#regressor keith

He’s grandpa your honor.

Anon you are absolutely right, Kolivan IS grandpa 💜

I wasn't sure if you'd like headcanons or a story, so because it's a bit late now where I live, I'm gonna do some headcanons, but please please please don't hesitate to request a story for Grandpa Kolivan and Little Keith if you'd like a quick fic for that! 😃✨️

Grandpa Kolivan Babysitting Little Keith Headcanons! 🍼💜⚔️

Kolivan didn't find Keith's regression anything out of the ordinary. To him, Keith was just being a typical kit, since Galra are long-lived. He's always respected that to humans, Keith is fully grown, which is why he allowed him to join the Blades, but he always feels a sense of pride and joy when he sees Keith being little and spending time in his headspace. To him, it's not just Keith regressing, it's him indulging in his more Galra oriented kit instincts telling him he's safe now to just be young

He also just secretly thinks that Keith is really adorable when he's babbling and playing with his toys, but that's between him and no one

That being said, he never hesitates to babysit

Shiro can call him up saying he has a last minute high-profile meeting starting in an hour and everyone else is already booked with something else and Kolivan will tell him he can be there in thirty human minutes

Keith loves when Grandpa Koli comes over to babysit! He loves his usual crew, don't get him wrong, but Grandpa Koli coming over is always a special treat

Oftentimes, Keith will bring out his crayons and paper and while Kolivan tells Keith a story, the little one will draw whatever tale Grandpa is telling. He especially likes the stories that include his mommy! As Kolivan weaves together epic stories of his and Krolia's adventures in the stars, Keith colors picture after picture of his mommy and his grandpa on their super important secret space missions 🖍🚀🗡✨️

Keith also likes to try to braid Kolivan's hair. It usually has mixed results, but Kolivan will wear whatever style Keith gives him all night long, bows and all. His kit worked very hard on those messy, tangled braids, and he will wear them with pride

Sometimes, though, Keith just likes to cuddle with Grandpa Koli and listen to him purr as he's held close and sucking on his paci. Kolivan makes an excellent pillow to nap on 👌

Kolivan also tells Keith their legends and stories that have been passed down from generation to generation in their Galra culture. Keith always pays extra special attention when Grandpa is teaching him very important Galra stuff. He's shushed many people many times for interrupting, Shiro and Lance included

It isn’t unusual for Keith to be a tad bit hyper when he's had a full day already and Kolivan is babysitting. Special occasions make most little ones extra excitable, and Keith is no exception. He'll be either running around the room asking Daddy when Grandpa is getting there are hurriedly crawling to the door to wait for the older man as he bounces on his bottom in excitement, depending on how old he's feeling

How does Keith handle that extra energy when someone big and tall is in charge of him?

Simple. Grandpa Kolivan is now Keith's personal jungle gym 😌

Shiro, walking in after a very, very long meeting: Hey, I'm back! Thanks for keeping an eye on him Kol--

Kolivan: *being used as Keith's personal playground equipment*

Keith: *laughing and climbing all over Kolivan's body and swinging on his arms as Kolivan just stands there letting it happen*

Shiro: Pfffffffft--

Kolivan, as Keith continues his play: Not a single word, Shirogane

Their hight difference always makes Keith feel extra tiny. He knows he's average hight for a human, but he's very small for a Galra, even for his age, so Kolivan carrying him or holding him or even just having him sit on his lap can easily slide his headspace from the age of three to one if Kolivan doesn't keep his mind occupied

Kolivan gave a very tiny Keith a wooden version of his blade once to encourage training-like playtime. He swiftly got hit in the head with it

They didn't try that again

Ultimately, no matter what they're doing, Keith and Kolivan both love spending time together, just a proud grandpa and his sweet little kit 🍼💜⚔️

Prompts: Tummy time/ducklings

Caregiver: Shiro

Regressor: Keith

❤️ 🦛 🖤 ⭐️ ❤️ 🦛 🖤 ⭐️ ❤️ 🦛 🖤 ⭐️ ❤️ 🦛 🖤

"Alright sweetheart," Shiro cooed as he gently lowered Keith onto the soft yellow blanket he had laid out as the baby was sleeping, gently turning him from his back onto his tummy, "let's do some tummy time! Won't that be fun? Look, Hippo is joining you!"

