Things had been tough, since Kerberos. Sam was sent off with the weaker prisoners to a work camp and Matt just wants to go home. Shiro also wants to go home, apologise to Adam, but his priority is keeping Matt safe and getting him home. It doesn't matter what Shiro wants, because Shiro is older and he's sick and Matt deserves to live more than him. It's why, when they are thrown into the cell together, Shiro gets up and stands in front of Matt, blocking him from those eyes that seem to shine, yet blend with the darkness in the corner. Matt stands up and the creature growls, shifting to be ready to stand, if the situation requires it.

This reveals skin, almost white, on a small, skinny leg.

A child. A human child.

Shiro crouches down, trying to seem less threatening, "Hey there, lil guy. I didn't think any humans would be here."

Growls radiate through the cell. The child backs further into the corner, so Shiro and Matt back into the opposite corner, after a shared nod.

"He's scared Shiro. He probably doesn't even understand us," Matt whispers, but it sounds so loud, compared to the quiet growls (and are those whimpers?).

Shiro doesn't acknowledge what Matt says and keeps his focus on the child, "Do you understand us? We won't hurt you."

The child keeps growling. With nothing else they can do, Matt and Shiro sit in the cold corner. Matt rests his head on Shiro's shoulder, exhausted, and Shiro watches the child, until he falls asleep to the sound of growls.

———

The lack of acknowledgment from the child doesn't stop Shiro. Adam claims he is known for two things: his skills as a pilot and his stubbornness. He and Matt talk about everything and anything to distract themselves from reality. Every now and then, they throw in a question for the child and give him a chance to answer. There had only been three meals, which Shiro guesses equated to three days, when the child responded.

"I just realised we never told you our names! Shiro, this is a travesty!" Matt gasps.

"Now you know my name is Shiro," Shiro deadpans, "And this is Matt. Do you have a name?"

"Keith."

A small whisper, only a second later, comes from the child - from Keith. He can understand them and he can talk their language.

"It's nice to meet you, Keith," Shiro smiles.

He and Matt continue talking, like before. Keith doesn't answer again for some time.

———

There's a routine now. Every 'day', they get a cup of fluids to drink and a small, disgusting meal. Every three 'days', they get to go to the equivalent of a washroom. Every five 'days', they get a medical exam. It's only been 16 'days'.

Matt's the one who asks, "What do they think is gonna change in five days? All that's happening is malnutrition."

Shiro doesn't get to answer.

"They want a baseline. We differ genetically and biologically. They've never had full-humans before. They don't understand some things about you," Keith speaks, voice sounding like the growls of their captors, but coming out in a way that Shiro and Matt can understand.

It doesn't stop them flinching.

Shiro decides to test their luck, "I didn't think we'd understand you, but it seems we don't have that problem."

Keith shakes his head, "You don't remember, but there are temporary universal translators around your ears."

Matt speaks next, "You're speaking their language."

"Our."

They don't push anymore. It's obvious that Keith's not fully human. He hears and sees things that they don't or before they do. Sometimes, his eyes seem to glow.

Once, Shiro managed to persuade him to come to the middle of the cell by leaving food as a gift (hence, Keith being more willing to give answers), before faking sleep, and saw purple eyes. An impossible colour for human eyes. Shiro made the mistake of holding his breath and alerting the boy to him being awake. The boy startled, eyes sliding over to him, and he started to growl. Shiro apologised profusely for the next few 'days'. It seems he is forgiven.

Still, Shiro still has questions, "Can you speak our language?"

"No know lots," Keith reluctantly responds.

"You don't speak much. We can teach you," Shiro says.

"No. Wrong."

"You can't speak much? Yes?" Shiro asks.

"Yes."

"We can teach you, if you want?" Matt suggests.

"No!" Keith responds sharply at a normal volume, loud for him, and curls up into a ball, "No."

"Why?" Matt asks.

"Always trust. Always leave. Always hurt," Keith snarls, curling up even tighter.

"We won't hurt you," Shiro reiterates what he said when they first met.

