REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

~~~

You were looking at your sword, examining the embroidery and edges. You then sighed.

Why me? Just. . .why?

The doors opened. You put your blade down and faced in that direction. In came Shiro. What did he want?

"Hey, (Y/N)." He sat down beside you and held his hands together. It was probably another one of his infamous "pep talks".

"Hey. . ." you reluctantly answered.

"Look, I know it's tough—but you can do it. Everyone else did."

"Well, I'm not everyone else," you reminded.

"I know, but you are able to do it. We'll help you. We've been doing this for a while now and we didn't really have much help before," he encouraged. Okay, maybe that helped a bit—but still.

"Thanks, Shiro—I guess," you told him. He patted your head with his robotic hand—who knows where that thing has been.

However, he continued, "And of course, if I die, you'll be the Paladin of the Black Lion."

"WHAT THE HEC—"

You woke up from your nap, your heart pounding once again. Why was your mind being such a train wreck?

"This is janked," you whispered to yourself. After brushing your hair and getting a microwaved cup of ramen, you walked down the hallway that had all the Paladin's bedrooms. As you were minding your own business, Lance approached you. "What now?"

"Hey, (Y/N)~" he flashed you a wink. Eugh.

"What do you want—"

"I know you like Keith and all, but what does he have? I mean, can he even samba?"

"What the actual heck are you implying?"

Lance started to swivel his hips and body around like Jell-O. You almost lost your appetite.

"This is samba. How do you feel now?"

"You know what?" You stirred the chopsticks around in your cup. "This ramen is my boyfriend. I'll see you and your samba in my nightmares, Lance. Bye." You left him. He crossed his arms and pouted.

After that weirdness, you headed into the hangar to check up on your new Lion. Even though you wanted nothing to do with the whole thing, you felt the need to examine it a bit. You opened the door and looked around the interior. It made you feel melancholy since every detail reminded you of Keith.

And in that moment, the lights flashed on. The control panel lit. There was this unusual. . .urge for you to sit in the pilot's chair. Like it was calling for you. Slowly stepping forward, you did just that. You've never sat in one of the Lions before—it was your very first time. The view out the window was of the bland hangar, but that soon changed.

The hanger's opening began to lift up—revealing the vastness of space. Now it was starting to get freaky, you didn't even start the Lion up. It's like this was just happening on its own. You felt the strap from the seat fasten over you.

"What the??" you exclaimed in a shaky voice. "Uh—"

The Lion lifted itself up, hovering toward the exit.

"UH—SHIRO? GUYSSSS—AAAAAAAA!"

You felt the pull as the Lion rocketed out the Castle—it was now out in the middle of nowhere, dodging rocks, debris, and such. Your heart was beating faster than ever—you began to fear for your life. Was this thing trying to kill you or something!?

"TAKE ME BACK! TAKE ME BACK!!" you begged. It didn't listen. "I'M YOUR PALADIN, JERK! LISTEN TO ME—GAH!"

"(Y/N)!!" a voice suddenly called. It was Shiro—he was speaking through the radio. "Where are you!?"

"I—I DON'T KNOW, THIS THING JUST—AHHH!!" you continued screaming. Shiro was beginning to really worry. He then took a deep breath.

"Look, calm down. Whatever's going through your mind—ignore it. Focus. Place your hands on the control-sticks and pull back."

Out of desperation, you took his advice. Doing as he said, you tried organizing your thoughts. The focusing part was challenging though. But after some time, the Lion steadied. Safe at last.

"Thanks. . .Shiro," you expressed.

"Anytime, now let's get back."

You shakily flew the Red Lion back to the Castle—but the landing was successful. After exiting, you were greeted with two gigantic hugs from Pidge and Hunk. You were still in shock.

"OH, WE'RE SO GLAD YOU'RE OKAY!" Pidge squeaked.

"YEAH, WHO ELSE WOULD WE SHIP?" Hunk laughed before wiping his eye.

"Okay, okay. That's enough. I'm not injured or anything," you said in a comforting tone—which was rare. Hunk pulled back, but Pidge was stilling clinging onto you like Velcro. He had to pry her off.

"Hm, I wonder why the Lion did that?" Lance pondered.

"(Y/N) has been pretty unstable, so the Lion just started to physically take it out. She needs to learn to control her emotions," Allura explained. "Or it could send the team to inevitable death."

"Wow, graphic," Lance commented.

"So, learn what to do—and then do it." Allura ended her sentence with an intense glare. She then walked off.

"Somebody's corset is a bit too tight," you remarked. The others couldn't help but smile. For you—it quickly stopped when you were reminded of Keith. Yes, you did have to get a grip, but every passing moment became harder and harder without him by your side. Absence did make the heart grow fonder, apparently.

During this time, Keith was outside the base of one of Zarkon's headquarters. His teammates were by his side—planning the directions in which everyone should head.

"This is where they're keeping the laser that can send down planets. It's hidden inside that dome." Kolivan pointed to a round shape on the roof of the building. Inside there, was the deadliest weapon known to man.

"Now, Keith—are you sure you're emotionally able to handle this mission? Remember, do not break out of role. If you see or overhear something you don't like—ignore it."

"Nothing's going to get in my way," Keith assured as he placed the dark hood over his head. He observed the nearby area. "Where do I need to go?"

"You need to disable the weapon. Sneak your way inside that dome and detonate it. The others and I are going to try to delete the blueprints on their hard drives, and gather more information."

Keith obeyed. "Alright, I'll see you on the other side."

After dodging traps, soldiers, and alarms—Keith made his way inside. It was a challenge, but nothing he couldn't handle. Finally, he came across a tall steel door with bolts and locks. He noticed it was password-protected.

"Great," he sighed. Knowing it was a risk and could probably ruin the whole mission—he blew up the entrance. Once he ran in, he saw it. It was the cannon. Its presence alone was terrifying enough to send someone into utter panic.

"HEY!" one of the enemies called. Keith now knew he was spotted. Instead of just standing around, he darted toward the cannon and attempted to place down the explosives he was given.

Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful. A Galra tackled him right then and there—just before he could enable the bombs.

"GAH!!" Keith yelped. He was pinned down to the floor, as the offender was trying to stick him with a knife. Keith avoided it every time though. The weapon which the Galra wielded was then smacked away. Keith tried to squirm out, but it was no use.

"You know that (Y/N) girl?" the Galra mentioned. Keith suddenly went wide-eyed upon hearing the name. "Yeah, well—we know where she is."

"You're bluffing!" Keith accused, still trying to break free.

"Think what you want. But soon, she will be in the hands of Zarkon. And your little puppy love will be exterminated. If you thought you had a chance at happiness, you were wrong—"

"Yeah, well, TELL ZARKON TO BLOW IT OUT HIS EAR!" Keith opposed.

"You dare insult our emperor?"

"Please, he's the laughingstock of the galaxy!"

Before the Galra could respond, Keith threw him off. By the time he tried to find the bombs, they were already gone. The other soldiers must have gotten rid of them. Keith groaned. He announced that he was aborting the mission—which didn't make Kolivan too happy.

Keith returned to his ship. After a while, the other members showed up. Kolivan approached him in a forbidding manner.

"I should have known—that girl is a weakness to you. What did I tell you before!?"

"It's not my fault, we'll destroy the cannon next time!"

"What if there isn't a next time?? Whatever, let's just head back."

Keith crossed his arms. At least nobody got hurt. . .as far as he knew.