Keith let out a curious hum behind his blue pacifier as he lifted his head up and watched Shiro gently lay Hippo, Keith's beloved purple hippopotamus stuffie, down on his own stomach right in Keith's line of sight. He began to squirm, happily kicking his legs out behind him at the sight of his best, fluffy friend. Hippo was an old toy, one from when Keith was an actual child and not a seasoned space pilot, the purple fur not as vibrant as it had once been, his stuffing flattened in some places from years and years of cuddling, and he was missing one of the two plush teeth that poked out of his snout (Keith still wasn't exactly sure how that particular accident had happened, but Shiro helped him put the plush tooth under his pillow for the tooth fairy anyway; Hippo got a whole dollar and a new tooth brush that night!). But the decades of love and cuddles reflected in every little stitch on his plush body, always there for Keith and ready for an adventure to steal cookies while Daddy wasn't looking or to cuddle at night and catch his tears when the pain of the past snuck up on him in his dreams. None of that mattered to Hippo--he just loved Keith, and Keith loved him. He was the perfect friend for every part of Keith’s regression, but especially during tummy time.

Shiro was a very attentive caregiver, taking Keith's every need into careful account, including the need for physical activities even when he found himself deep into his headspace and barely reaching a year old. Bottles helped Keith stay hydrated and his tummy full. Diapers helped keep him dry and comfortable. Pacifiers satisfied an oral fixation and kept dangerous things out of his mouth. And tummy time helped stretch out muscles barely used so deep into babyspace and let him expend some excess energy.

Shiro reached out and picked up the soft star rattle he had added to the blanket earlier, shaking it to grab his baby's attention. Keith perked up at the sudden sha sha sha noise, turning his head away from his stuffed friend and watching his daddy shake the smiling star with a smile of his own.

"Hear that, Keith? The little star is saying hi! Can you say hi, too?"

The diaper under Keith's onesie crinkled as he kicked his feet out again, soft little huffs leaving his mouth behind his soother as he geared up to say hi to the star. Keith suddenly let out a very loud "Ba!", his paci falling from his mouth as he did, but he smiled at the star anyway, reaching his hands out to try to grab it.

Shiro’s heart absolutely melted. "Yay! Great job, sweetheart! What a sweet baby you are, saying hi to your little star friend. Do you think Hippo wants to meet the star, baby?"

With a new task to complete, the little one clumsily grasped the plush rattle in his hand, giving it a shake as he giggled before turning to Hippo once more, ready to show him the noisy star he had befriended, while Shiro was ready to watch Keith laugh and play, finding some of his favorite moments of peace laid out on a blankie in the apartment styled quarters of a ship gently drifting through space.

❤️ 🦛 🖤 ⭐️ ❤️ 🦛 🖤 ⭐️ ❤️ 🦛 🖤 ⭐️ ❤️ 🦛 🖤

Prompts: Frogs/pacifiers

Caregiver: Shiro

Regressor: Keith

(are you seeing the pattern here because I am--)

❤️ 🌟 ❤️ 🌟 ❤️ 🌟 ❤️ 🌟 ❤️ 🌟 ❤️ 🌟 ❤️ 🌟 ❤️

Life post-war wasn't exactly what Keith thought it would be. He and the other paladins had traded in their armor for uniforms, the chaos of a 10,000 year long intergalactic space war for a fragile sort of peace that sometimes felt like it could shatter at any moment.

Like, for example, when a very little Keith can't find his favorite pacifier before bedtime.

That was another thing. If someone had told Keith when he was eighteen and getting blasted into space in a smisentiant robotic blue lion (thanks, Lance) that at twenty-five, he would be searching high and low for his red pacifier with the pretty sparkly star on the button, he would have laughed at them at best or decked them at worst, depending on the day. But the soft comfort he found after years of fighting was the rest his body and heart needed more than he liked to admit.

Keith, who had settled deeply into his headspace and was hovering somewhere in the 1-2 year old range, crawled around on his hands and knees on the living room rug of the apartment he and Shiro shared. His diaper crinkled as he crawled around, the no-pants-only-hoodie day making it much more noticable than when he wore bottoms while padded, but it was easy to ignore when he was on an important mission: find his paci, and find it now.