Keith doesn't respond. None of the three sleep easy that 'night'.

———

"I miss sitting up on the roof with Katie and teaching her the most, I think," Matt says, on one of those quiet quintants (as Keith explained).

"Kayyyy teee. Katie," Keith copies, no longer sitting in his corner, but against the opposite wall, having changed his mind and deciding to learn from them.

"Yeah. She's my little sister. She'd like you."

Keith shakes his head.

"Why not?" Shiro asks.

"No like Keith. All leave."

"We like you, Keith," Shiro tries, but it doesn't work, so he tries another tactic, "Don't you have friends? Family? People who love you?"

He doesn't expect Keith to shake his head, "Love hurt in end. All leave."

"We won't leave. We promise. Humans like us have to stick together, after all. Right Shiro?" Matt decides, nudging his friend.

"Of course!" Shiro smiles.

"Stay? Yes?" Keith asks, eyes bright as he doesn't notice how he is nearing the centre of the room.

"Always," Shiro promises, despite knowing how hard it will be to keep.

———

They stopped counting the quintants and started to enjoy the little moments. Keith begins to open up and starts to sit next to them. One of the benefits is that Shiro can scrape some of his food onto Keith's dish, without him being sceptical or even noticing. Another is that Keith has been here since before he can remember and, as sad as that is, it means he gets certain privileges (although that might be his heritage or some other factor) and knows certain things, like schedules. Hence, the escape attempts. The many, many escape attempts.

The very first is simple enough. Shiro grabs a large, scalpel-like object, during a medical check-up, and hides it. The medics and robots believe he is clutching nothing, but a sore stomach. It turns out that some aliens have incredibly strong skin and, therefore, the scalpel is extremely strong and capable of cutting through the cell's door (with a lot of effort and noise and exhaustion). Shiro makes a small hole in the door, exhausting himself, which allows Keith to stick his arm through and place his hand on the pad to unlock the door. The problem is that when the door opens, Keith's arm gets trapped and the door shuts. By the time they cut through the wall, the next patrol passes by and they are caught.

Inventory checks are done after every visit from these prisoners.

It's after the second escape attempt that Keith decides to ask something of them. The Empire Commander refers to them as the 'halfy Keith' and the 'two poor imitations of Alteans'. It's something Matt and Shiro pick up on. All of the Empire use Keith's name, like it's an insult.

"My full name is Keith Yurak Kogane. I prefer Yurak," Keith says when they are alone, the three of them, "Please call me that when we are alone."

"Of course, Yurak," Shiro smiles.

"Yurak?" Matt smirks, "I like it."

That night, Keith - no, Yurak - joins Matt and Shiro and the three have a cuddle pile.

———

"Sometimes you need to think outside the box," Matt smiles, messing with the technology in the around the ear translator he no longer needs, due to his recent implant.

"What does that meal?" Keith asks, sitting infront of Matt to hide his tinkering.

"Mean, Yurak. The word is mean," Shiro smiles from his position by the wall.

"Mean. What does that mean?" Keith corrects himself, clapping happily when Shiro nods at him.

Keith is making good progress with their language, but he still messes up sometimes. Usually, when he tries to use a phrase he's picked up from Shiro or Matt and uses the wrong word. It hasn't been long since the cuddle pile, but Keith opens up more and more, becoming the playful kid he never got the chance to be. Shiro always smiles when hi- the kid enjoys something, making the most out of their situation.

"It's a saying from Earth. It means that if you want to solve a problem, you need to do things differently. Untraditional problems require untraditional solutions," Matt explains, "Sometimes the solution is right in front of you, but you just can't see it yet. Like loopholes."

"Looholes."

"Loop. Holes. Loopholes."

"Loopholes! What's a loophole?"

"When you find a way to get around something. For example, a way to get around a rule," Shiro explains, "without breaking it."

"Oh..." Keith smiles, "Like when Matt does his sciency stuff!"

Shiro laughs, "Yes, exactly."

