I added a trigger warning to the description so please be cautious. (SPOILER) in this chapter, Allura falsely accuses Keith of rape.

When Keith walked into the kitchen for breakfast, he was fully aware that he looked like a mess. He hadn't bothered to even run a hand through his hair so it was sticking out in every direction and he was still wearing his pyjamas. Usually, he was the first person in his armour and ready to train. He hadn't trained the previous night due to his impromptu breakdown but that still didn't mean that he got a sufficient amount of sleep. His brain had kept him up all night, reminding him of how perfect Lance was and how much Keith didn't deserve him. Thanks to the erratic thoughts, he looked like a panda bear with the bags surrounding his eyes.

He went to sit in his usual seat (between Hunk and Shiro) but it was preoccupied by somebody else. Lance. "Uh... that's my seat..." Keith murmured, hanging his head so his exhausted state wasn't so obvious to everyone.

"Since when did we have assigned seats? Are we back at the Garrison or something?" Lance joked, a wide, cocky grin on his face. Keith forced a laugh before awkwardly sitting down in the only spare seat beside Allura and Coran.

"Keith," Allura immediately whispered, turning her head so that only Keith could hear. "I need to talk to you after breakfast. It's important."

Without bothering to look at Allura, Keith nodded. He picked up the Altean cutlery before digging into his meal. Every so often, out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lance staring in his direction but he assumed he was looking at Allura. Breakfast was oddly silent. Lance was usually the person who guided the conversation with his witty comments and ability to talk enough for everyone in the room. Instead, he had his lips pursed and was hardly touching his food. His gaze diverted between his food goop and Allura and Keith could just about see his leg bouncing beneath the table. Something was bothering him.

Keith couldn't help but blame himself. Lance had been okay right up until the point he found out about Keith's feelings for him. Then everything had become awkward and tense. Losing his appetite as a result of the thoughts, he pushed his plate forward and stood up. He mumbled something about needing to shower before rushing out of the room.

Allura must have followed him at the speed of a bullet because he was being cornered before he could even make it to the showers. Upon seeing the princess, he backed up against the wall and raised his hands in defence. "This is all your fault." Her voice was sharp as she pressed her hands into Keith's shoulders.

"What is? What did I possibly do?" Keith retorted with an equal amount of edge to his voice. Allura's eyebrows furrowed and her face scrunched up in a kind of anger that deserved a word much worse than resentment.

"He doesn't hate you."

"Oh, I'm sorry that your boyfriend is a good person... unlike you."

"Keith, I think you should shut up."

"Or what? You don't have anything against me anymore."

Allura scowled, grabbing a fistful of Keith's pyjama shirt. The look on her face was murderous. "I can ruin you and we both know it."

"Do we?"

"I hate you so much, Keith. I don't think you understand. Lance doesn't hate you and that means you are still a threat to me. I need to get rid of you."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"Just you wait, Keith. Just you wait."

"Okay..." Keith pursed his lips, reaching his hands up to push Allura away from him lightly. "Can I shower now?"

"You better watch your back."

"Whatever, Allura."

-

What Keith didn't expect when he walked into the training room after his shower was an abundance of glares. Every single person- with the exception of Shiro- was looking at him with an identical look of furrowed eyebrows and a scowl. Shiro just looked disappointed with a hint of concern on the side. "What?" He asked, switching his gaze between everyone but lingering on Lance and Shiro especially.

"You know what you did." Allura sobbed into her hands. Everyone flurried around her, wrapping their arms around her body.

"I'd be delighted to know." Keith snapped, angling a glare at Allura. It didn't help his case.

"You- You- You tried to-" Allura wailed, hiding her head in Lance's arm. Keith's jaw tensed as he backed up and clenched his hands into fists.

"Please tell me what I did because I certainly don't know."

"You tried to force yourself on me... I just wanted to talk to you but you obviously hate me because- because your crush likes me and not you."

"Oh fuck off..." Keith shook his head, rolling his eyes dramatically. Once he realised everyone's gazes remained equally stern, he let out a harsh laugh. "I don't believe this. Lance, you've known me since we went to the Garrison. I wouldn't do that kind of thing... I might be a bit impulsive and start fights but I wouldn't try to rape somebody... Especially not my friend's girlfriend."

"Uh, Keith. I think you should go to your room whilst we figure out what to do..." Shiro said, sounding just as authoritative as ever. It hurt. Keith had been through so much and Shiro had always been the one person to stick by his side and give him the determination to keep going. Knowing he thought Keith could be capable of such a crime made it feel like someone had shot a bullet through his heart.

"Shiro, you know me. You've known me forever. I thought you, of all people, would trust me."

"I'm sorry, Keith. Please go to your room."

"I didn't do anything! I swear! Allura's been blackmailing me and this is part of the plan! She's trying to get me to leave!"

Allura started crying louder, her tears drenching the shoulder of Lance's suit. "Please make him go away..." She choked out; her act was impeccable. Keith would have believed her if he was in the dark like the other paladins.

"This is unbelievable."

"Keith." The warning tone in Shiro's voice was enough to make Keith turn around and storm out of the room. Keith had known Shiro since he was an angry, unhappy kid and he had never used such a tone on Keith. Shiro always tried to keep a level head and not jump to conclusions until he had heard everyone's sides of the story. Just the fact that Shiro hadn't bothered asking him what happened was enough for Keith to get the message. Nobody trusted him. Why would they? Allura was a princess; a respectable person of royalty. What reason did she have to lie about something like that?

As Shiro had instructed, Keith headed back to his room but he didn't stay there. As soon as he had gotten his bayard and a spare change of clothes, he made a beeline for the escape pods. He'd have taken Red but Voltron was still needed, even if he wasn't a part of it. He clambered into the pod, dropping his stuff onto the floor by his feet. Tears stung his eyes as he powered up the pod and left the Castle.

All he could feel was anger. He thrust the controls forward without even bothering to consider the direction he was going in. It didn't surprise him that everyone favoured Allura's decision over his, even though he hadn't done anything.

"Fucking Allura. I hate her so much." Keith grumbled as he flew forward, his hands gripping the controls so tightly that his hands were tinting a white colour. The tears were blurring his vision but all he cared about was escaping the situation. He couldn't stay with a team who didn't care for his opinion.

Keith was used to being alone anyway. Having survived without parents for so long, he could do it again. It didn't matter that he had gotten used to Shiro's paternal behaviours or Pidge's intelligent facts and arguments. It didn't matter that he had gotten used to Hunk's bizarre foods or Coran's wacky facts about Altea. It didn't matter that he had gotten used to having people who loved him- or who he thought loved him.

He powered on, despite the ache in his chest. Keith was aware of how useless he was. How worthless. How unloved. He couldn't help but wonder if anyone would care if he purposely opened the pod and took off his helmet so he could suffocate. At least he'd suffocate in the one place he felt love for the first time.

Trembling hands reached out for the button that opened the doors, feeling the plastic-like material. Keith's breath hitched as his shoulders hunched over. Pressing the button was easy. All he had to do was put a little more pressure on it but something was stopping him.