Keith just didn't get it! His paci was right on the coffee table when he was having his night-night bottle! Daddy had gently eased it out of Keith’s mouth as he laid him down over his lap for his favorite bedtime treat, setting it down carefully before he started to feed Keith. But when Keith had gone to collect it, fully intent on sucking on his soother as he cuddled with Red, the red stuffed lion Lancey had made especially for him, he couldn't find it anywhere. It wasn't where Daddy had left it, or on the floor around the table. It wasn't in the drawer on the table that housed the discarded mail that Daddy refused to go through and the crayons Keith used every three hours when he was feeling on the bigger side. Crawling around didn't produce the soother, either. It was just gone!

Keith sat down on his padded bottom with a little huff. If it wasn't there, even though Keith was sure it should have been, maybe it was with his toys in the toybox by the entertainment center? Maybe Daddy was being silly when he was picking up earlier and moved it without realizing.

With a curious hum, Keith resumed his crawl, heading straight towards his toys. The felt box sat inconspicuous right next to the black entertainment center that the TV was propped above on the wall, the soft gray material blending in perfectly with the rest of the cozy, yet modern, decor. To random visitors, it looked like something to house extra throw blankets and pillows; to Keith and the rest of his paladin family, it contained the more interactive parts of the little world he and Shiro had created together.

Keith had been hesitant to play with toys at first. It wasn't something he was used to doing. He was sure he had toys to play with as a kid out in the desert with his dad, but after entering the foster system, there was only so many things he could get his hands on before a younger child snatched it away to play with or an older child broke it recklessly and shrugged like it had been no big deal. He wasn't sure he even knew how to play, but Shiro had had a wonderful solution: baby toys that were more sensory and education based rather than imagination based.

Keith knew that he knew that the star in his shape sorting toy went in the star slot, and that the red ring went on top of the peg on his ring stacker when the other colors were already on the base, but that never stopped him from trying to find just the right angle to get the star through the square slot or seeing how many rings he could stack on top of the red one if he put that one on the peg first. That star should absolutely fit through the square at the right angle, and so far he was able to stack three rings on top of the red one before it tumbled over. One day that star would go through the square, just wait and see, Pidge.

Once Keith reached the toybox, he carefully opened up the lid and peered inside. He reached a determined hand into the contained pile of toys, noisily moving them around in his search. But there was nothing. No red paci.

Letting out a small whimper, Keith sat back on his bottom again, his thumb finding its way to his mouth as a lackluster substitute. He tried to think of where else his paci could be, but the fuzzy feeling that edged at his mind when he slipped into his headspace was becoming more prominent, and he drew a blank in his mind.

His paci was nowhere to be found. It was gone, possibly never to be seen again, which made his heart ache, because he loved that paci, the sparkly star on the front had such a happy face on it, and now the star was going to be lonely--

A tear slipped from Keith’s eye, one tear turning to two, then three, then before he knew it, he was letting out loud, wailing sobs, his fists going to his eyes to try to keep the tears at bay, but it was no use. His paci was gone forever!

"Hey, hey, what's wrong, Little Star?"

Keith looked up through his tears, finding Shiro bending in front of him with a concerned look on his face as his eyes roamed over Keith to try to assess what was wrong with his little one. Keith hadn't even heard the older man come back into the living room from the kitchen, but he was more than glad that he had.

"D-Daddy!" Keith wailed, lifting his arms up in the universal sign for "hold me." "Daddy! P-paci gone! Bye-byed!"

Never needing to be asked twice, Shiro carefully lifted Keith up and set him on his front, the little one wrapping his legs around him and his arms around his shoulders. As Keith hid his face in the crook of Shiro’s neck to cry, Shiro cooed and started to rub the upset baby's back.

"Oh, honey, it's okay," He gently soothed. Keith felt the second his Daddy started to move, and he peeked his head out to find they were heading into the kitchen. Curious, Keith lifted his head some more, wondering why Daddy was taking him to the kitchen, when he noticed it.

Sitting on the breakfast bar, water dripping onto a paper towel, was Keith's pacifier. Keith let out a tiny gasp through the last of his tears, reaching out to try to grab it and making Daddy chuckle in the process. But Daddy was a very good Daddy and readjusted his hold, not letting Keith fall.

"I took your paci to the kitchen to wash it after your bottle, baby. It's been a few days since it was washed, so I sanitized it so you wouldn't be putting any icky germs in your mouth when you use it."

