When Hunk burst into the room, breathing heavily, everyone turned to look at him. "I found him in the hangers but he's sitting in Red and he refused to leave. I tried to coax him out but I obviously failed. Red wouldn't even let his defence down for me." He explained, making Shiro chew on his bottom lip. If Keith was tuning everyone out, it must have been bad. Being angry was his first response to distress but sadness and isolation was his last resort, only when the worst happened.

"I'll go talk to him." Shiro murmured before taking off in the direction of the hangers. When he saw Red with his defences up, his heart broke apart a little: ​Keith always let him in. ​"Keith?"

"Go away, Shiro!" The yell rang around the hanger, bouncing off of the walls in a way that was almost suffocating to Shiro.

"No, Keith, you need to talk to me. I understand that you're upset but we can figure this out. We always figure things out, don't we? That's just how we work. We face the worst situations but we prove everyone wrong and get out of it."

"Shiro, leave."

"No, I refuse to until I know you're okay. I understand why you accused Allura and I'm sure I'd have jumped to a similar conclusion after everything that happened. It's obvious that you care about Lance and it's really nice to see. I don't know how we're going to make this situation better for you, considering your conflict with Allura but we're going to get through this. I'll do anything to ensure Allura doesn't kick you off the team. I'll even threaten to leave too if I have to."

"Don't throw your life away for me."

"Keith, let me. I love you, okay? I know you don't understand it but I see you as my brother. I want what's best for you and you must know that. I will not let Allura continue to treat you like you aren't better than the dirt on her shoe. You're going to be okay. I'm going to make sure of it. You just... You need to come out, alright? That's all I ask of you."

"No."

"Keith, please-"

"I said no! Just leave me alone!"

"I'm not going to give up, you know?"

"Why not, huh? You do know we're not actually related! You aren't my brother and you never will be. I'm alone right now and I'm always going to be. It's better that way." Keith was crying and that much was obvious in the way his voice trembled like the ground during an earthquake. Shiro could just imagine Keith, cooped up in his lion as he sobbed into his knees.

"It isn't. You need to open up."

"No, I don't... Just go away."

"Okay, I'll go but this isn't me giving up on you."

"Sure, whatever."

Shiro turned away, his breath hitching as tears welled up in his eyes. He took one last look at Red before leaving the hanger. The last thing he heard as he walked into the corridor was Keith's loud, desperate sob. It was as if someone had pulled his heart out of his chest and jumped on it until it was smashed into a million pieces.

"He didn't come out." Shiro whispered, hanging his head so the tuft of white hair fell against his forehead. Hunk sent Shiro an expression full of sympathy, knowing just how close Shiro and Keith were. Their bond reminded Hunk of his bond with his parents and just that minute reminder of earth was enough to feel like a bullet had been shot through his heart. "What are we going to do? If he won't come out for me-"

"He'll have to come out eventually." Allura decided to contribute, folding her arms and raising one eyebrow.

"True," Lance added before returning to chewing his bottom lip. Blood had long since bubbled to the surface. "But I'll try and talk to him. I'm the one who got him into this mess."

"No, Allura-" Pidge started to argue as their way of defending Keith.

Shiro cut them off by waving his hand and saying, "Let him go. There's no harm in trying, right?"

Lance nodded before racing out of the training room with determination running through his veins. However, when he reached the hanger, the determination faded into dust and was replaced with anxiety. His hands became clammy and he found it next to impossible to stand still. "Keith? It's me, Lance."

"I can tell who you are from your voice, you dumbass." Keith retorted, sounding bored. Lance took that as a good sign as it didn't seem like he was crying anymore.

"I just wanted to apologise... for- for coming to you those nights when I was upset. It wasn't right of me, I guess. I should've told you what was wrong."

"You think? I made a fool out of myself."

"I don't blame you."

"You don't?"

