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Description

Keith was hoping to get some rest before he returned with Kolivan to the BOM base and was looking forward to a night in his old bed in the Castle of Lions. However, one thing stood between him and some much needed sleep.
Lance.
Lance stood before him with his hands on his hips sporting the best look of authority he could muster.
“I think you should come back to the team.” Lance said.
“Why would I do that? Shiro is the Black Paladin again and you’re the Red Paladin now. What would I do exactly?” Keith crossed his arms and stared back.
“I don’t know, but I do know the BOM is making you reckless. I don’t think it is good for you,” Lance lamented.
“I have always been reckless, remember?” Keith mumbled, attempting to brush Lance’s concerns off.
“Maybe,” Lance conceded, “But you can’t just go throwing yourself at every dangerous situation, like you mean nothing,” Lance scolded.
Keith was tired. Shiro and Allura had already given him similar lectures. He didn’t need one from Lance too.
Besides, Keith didn’t get it. As far as he was concerned, he wasn’t throwing himself at anything besides not his new role with the BOM maybe. And this was war and they all knew sometimes sacrifices had to made. They were all taking risks for the greater good, weren’t they. Why was everyone so concerned about him all of a sudden?
“There are things at play that are bigger than us, Lance. I am not going to sit back and let Zarkon and his witch, destroy entire civilizations. I have to do my part.”
“And you’re sure your part is with the Blades of Mamora?”
“It makes the most sense for me now, so yes, I think it’s for the best I am with the BOM.” Keith averted his gaze.
“You are sure you’re not just running away?”
“What?” Keith swallowed.
“It feels like you are running away.”
Lance’s brow furrowed, tears threatened to spill but he held them back. He drove his pointer finger into Keith’s shoulder.
“You just left! You put your obsession with Lotor ahead of the needs of Voltron! Did you even stop to think about how any of us on the team would feel about you being gone or are you too selfish to even consider that we might need you here?”
Keith felt his anger rise into his throat. He swatted Lance’s hand away and began pointing his own finger.
“You of all people need to miss me with this selfish bit. If I was selfish, I would have taken back the red lion and kept myself in the one place that made me feel like I had a purpose, the first place in a long time I considered home!”
A silent pause fell between them.
Lance stepped closer.
“Then why did you leave?”
Keith raised his eyes but kept his head bowed, “You said yourself, ‘you want the best men on the team’ and that is not me. We all know, Shiro is the rightful leader of Voltron. Pidge and Hunk are the tech geniuses, Allura is turning into one of the best pilots on the team and unlocking new abilities right, left and centre. And you were right, you are the team sharp shooter. I have seen what you can do. You also hold this team together. You know what to say to bring out the best in everyone.”
“Except you, obviously,” Lance grunted with disbelief.
“No, especially me,” Keith replied. We made a good team. I could not have led Voltron without you. But Shiro deserves the black lion and you deserve Red. Forgive me for trying to find my place.”
Keith dug his fingernails into his bicep and looked away.
Lance sighed.
“Look, Keith. I’m sorry. Maybe you weren’t being selfish. Maybe I’m the one bein selfish.”
“What are you talking about?”
Lance crossed his arms.
“Part of me was relieved you didn’t want Red back, but we both know you two have a bond I am not sure I’ll ever have with Red. Plus, you are a gifted pilot. I don’t want to give up being a paladin, but I will if it means you won’t go back to the BOM.”
“Why would you do that?” Keith threw up his hands in exasperation.
Lance mirrored him.
“You were going to drive your ship in those Galra shields!”
“I had to. Someone had too. It was my life for countless others in this quadrant!”
“I know. But I don’t love countless others in this quadrant!”
Lance gasped and tears escaped from his eyes.
Keith put his hands on Lance’s upper arms and softened his voice. Tears of his own fell.
“Lance, look at me. If Haggar would have went through with her plan, I would have been lost anyways, plus you and the team, and an entire galaxy would have been lost too and I could not let that happen. Voltron and this mission is bigger than us.”
Lance looked away and the pain on his face broke Keith’s heart.
“and, and, for what it’s worth, you’re important to me too.”
Keith wanted to say, “I love you too,” but for so many reasons he couldn’t even if it was true. He knew his words were painfully inadequate. Keith sniffled, wiped his nose on the back of his hand and let out an awkward laugh.
Lance gave a weak smile and wrapped his arms around him.
“Come home, Keith.”
Keith stiffened then let himself bury his face in the nape of Lance’s neck.
“You need me to keep you from pulling dumb ass stunts and without you I’m just a seventh wheel. Allura, Coran and Shiro are always talking about strategy and diplomatic stuff and they don’t really take me seriously at all. Pidge, Hunk and Matt are always talking techy stuff and building things and I’m sort of lost. I never thought I’d say this in a million years, but at some point you have become my person.”
Keith squeezed Lance tighter.
“At some point you became mine.”