Ohhhhhhh.

Shiro took the pacifier from the counter and offered it to Keith, and Keith didn't waste a single second in opening his mouth and letting his Daddy push the rubber teat past his lips.

The result was instantaneous. As Keith began to suck on the soother, the tension in his jaw loosened and his shoulders began to leave their position near his ears. The fuzzy feeling was fuzzier than ever, and he breathed a huff of relief through his nose, resting his head on Daddy’s shoulder. That was much better! He and the smiley star were reunited. But his eyes were getting a bit droopy. Looking for a lost paci was a lot of work for such a tiny boy!

Daddy gently kissed Keith's forehead as he made his way to the back of the apartment to the younger man's room, keeping Keith safe and secure in his hold. He was whispering something, but Keith was so sleepy that he wasn't entirely sure what Daddy was saying anymore as he was layed down in bed and Red was placed in his arms. But as Daddy tucked him in and give him a big kiss goodnight, looking at him like he was the most precious thing in the whole wide universe, Keith did know this:

Life post-war didn't exactly look like how he thought it would, but that was okay. He was right where he was supposed to be.

❤️ 🌟 ❤️ 🌟 ❤️ 🌟 ❤️ 🌟 ❤️ 🌟 ❤️ 🌟 ❤️ 🌟 ❤️

Keith my buddy, you better know how lucky you are because when SOME OF US loose our paci's we have to find them ourselves, and SOMETIMES, you don't find it FOR WEEKS because your kitty cat knocked it off the nightstand but you didn't know that so you thought it was gone FOREVER--

Anyway.

I thought I'd change it up a bit to attempt to do a bit of Keith POV! Totally not inspired by recent events. I have no idea what you're talking about.

Prompts: Blanket fort/big feelings

Caregivers: Shiro (Daddy), Curtis (Papa)

Regressors: Keith (0-3), Lance (4-6)

TW: Depression

❤️ 🌫 💙 🌫 ❤️ 🌫 💙 🌫 ❤️ 🌫 💙 🌫 ❤️ 🌫 💙

Prompts: Puddle jumping/bottles

Caregiver: Shiro

Regressors: Lance and Keith

☔️ 🖤 ☔️ 💙 ☔️ ❤️ ☔️ 🖤 ☔️ 💙 ☔️ ❤️ ☔️ 🖤 ☔️

Shiro didn't think anyone would be surprised if he told them that a rainy day was one of his favorite kinds of weather. A lot of people tended to shy away from the dreary clouds and cold drizzle, but Shiro sees those days for what they are: an invitation to rest. He can very clearly remember a point in time when he would spend every rainy afternoon possible with a window open, the cool breeze filtering in through the window screen, the rain gently pitter-pattering against the glass while he curled up under his favorite blanket, a steaming cup of earl gray tea (with extra honey, as a treat), and a good book.

Now, rainy days are his favorite for a different reason. Two different reasons, really.

"Lookit, Keithy!" Lance's voice, higher pitched than usual and clearly excited to grab Keith’s attention, rang out through the front yard. He gave an excited wiggle, gearing up to jump. "Look! This is how you jump in a puddle! Watch me, okay? Then you do it!"

Keith, in turn, gave a curious hum behind his favorite pastel purple pacifier. While Lance--enjoying the playfulness and energy that often came with his headspace, usually somewhere between 3-6--was dressed in blue denim jeans, a blue rain jacket, and rubber boots that had shark faces on the front and fins on the sides and back, brandishing an umbrella covered in little coral reef sea life as he ran around the yard and jumped in every puddle he seen, Keith had been watching from the porch, comfortably settled on Shiro’s lap. Keith's own headspace usually had him in a 0-3 range, and even though he was dressed for the rain in black denim overalls, a light purple sweater, yellow rain jacket, and duckie rain boots, he was taking in the world around him in a calmer, gentler way.

Shiro kept his hold on Keith steady as he gently rocked the porch swing they were sitting on, rubbing Keith's back as the baby watched Lance run forward and leap right into another puddle. If Shiro was counting correctly, that would be the tenth jump in seven minutes. The accumulated rain water went in all directions as Lance jumped and stompped his feet, laughing as he played in the rain.

"That was a great jump, Lance!" Shiro called, his smile making the corners of his eyes crinkle.

