zarkon owns and heads Galra Inc, maybe Haggar is head scientist? Sendak may be the head of security or Thace is the head of security, Sendak is the hired muscle/assassin, the same probably going for the other big-shot Galra we’ve seen. Again, started this long before season 2, so not sure how to incorporate Lotor - maybe he’s in charge of these hired guys? Or maybe he’s heading his own mini army of assassins directly under Zarkon, i.e. rather than the difference between him and his team being that he’s Zarkon’s son maybe it’s that he’s actively loyal to Zarkon rather than just hired. I mean if he were to be the future heir to the company then he would be trained in business, not fighting, so he wouldn’t really be a threat like the other Galra.

 MAYBE Altea Tech has fallen behind a bit over the past 10 years as Alfor devoted so much time to the Voltron Project - so it dying out and being absorbed by Galra Inc wouldn’t raise so many eyebrows - nobody would know that Alfor was planning something big this whole time because it wasn’t actually ready yet. Maybe there’s even something about how potential investors thought it was a fools endeavour because there was only theory to begin with, and now that he has proof that it works he’s been silenced and Zarkon is out to take it all, without anyone being any the wiser. At least, not until it’s too late.

 MAYBE Shiro is more on the run than homeless: he was kidnapped alongside several other teens (including Matt Holt) for experimentation but managed to escape before they could amputate his arm, it having gotten a badly infected wound. However it is still pretty weak, and he suspects that the Black Lion therefore intentionally sought to make the weakest part of him, the most likely to let him down or be targeted, the strongest part by far.

 Katie went on the run from the authorities with her older brother after the care system threatened to separate them not long after their parents death, but when he was kidnapped by strange men she built up a less feminine persona known as Pidge both to cope with all the loss and convince herself and others that this scrap of a child could make it on the streets alone - she wanted to channel her brother as much as she could, and even wore his old glasses. Then she met Shiro and the boys and didn't need to do it alone any longer.

 I'm struggling a bit with the boys back stories, so I'll juggle some ideas:

Hunk’s parents died and he joined his best friend’s family, only for the two to eventually run away after being neglected due to the overwhelming size of the family.

OR

Their families all died in the same accident, or maybe a burglary, or even being targeted for some reason by Galra Inc. MAYBE the boys saw something they oughtn't have, but by the time they managed to get an adult to listen to them (their family continually being distracted by other members) the Galra had been sent after them, and everyone was slaughtered. The boys somehow managed to escape, leaving the deaths rather pointless and in vain - not to mention the boys entirely blame themselves. Perhaps because they think their families were targeted because they tried to tell them, they want it keep it a secret from their new family for their own safety. Thus they clam up when it comes to talk about how they ended up in this situation, and unless thoroughly distracted will at least tense and question everything they say when discussing family in general. This contrasts Pidge’s way of voicing memories whenever she gets the chance, a little afraid of forgetting, and Keith’s absolute reluctance to say anything at all about his past.

Maybe, just MAYBE I could incorporate the Alien!Keith headcanon (not exactly pure speculation anymore, hallelujah!) in that his parents were a part of the Galra ‘empire’. However maybe I can include something that the Aliens can't: They were undercover spies. Like, full-on-MI6-James-Bond style (again, shockingly similar to the undercover BoM agents!). However, when they discovered something important (either Zarkon’s eventual plans or some weakness. BIG MAYBE that the top-tier Galra are actual Aliens!!) they were killed, but not before getting their small son to safety (the Galra never knew about him but would have found him at the house). While they were able to, they gave him the vital evidence they were killed for i.e. not knowing about him and not having reason to suspect his existence means the enemy will never find him or it until he’s worked out what it is and turned it in to the proper authorities. MAYBE it’s his knife: he always thought it was a memento of his parents but really it was evidence that Zarkon was an alien OR has some sort of other significance e.g. hidden memory stick or the symbol has meaning with the organisation they worked for.

 Katie renamed herself Pidge after a random pigeon she saw on the street - unlike her it could come and go as it pleased and she wanted to be more like it. She was maybe 6 at the time, met Shiro about a year later and is currently just about 9, 3/4 of a year younger than the second youngest (Keith, who’s a few months younger than Lance who is younger than Hunk by even less) but is exceptionally small for her age. Maybe her birthday even comes up during the story. Maybe Shiro and Matt met in the facility that took the formers arm, so he knows he'll likely be kept alive and also that he has a little sister who was left behind. When he got out he tried searching for Katie for Matt's sake, even to find out if she'd died while alone or been taken into care or something, but EITHER found Hunk and Lance together first, then Pidge then they all found Keith, whom Shiro had known before he was kidnapped and Keith's parents died OR Pidge had already met Hunk and Lance, and Shiro found them after finding Keith.

Maybe Keith heard his parents mention a bomb so when the gang realise the connection between them and Galra Corp they start looking into bombs that occurred around the time. However Pidge eventually realises that they may have instead said "B.O.M" as in Blade of Marmora. This unfortunately renders their research so far potentially, but not certainly, useless, so no matter which option they choose to investigate they could be wasting more time even as they are hunted day and night. Furthermore, they are still no closer to finding out if his parents were even good guys or not - just like they could have been referring to a bomb they were involved in setting off or preventing they could be a part of the Blade of Marmora or seeking to eliminate their agents. It’s tense situation (that was unintentional but still, ba-dum-tsh).

 Not going to include most of season 2 because I can’t follow the plot identically, though some of the characters can be useful i.e. the mall Galra can come up when they genuinely steal from a mall owned by Galra Corp.

I think starting with a prologue to show how Shiro became responsible for the kids would be a good idea. MAYBE paralleled by snippet of Allura’s life at the time I. E. Before her father’s death, possibly by her seeing them in the middle of all this and not thinking much of it. Like, she just sees some random kids causing a scene one way or another and shrugs it off.

First chapter begins with Allura and Coran, maybe finding Alfor’s corpse, on the run already or burning things that don’t make sense to the reader at the time.

Then it moves on to the kids, spending some time showing how they function normally, a mundane day (pick-pocketing and a couple of thefts because CPS will be called if they're seen begging), before Allura and Coran burst into it, being chased. MAYBE Shiro recognises Sendak from his time as a prisoner and therefore knows who the bad guys are in this situation instantly. He rushes in to help on instinct, not realising until it’s too late that his kids have followed him. MAYBE they find Allura’s bag of equipment (including a teleporter that only activates for her DNA signature? It would only go small distances, but could be extremely useful) and use the Bayards to fend off the enemy from the get-go. If so, they do it in order: i.e. Lance finds it first and the others follow suit like in the first episode. MAYBE one is already in the hands of the enemy, but Keith actually gets it back (little shout-out to badass!Keith getting the Red Lion in the first episode).