"Hey!" Matt makes an offended sound, "I'm simply using the universe! It's not a loophole!"

"It's science!" Keith declares with Matt.

Keith and Shiro start laughing and Matt joins in.

They don't escape, but it's fun.

———

In a cell, with no idea of anything, things get boring and, eventually, Shiro and Matt don't have much left to tell. They teach Keith simples things with the dust in the cell, like writing and the odd bits of maths (not much, just the alphabet and one plus one equals two). Sadly, they don't have much dust, so, instead of personal stories, Shiro and Matt tell historical stories. Keith, lacking personal stories to tell, quickly joins in with his own. Both the Galran history and 'what his Momma taught him that was probably closer to being what really happened' history (since the Blades were originally scholars who were protecting ancient texts, especially Altean texts).

"And the Lions and their Paladins brought peace to the universe," Keith finishes the story.

"That's quite the story," Matt laughs.

"It's history!" Keith protests.

"Sure, a weapon is great, but they must have been lost to time, if something like this happened," Shiro interjects.

"That's not what brought peace. It was the trust between Paladin and Lion that made them strong and the trust between all of them that made them invincible, but peace was brought because of their good hearts," Keith explains.

"I think I'd be a great Paladin then!" Matt declares, ruffling Keith's hair.

"Dad! Make him stop!" Keith laughs, as Matt puts him in a chokehold, only for them all to freeze.

"Dad?" Shiro chokes out.

Keith looks away and goes to move away, "Sorry... it just slip- I didn't mean-"

Keith is stopped as Shiro pulls him in for a tight hug. He tenses, before relaxing. Matt joins in.

"I don't mind. In fact, I'd love for you to call me it more often, Yurak, my little kit," Shiro smiles.

Keith doesn't respond.

Of course the moment is ruined a few ticks later by Matt, "What does that make me then? Can you adopt me too, Space Dad?"

Shiro tackles him and starts to tickles the smaller man. Keith laughs in the background, carefree, and soon, the both of them start laughing too. Matt never gets his answer, but the three of them already know that he doesn't need one.

———

The quintants of staying in the cell and being removed every so often eventually come to an end. Their routine is disrupted and they are put on edge. All they get as a warning is the large meal and multiple cups of fluids each.

"We are to fight," Keith explains, once the soldier leaves.

"What do you mean?" Shiro asks.

"The Empire has people fight to the death. They want us to do that."

Matt goes pale, "How long have you been doing this? Fighting?"

Keith shrugs his shoulders, the way he had picked up from Matt, "When my Momma stopped."

They don't need to ask anymore questions. Matt doesn't let the solemn mood remain and starts to talk and talk and talk, mostly about Katie.

"I hope I can get to know Katie like you do. She seems great," Keith says, resting his head on Matt's shoulder.

"You will. I promise. I'm already warming up to you. She will too," Matt looks at him and smiles, as Keith elbows him in the side, wrapping an arm around Keith as they fall asleep in the cell.

———

Keith has fought before, but that doesn't make it any less terrifying, especially since he now risks losing the two people he cares for, more than anything.

"I'm not going to make it. I'll never see my family again!" Matt freaks out as Keith places a hand on his shoulder, reassuringly, a sad smile on his face.

"You can do this," Shiro encourages.

A Sentry offers Matt a sword, but Matt recoils in fear.

Shiro steals the blade, yelling, "This is my fight!" and injures Matt, tackling him away from Keith, screaming, "I want blood!"

Shiro whispers to Matt, only loud enough for them and Keith (with his enhanced Galran senses) to hear, "Take care of your father."

He is dragged away to fight.

Matt is dragged away to get treatment for his leg and put in another cell, away from the new, bloodthirsty Champion, who only went for his companion.

Keith and Shiro don't see him again.

———

"And the Champion is unstoppable! Will this kill be his last?"

"Shiro?"

"It'll be okay, Yurak. I promise. We'll get out of here and find Matt," Shiro holds him tight, whispering, "I've got you."

Despite the metal arm, Shiro is still just as warm and comforting.