Lance beamed as he hopped into a puddle again, kicking the water up as he landed. "Thanks, Shiro! I'm really good at jumping in puddles! I'm teaching Keith how!"

Shiro chuckled and stood with Keith, moving him to his hip so he could walk more comfortably to stand by the stairs connected to the porch. He carefully set Keith down on his feet and helped him walk down the stairs, pulling Keith's hood up once they reached the pavement. Keith cooed around his paci, holding a hand out to catch the rain as it fell.

"There we go, sweetheart," Shiro said softly, keeping his voice low and his touch on Keith's side gentle and grounding. "Doesn't the rain feel nice?"

Right as Keith starting to clap his hands together in the water pouring from the sky, Lance ran over, stopping just in time to narrowly avoid runnning directly into Keith. He smiled bright, and Shiro geared himself up to remind Lance that he needs to be gentle with Keith right now, but that proved to be in vain, the words dying on his tongue before he could even fully form a thought to convey.

Lance very gently took Keith's hand in his and moved the umbrella to cover them both. "Hi, Keithy! Wanna jump in the puddles? It's really fun, I promise! You can jump as big or small as you want!"

Shiro had to resist the physical urge to clutch his heart and coo.

For a moment, all Keith did was look from his hand, still holding onto Lance's under the umbrella, to the porch swing that was still swaying back and forth in the breeze. After a few glances between his two focal points, he took a careful step towards Lance with a little hum erupting from the back of his throat.

Shiro watched on, a fond smile on his face as Lance led Keith to a smaller puddle for him to try to jump in. Lance bent his knees and sprung forward into the water, and held Keith's hand as he clumsily did the same, cheering him on when Keith didn't fall over and let out a tiny giggle behind his paci.

"That was great, Keith!" Shiro called out, feeling like his heart was about to burst.

He kept his eyes on the two boys as they played in the falling rain, their soft laughter and giggles carrying on the breeze. He made his way back onto the porch and made himself comfortable under his favorite blanket as he watched his boys.

Rainy days would always be his favorite weather.

☔️ 🖤 ☔️ 💙 ☔️ ❤️ ☔️ 🖤 ☔️ 💙 ☔️ ❤️ ☔️ 🖤 ☔️

Baby regressor Keith having a nap ❤️

A page from a sketchbook that was intended to be used soley for agere art, but then I was asked to do a project and desperately needed paper. RIP agere sketchbook. I will replace you, but I will never forget you 😔📓🖍

⚠️ Trigger Warnings: Parental loss, grief, reliving trauma through play, mentions of racism in regards to Keith being a hybrid. These bits will start at the parts marked with ~ ~ ~, and end with the following ~ ~ ~ under them. Please stay safe while reading, friends 🩷

When Daddy Shiro is busy or away, it's usually a toss up between Lance and Allura watching a regressed Keith, or Uncle Hunk--Keith is more than happy with either option, but he gets especially excited when it's Uncle Hunk's turn because Lancey and 'Lura always watch him, Hunk doing it feels like a special treat! 💛

Listen. It isn’t that Shiro can't cook, he can. It's just that Daddy only knows a few simple things off the top of his head and it takes him a while to learn a new recipe. When Keith is with Uncle Hunk, he somehow finds a way to make macaroni and cheese with hotdogs feel like a whole new meal

Playing restaurant with a real-life chef is very fun for Keith. Depending on how old he's feeling depends on what they play. Sometimes they roll out play dough to make cinnamon rolls for their bakery if Keith is on the smaller side, but if he's feeling a bit bigger, they'll play Hell's Kitchen!

(Hunk: Chef Keith! This chicken is raw! What do you have to say for yourself?!

Keith: *giggling his head off* Oopsie! Cook 'gain!

Hunk: Keith! We're thirty minutes into dinner service without a single appetizer going out! What's taking so long, chef?!

Keith, through even more giggles: Uh-oh! Forgots the-the ris-riso-to!

Hunk: You forgot?! Naughty chef!