"No. There's something I need to tell you but I don't want to shout it. I don't mind coming into Red and telling you there, if that's okay? Only if you're comfortable, of course."

Keith gritted his teeth, eyes thinning as he peered down at Lance. Lance was staring up at him with wide, glossy eyes. Always having had a soft spot for the blue paladin, he commanded Red to open up for him to come in. Satisfied, Lance climbed inside and sat down on the floor beside Keith.

For a moment, neither of them said anything. Keith was still sniffing and his eyes were rimmed with the colour of a dark tomato but he certainly wasn't crying. Lance was worried he would end up the one blubbering as he looked at Keith's distressed expression. "You were right..." He eventually mumbled, fiddling with his hands in his lap.

"Huh?" Keith questioned, moving his head forward and quirking an eyebrow upwards to encourage an elaboration.

"You assumed Allura hit me. You were right."

"Lance..."

"I didn't hit my arm or whatever. She grabbed me and gripped my wrist so hard that it left bruises." Lance shrugged, as if it wasn't that big a deal. Keith shook his head in disbelief, leaning forward to study Lance's facial expression. "It's not like she punched me or anything."

"She didn't?"

"No. I think she just knows I could fuck her up." Lance smirked. It almost reminded Keith of the old Lance before he had started dating Allura but, as quickly as it appeared, it went away again. It took Keith a minute or so to realise Lance had gone quiet because of the silent tears trailing down his cheeks. "I don't really know what to do, Keith. Everything's a mess and it's all my fault." Keith furrowed his eyebrows, watching as Lance hunched his shoulders over and began to quietly sob.

"How is it your fault? I was the one who-"

"She's my girlfriend. She knew how I felt about you before and-"

"How you felt about me before?"

Lance's tanned cheeks tinted pink but the tears streaming down them were enough to cover the blush up. "I liked you for a bit," He laughed but the laugh was clearly forced. "Right back at the beginning before I started to date Allura."

"You liked me?!"

"Yep, sorry, dude."

"Why are you apologising? I'm so disappointed that I didn't know this before!"

"Yeah, maybe then things would be different. Anyway, back to the subject of Allura... she was worried that you were getting too close to me so she started to... I don't know... yell every time I went near you."

"Just yelling?"

Lance hung his head but nodded. "Except the one time where she grabbed my wrist but that was only once, I swear." His eyes trailed upwards to meet Keith's, both of them staring deep into the other person's soul. Keith could read Lance through his eyes, understanding how lost the boy felt. Lance could do the same through Keith's, sensing a concoction of both confusion and desperation. "I didn't want to listen to her because you're cool. You're probably one of my best friends actually... but I had to listen because her yelling really stressed me out. It's probably really selfish of me but I was scared that she would try to blackmail me like she did to you."

"That's understandable," Keith stood up before sitting down on the floor of the lion beside Lance. At first, Lance stiffened but he soon relaxed, even going as far as to lay his head on top of Keith's shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"It's not your fault. I just... I feel so stuck."

"I get that."

"Do you think it'd be okay if I broke up with her?"

"I don't know, Lance, but I think you should try. She's a bitch."

"She is, isn't she? I almost pity Altea. They almost had a bitch as a queen." The wobbly smile on Lance's face told Keith that it was meant to be a joke. He didn't laugh. "You know what's funny? I came here to comfort you but now you're comforting me. I'm sorry I made this all about me."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you opened up to me." Keith turned his head to the side as Lance did the same. Their noses were just millimetres apart and it would only take a second for their lips to touch. Keith edged forward ever so slightly, his arm snaking around the other paladin to pull him closer. Just as their lips grazed each other, the door of the hanger flew open and made them both break apart to see who the intruder was.

"Is everything okay with you guys? You were taking awhile and Shiro's having a bit of a breakdown so... I think you should come and tell him you're okay." It was Hunk with his soft, calming voice. Lance and Keith exchanged a small smile before exiting the lion and following the yellow paladin back to the training room.