Description

Keith was hoping to get some rest before he returned with Kolivan to the BOM base and was looking forward to a night in his old bed in the Castle of Lions. However, one thing stood between him and some much needed sleep.
Lance.
Lance stood before him with his hands on his hips sporting the best look of authority he could muster.
“I think you should come back to the team.” Lance said.
“Why would I do that? Shiro is the Black Paladin again and you’re the Red Paladin now. What would I do exactly?” Keith crossed his arms and stared back.
“I don’t know, but I do know the BOM is making you reckless. I don’t think it is good for you,” Lance lamented.
“I have always been reckless, remember?” Keith mumbled, attempting to brush Lance’s concerns off.
“Maybe,” Lance conceded, “But you can’t just go throwing yourself at every dangerous situation, like you mean nothing,” Lance scolded.
Keith was tired. Shiro and Allura had already given him similar lectures. He didn’t need one from Lance too.
Besides, Keith didn’t get it. As far as he was concerned, he wasn’t throwing himself at anything besides not his new role with the BOM maybe. And this was war and they all knew sometimes sacrifices had to made. They were all taking risks for the greater good, weren’t they. Why was everyone so concerned about him all of a sudden?
“There are things at play that are bigger than us, Lance. I am not going to sit back and let Zarkon and his witch, destroy entire civilizations. I have to do my part.”
“And you’re sure your part is with the Blades of Mamora?”
“It makes the most sense for me now, so yes, I think it’s for the best I am with the BOM.” Keith averted his gaze.
“You are sure you’re not just running away?”
“What?” Keith swallowed.
“It feels like you are running away.”
Lance’s brow furrowed, tears threatened to spill but he held them back. He drove his pointer finger into Keith’s shoulder.
“You just left! You put your obsession with Lotor ahead of the needs of Voltron! Did you even stop to think about how any of us on the team would feel about you being gone or are you too selfish to even consider that we might need you here?”
Keith felt his anger rise into his throat. He swatted Lance’s hand away and began pointing his own finger.
“You of all people need to miss me with this selfish bit. If I was selfish, I would have taken back the red lion and kept myself in the one place that made me feel like I had a purpose, the first place in a long time I considered home!”
A silent pause fell between them.
Lance stepped closer.
“Then why did you leave?”
Keith raised his eyes but kept his head bowed, “You said yourself, ‘you want the best men on the team’ and that is not me. We all know, Shiro is the rightful leader of Voltron. Pidge and Hunk are the tech geniuses, Allura is turning into one of the best pilots on the team and unlocking new abilities right, left and centre. And you were right, you are the team sharp shooter. I have seen what you can do. You also hold this team together. You know what to say to bring out the best in everyone.”
“Except you, obviously,” Lance grunted with disbelief.
“No, especially me,” Keith replied. We made a good team. I could not have led Voltron without you. But Shiro deserves the black lion and you deserve Red. Forgive me for trying to find my place.”
Keith dug his fingernails into his bicep and looked away.
Lance sighed.
“Look, Keith. I’m sorry. Maybe you weren’t being selfish. Maybe I’m the one bein selfish.”
“What are you talking about?”
Lance crossed his arms.
“Part of me was relieved you didn’t want Red back, but we both know you two have a bond I am not sure I’ll ever have with Red. Plus, you are a gifted pilot. I don’t want to give up being a paladin, but I will if it means you won’t go back to the BOM.”
“Why would you do that?” Keith threw up his hands in exasperation.
Lance mirrored him.
“You were going to drive your ship in those Galra shields!”
“I had to. Someone had too. It was my life for countless others in this quadrant!”
“I know. But I don’t love countless others in this quadrant!”
Lance gasped and tears escaped from his eyes.
Keith put his hands on Lance’s upper arms and softened his voice. Tears of his own fell.
“Lance, look at me. If Haggar would have went through with her plan, I would have been lost anyways, plus you and the team, and an entire galaxy would have been lost too and I could not let that happen. Voltron and this mission is bigger than us.”
Lance looked away and the pain on his face broke Keith’s heart.
“and, and, for what it’s worth, you’re important to me too.”
Keith wanted to say, “I love you too,” but for so many reasons he couldn’t even if it was true. He knew his words were painfully inadequate. Keith sniffled, wiped his nose on the back of his hand and let out an awkward laugh.
Lance gave a weak smile and wrapped his arms around him.
“Come home, Keith.”
Keith stiffened then let himself bury his face in the nape of Lance’s neck.
“You need me to keep you from pulling dumb ass stunts and without you I’m just a seventh wheel. Allura, Coran and Shiro are always talking about strategy and diplomatic stuff and they don’t really take me seriously at all. Pidge, Hunk and Matt are always talking techy stuff and building things and I’m sort of lost. I never thought I’d say this in a million years, but at some point you have become my person.”
Keith squeezed Lance tighter.
“At some point you became mine.”