Keith: *can no longer "cook" because he's too busy laughing*)

His favorite thing is getting to help Uncle Hunk in the actual kitchen! Hunk very carefully gets Keith cleaned up and into his high chair a safe distance away from anything sharp, and they work together to make something tasty, usually a batch of chocolate chip cookies to share 🍪💕

Hunk loves having Keith as his special little helper! He measures out the ingredients and let's the baby pour them into the bowl. He'll start the mixing process and hand the spoon over to Keith for him to try, and then he'll finish it off just to make sure everything is well incorporated. Seeing Keith so happy and smiley while he gets to share his favorite activity with the little one gets his heart warmer than their freshly baked treats. If he tears up, that's between him and Keith

It isn't just the cooking and baking that the two enjoy together, though--Hunk is a master cuddler! He's soft and warm, and he loves to hold Keith just as much as Keith loves to be held

~ ~ ~ TW Start ~ ~ ~

There are three people and three people only that Keith will willingly play firefighters with, and that's Shiro, Lance, and Hunk. Hunk, and Shiro and Lance for that matter, never really know how the game will end: sometimes it's a simple, happy ending where everyone they're rescuing is safe, but other times it ends with a sobbing Keith curled up in someone's arms, reliving the trauma of losing his father. It can be a hard game to play, but if it helps Keith get his feelings out and allows him to process his grief for his dad, than Hunk is more than willing to play and provide all of the comfort he needs after

~ ~ ~ TW End ~ ~ ~

Movie nights with Uncle Hunk are very fun, because Hunk makes the best snacks, cuddles him throughout the whole movie, and helps keep Keith engaged by actively reacting to what's happening on the TV, even if it's a movie they've watched a million times before (like, for example, The Care Bears II movie)

Even with Keith being a very well-behaved baby, sometimes he still manages to get into a bit of trouble, even with Uncle Hunk. But not to worry: Hunk is always kind, gentle and patient with Keith, taking his time to explain to Keith why what he did was wrong and they figure out ways to fix it together

Whenever Keith colors with someone, they usually color him in red clothes, but whenever Hunk colors Keith, he puts him in purple as a small nod to his acceptance of Keith being part Galra, and it always makes Keith smile

~ ~ ~ TW Start ~ ~ ~

(Once, Keith came back from a Blades mission that didn't exactly go well with other Galra outside of their organization because of how human he looks, and asked Hunk what he thinks he would look like if he looked more Galra. Hunk drew Keith just as he is.

"You do look Galra, buddy. Your eyes are a very pretty purple, and your hair has cool blue undertones. You even have cute little fangs! You don't have to look a certain way to fit in with anyone, and if they make you feel like you do, then I don't think they're acting like a very nice friend."

Hunk gives very good, very gentle life advice 🩷

He also 100% talked to both Shiro and Kolivan about it afterwards, and Keith never had to go to that particular sector ever again)

~ ~ ~ TW End ~ ~ ~

Hunk is happily in charge of everyone's birthday meals, but with Keith being such a little regressor, he really has fun with the menu every October! He makes all of Keith’s favorite safety foods, but rotates out which dish he'll make in a new way each year. The cake flavors always stays the same though: a decadent red velvet with a cream cheese frosting and a dark chocolate ganache filling. The decorations on the cake look different each year, but always features the red lion ❤️

Eating solids can sometimes be hard for Keith when he gets really small, so Hunk always makes sure that he has smooth, creamy protein shakes and smoothies on hand for when he gets his bottles 🍼

(Once, out of curiosity, Shiro tried a bit of Keith’s special drinks, and was so impressed with the flavors that he was almost jealous that he doesn't regress himself. He can see why his baby loves his bottles so much)

(Keith completely tattled on Shiro to Hunk, and Hunk started to make the protein shakes for Shiro to take to the gym or to training with him, but it isn't without some teasing

"Sorry it isn’t in a baba, big guy--"

"I. WAS. CURIOUS."

"But I did put it in your favorite thermos. The black one with the Voltron sticker on the front."

". . . Thank you, Hunk."

"You're welcome.")

Hunk's fridge both in his home and in his office at his restaurant are covered in pictures Keith has colored for him, and he loves every single one. He can't leave any out, they all need to go on the fridge, Shay, trust him on this

Speaking of Shay, she's a very good auntie to Keith! She loves to carry him around in a wrap on her back while she gardens if she's watching him while Hunk is busy, and she tells him all sorts of stories from her people. Keith showed her what butterflies are when one came into the garden to start snack on a daisy once, and she's loved them ever since. They like to sit and watch them together, usually while Shay holds Keith in her lap and plays with his hair while he sucks on his paci