Hey guys! I'm back with a new story! I've been messing with this idea for a while so I hope you like it! Anyway, thanks or reading, hope you enjoy, and please comment!
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Keith was supposed to be happy. They had found Shiro. He could go back to being the Red Paladin, the "Team Loner" instead of the leader he knew he wasn't.
Except, things didn't turn out as he had hoped. The Lions had different plans than him. The Black Lion had rejected Shiro, and Keith had to take the lead again. They weren't any closer to stopping Lotor and his generals.
The only good thing to come from this was that he and Lance had grown rather close, especially once Lance became Keith's right-hand man in Voltron. Lance helped him think a bit more, and they were growing closer.
Being with Lance, talking with him. Keith was able to spill his concerns with Lance when he couldn't tell the others. Lance would always give a hug or a kiss and know just what to say to make the new Black Paladin feel better.
But Shiro was still worrying Keith. He constantly roamed the Castle at night, almost in a sort of daze. He had nightmares and seemed depressed. Shiro still took charge and helped Keith in the heat of a mission or a battle, but any other time he remained distant from not only Keith but all the others.
Keith didn't think anything of it at first. Who knows what the Galra did to him?
Keith assumed Shiro just needed time and support. His concerns reached the surface when the others had mentioned Shiro's odd behaviors and their concern for him.
After some debating with Lance, they decided to place Shiro in a healing pod for a day, just to be safe. He came out the same, but the pod noticed an anomaly in him, but had no detail.
Pidge was worried about his prosthetic arm, so they convinced Shiro to allow them to check his cybernetics in his arm, just as a safety precaution.
"I don't remember the Galra doing anything to my arm," Shiro countered.
"It's just a safety measure," Keith assured. "We just don't want to risk anything. Besides, the others and I, we're worried about you."
"Fine," Shiro relented and sat beside Pidge and their computer. "If it will put you all to ease."
Pidge connected to his arm and began scanning for anything abnormal: a tracker, any sort of virus, a communicator of some kind, anything...
But they couldn't find any abnormality.
"Guys, I'm not seeing anything, there's nothing out of the ordinary here," Pidge informed.
"Are you sure?" Lance argued.
"Yeah, what if there's a firewall or something?" Hunk added.
Pidge shook their head. "There's nothing bad in Shiro's arm to find, nothing for a firewall to protect."
"Thanks for trying," Allura nodded, resting a hand on the Green Paladin and the former Black Paladin's shoulders. "And Shiro, I hope you feel better. We understand that your time with the Galra was painful."
"Yeah, I think I just need time," Shiro shrugged and got to his feet. Keith, who had been watching at a distance walked forward.
"Shiro," he called, completely serious. "When you can, I'd like to see you in my room, if you don't mind."
"Uh, sure," Shiro smiled before starting to head to his own room. "I'll be there in a few minutes."
Keith nodded and turned to his own. Lance grabbed his arm as the others dispersed. "Keith?" Lance prompted. "What are you thinking?"
"I want some answers," Keith replied vaguely. "If I talk to him one on one, he might open up a bit more."
"I guess," Lance replied, obviously not satisfied or okay with his boyfriend talking alone with Shiro. Especially with how weird Shiro's been lately. "Just be careful, okay? Anyone pressed into a corner can be unpredictable."
Confused, Keith nodded, giving the Latino a peck on the cheek before heading to his room to talk with his former leader.
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Shiro was true to his word. It was hardly a few moments after Keith had sat down on his bed before the door slid open, and Shiro strolled in.
"Keith."
"Shiro," Keith smiled. "That was fast."
"I didn't want to keep the leader of Voltron waiting," Shiro smiled before sitting down beside the teen.
"About that, what's really going on?" Keith demanded. "We both know you're just putting on a cheerful face around the others. If something is bothering you, if you need to talk about anything, I want to know. We're all worried about you."
"K--Keith," Shiro stammered, surprised by Keith's compassion. Had he really worried the others that much? Was it that obvious? He had to be more careful; it may be time to move his plans forward.
"I--I'm fine, just, the nightmares, the visions of what happened, what they did to me..."
Keith only nodded. He couldn't imagine what that witch Haggar or tyrant Zarkon could've done to him. Then there was the conniving Lotor.
"I understand," Keith laid an arm around Shiro's tense shoulders. "I just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything else bothering you. If you need anything, I'll be here for you."
"Thank you, Keith," Shiro wrapped his arms around him. The teen returned the embrace. "You have really stepped up while I was gone." He wasn't the emotional hothead that the Black Paladin had fallen for and remembered. He wasn't sure if he could go through with the act.
The two stayed in the embrace for a long while. Keith was focused on comforting Shiro. But Shiro was conflicted more than ever.
YOU ARE READING
The New Blue (A Dark Lance AU)
Fanfiction(After season 3). Has Klance, slight Keitor, and lots of Lancelot. The Paladins had found Voltron, and had defeated Lotor for now. Keith should be happy, he didn't have to be the Black Paladin anymore. Except that's not exactly how it played out. Lo...
