Keith jerked awake, staring around the healing pod he was in, looking around for Lance and finding him standing right in front of him, seemingly glad to see him awake.

Lance pressed a button and Keith fell out into his arms, quickly jumping out of them, considering, and then jumping back in.

Neither of them said anything. Neither of them needed to.

---

"Hey! Keith! Nice to see you awake!" Coran laughed happily as Keith and Lance entered the bridge.

People were whirring around happily, the control panel all fixed up.

"Pidge fixed it really quickly. She just tied some things together and beat the controls back into shape." Hunk said as he walked past, wound on his side all healed up.

People seemed happy, but Keith had a question that might disrupt the atmosphere.

"So... what happened with Shiro?"

The casual chatter died down, and a more solemn atmosphere arose.

"... well... oh dear... come with me." Allura sighed, in her usual princess getup.

Most of the team decided to tag along, so there was a colourful chain of people following the princess.

They entered a room, Shiro's body lying on a table with his shattered prosthetic all taken apart.

"... there was a set of code running through a receiver in this arm, it took control of his body and put him into a sort of robot-like state. The only things he would do were destroying the castle and killing it's inhabitants."

"... is he ok?"

Lance pressed a supportive hand onto Keith's shoulder, which was not a good sign.

"... he's dead... Keith... the moment that the code started running, it took control of his brain and... destroyed what was there before. I'm sorry..."

Keith stared at the body, too shocked to react.

"... dead?"

He looked at the ground and clenched his fist, looking very much as if he was resisting tears.

"Now Allura that's just a dick move isn't it?" Hunk spoke up.

"What do you mean?"

"You left out the detail."

"... oh."

Allura cleared her throat and continued.

"Well, one of the Blade of Marmora went undercover on the Galra's command ship, and heard about this project called Operation Kuron."

"Which means clone." Added Pidge.

"We think that this was a clone of Shiro. A gimmick. That would have explained all his... un-Shiro-ish behaviour." Coran butted in.

"S-So he might be a-alive?"

"Yeah."

Lance steered Keith away from the dead Shiro clone and somewhere with less people. It was to make him less upset and make it easier to calm down, but Pidge and Hunk immediately started theorising about what they were possibly doing out there. Hunk stuck with kissing but Pidge was adamant that they were hardcore snogging.

Everyone could see how much closer Keith and Lance had miraculously got. It was quite... cute.

Cute was the right word in this situation.

---

"... well, now we have a... paladin problem."

"... ohhhhhh... yes... we do."

The black paladin was now non existent. And, they really needed a black paladin.

"... Keith? Would you lead Voltron again?" Allura asked.

He shrugged.

"Sure."

She turned back to Lance.

"... do you think... you could try with Red again?"

"... hopefully he'll start listening to me."

They all headed towards the lions, Lance's arm still draped over Keith's shoulder.

---

Keith climbed into the black lion first, trying very hard, to connect back with Black, but there wasn't even a spark of recognition. It was like black was ignoring him.

After a couple of minutes, Keith exited the lion, shaking his head.

"Nothing."

Allura sighed.

"I guess you'll have to stay with Red..."

Keith nodded, walking sheepishly back to Lance.

"Sorry."

"It's fine."

"So, we need to find a black paladin."

"What about Coran?" Pidge joked.

Allura rolled her eyes.

"We need Coran to pilot the castle."

Keith had a quick idea, looking to Lance.

"Why don't you try?"

"Huh?"

"Go on. Try to connect with Black."

Lance looked to Allura for permission, and she just gestured to the lion.

He took a deep breath and walked in the way Keith came out.

Settling down in the seat, he reached forward and grabbed the controls. He closed his eyes and breathed.

'I don't know why you didn't connect with Keith... but... I'm here... I'm not the best choice... but I'll try my hardest...'

There was silence. He leaned back and sighed.

When the lights all turned on, he didn't even realise. He was so convinced that it wouldn't happen, but... then... he realised... that the lion had reacted to him.

It thought... that he was... worthy... to be the leader of Voltron...

... wow.

This was... awesome!

He practically ran out of the lion, whooping, exited beyond belief.

"I... I'm the Black Paladin! I am! Oh my god!"

He started giggling uncontrollably, ecstatic.

He wasn't... he wasn't a seventh wheel. He wasn't a sixth wheel, fifth wheel, fourth, third... not even second.

He felt equal to his friends again. He felt... amazing!

He was the black paladin!

The black paladin!

Keith smiled at his goofy ecstasy. He really was falling in love... wasn't he.

---

Lance found Keith sitting on the floor next to one of the large windows of the castle, staring out into space.

He sat next to him, already knowing what he was thinking.

"We'll find Shiro. I promise."

"... really?"

"Yeah."

There was a short period of silence.

"... I'll make sure of it, because I lead Voltron now!"

Keith sighed, amused, hesitating before letting his head rest on Lance's shoulder.

He was making a lot of moves that he had never dared to do before, and every time Lance just accepted it and didn't question it, his heart fluttered faster.

"... why'd you give up your helmet for me?" Lance asked.

Keith but his lip, going red.

"Because... I didn't want to see you die."

It was Keith's turn to ask a question.

He reached out and brushed Lance's forearm. The wounds were completely healed, but the Healing pods didn't fade scars.

"... why did you do this?"

He felt Lance tense up.

"... I... I heard you and Shiro arguing about me... I was going to say that the Galra might've been tracking us through Shiro's arm... but I... I heard that and just..."

"... I found you in the hallway... you were bleeding so badly... did you... did you want to-"

"No... I didn't mean for it to go that far."

"... don't do it again."

"I won't."

Keith bit his lip. Could he really say it? How would Lance react? What if he...

Oh... fuck it.

"... I care about you too much."

Lance drew away from him, and he at first though that he'd made a mistake saying that, but Lance was smiling sheepishly, blushing like an idiot.

"... really?"

"Yeah..."

Keith considered taking another chance, but, he relaxed and decided against it. This was enough for now. He was happy.

They were both happy.

Staring out at the cast abyss of space, wondering how hilariously furious Haggar was. Wondering if Shiro was really out there, wondering how long this quiet happiness would last.

But they were happy, and that was all that mattered.

And as they looked out at the shining stars, they felt as if there was nothing they couldn't do.

The end...