Space Mom Lance

Lance' Children Part 2

Lance bounced Lawliet in his arms as he hummed a lullaby. Vanderi had laid himself over the Latino while Greta had curled up by his shoulder. It has been three hours since he had awoken, and the children had clung onto him the whole time. Lance, who noticed this, decided it would be best to feed them and then bring him to his room where he not only brought some snacks and milk for them, but games as well. The three seemed to have warmed up Hunk, but only Greta seemed willing to be near Shiro and Vanderi with Kieth, but both were quite distant. Surprisingly Lawleit seemed partial to everyone but only if Vanderi, Greta or Lance was holding him.

Lance rubbed Lawliet's back with his thumb, his tired body also demanding rest despite the time he spent in the healing pod. He remembered the nights he put his younger siblings, cousins, nieces or nephews to sleep, each having their own way they liked to be put to bed. His younger brother often wanted to sleep in the corner of their shared bed, his head always making it to Lance's stomach for some reason, not that he minded. He huffed a laugh silently, and carefully shifted his body so Lawliet's weight mostly fell onto his other shoulder.
His heavy eyelids threatened to close, but the thought of dropping Lawliet prevented him from falling asleep. He sighed internally, biting his lip so the pain could make him a bit more alert. Lance felt worries eat away at his thoughts. He needed to go to the space mall and buy them clothes, Vanderi who still looked dehydrated may need to start sleeping in the bathtub or pool so his skin doesn't dry out, and Lance could probably figure out some kind of skincare routine that could help. He needed to be especially careful of his gils. He needed to ask Koran to help him examine the children for any ailments and their needs.

I seriously needed to go shopping, thought Lance looking at the loose clothing covering the small bodies. Luckily for him Pidge seemed to be the same size as Vanderi and Greta who was only a few inches shorter, whereas Lawliet was wrapped in a makeshift dress made from the softest shirt Lance owned. A soft sigh escaped Lantio's lips, a to-do list compiling in his head, homesickness poked at the edges of his heart as he remembered taking care of his younger family members. He remembers rushing to make dinner when he was babysitting, needing to clean up and to make sure everyone finished their homework including his own. That reminded him if the children are staying with them would they need to start schooling them?

"Lance?"

The brown skinned teenager jumped, almost dropping Lawliet and waking up the other two.
"Sorry, is this a bad time?" Guiltily asked Shiro. The man still looked beat up from their escape, it must've been a rough couple of days for him as one could see with his eyebags.

"Of course not. It's a little crowded here but I'd really love your company."

Shiro nodded curtly and slowly made his way to an empty side of Lance's bed, careful not to disturb the children. He ended up laying his head on the bed frame letting his feet hang off the side of the bed. A warm silence fell upon the two, Lance focusing on the little ones while Shiro looked around the room leisurely.

"I talked with Allura about the three while you were in the healing pod."

Lance didn't look at their leader who was now fixated on a wall full of pictures. "She thinks that it would be best to take them to some kind of orphanage .It would probably be better than having them stay with us where they could be exposed to more danger."

A silence now loomed over the two. Lance didn't once look up from the three, he didn't dare look at their leader. "What did you tell her then?"
"Well, I couldn't deny she had a valid point, butI thought it would be best for the children to choose where they would like to go. Despite them being somewhat friendly and adjusting, they clearly seem to be attached to you. During your time in the pod they refused to sleep or even talk with the other paladins until you came out. The only food they would eat would be if I handed it to them, and Vanderi almost started attacking Koran and Kieth when we tried to move them to a bed. Lawliet wouldn't stop crying and he kept asking 'where is mama?'" Shiro bit his lip as he remembered how fearful the three were when they came into the ship. They would only acknowledge Hunk probably because of his gentle nature and his cooking.
The complete 180 the three went through when Lance came out astonished the rest of the crew. Shiro could tell the three would not voluntarily leave Lance, and if they were to part the children are sure to have problems adjusting. On the other hand, they are putting themselves at risk if they stay on the ship, and they could be exposed to more traumatic events.