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The air was thick with tension aboard the Castle of Lions, the usually vibrant corridors not muted in a state of their failed mission. A heavy silence blanketed the crew. It has been a simple mission, and should have gone smoothly.
They had set out to rescue a group on innocent civilians on a new allianced planet, who were trapped and attacked by a smaller Galra fleet. They had set out with a solid plan, defend civilians, fight Galrans until they retreat, win. Sadly, the mission had spiraled out of their control when another Galran ship had ambushed them, forcing a hasty retreat that left the civilians behind. The memory of their frightened faces haunted Keith, each fleeting image digging deeper into his conscience.
The others hadn't seen what Keith had, having one of the young civilians that were there clings to him as if he was the best thing every. He was the worst thing ever, as he left that poor civilian to die, even after it had trusted him so greatly. No one had ever done that before, and now it's ruined.
The aftermath left behind a major weight of failure on Keith, as his thoughts tumbled further, the weight of it all just got even heavier. The team exchanged worried glances.
The team gathered in a small huddle in the lounge, Allura deciding to let them take a break to, as she had said, "Collect your thoughts."
Lance, ever the optimist, tried to lighten the mood. "Hey, we can't win them all, right? We'll get them next time, and finally for good good!" But his voice lacked the usual cheer, weighed down by the gravity of their missions failure.
Shiro's stern expression didn't soften as he replied, "Lance, this isn't a joke. We need to talk about what happened. This can't just be let go, we lost a major alliance." His gaze shifted to Keith, who reminded quiet and isolated, lost in his own inner thoughts.
Pidge and Hunk joined the conversation, their faces etched with concern. "We should check on him," Pidge suggested, whispering to the others as worry crept into her voice. Hunk nodded in agreement, balancing back at their, well, he was still kind of their leader, him and Shiro now sharing the position despite Keith not wanting it. " Yeah he's been really quiet since we got back. It's not like him, even if the situation is dire." Hunk muttered.
( Sort of Different Point of View Here - I don't know why lol )
Keith felt the familiar surge of guilt and disappointment swell within him. His childhood had taught him to distance from others when he felt vulnerable. The fact that many people had taught him to never fail, and what woild.happen if he did. Emotions were weaknesses he could not afford. In the past, pulling away had always been the first defense. He turned his head slightly, glancing at his teammates through the reflection of a glass. He could see the concern, but he couldn't bear the thought of facing them. Of telling them what was wrong.
"I should have been better," he muttered under his breath, the words tasting bitter. "I should have saved them.."
The memories of his own childhood flooded back, of being abandoned and all alone. He had vowed never to be weak again, never to let anyone down. But here he was, feeling like a failure.
Keith's heart sank as he once again recalled the terrified faces of the civilians they, no he hadn't been able to save. The thought of their helplessness gnawed at him. He was supposed to protect them. Instead he had led his, no Shiro's team into danger and failed all of them. He turned away from the lounge, away from his friends, and walked deeper into the ship, not caring where he ended up.
( End of Different Point of View Here lol )
"Keith!" Shiro called, striding after him. The others followed closely, their worry for their friend palpable.
Keith quickened his pass, desperate to escape the confrontation. He needed space, needed to breath without the weight of their expectations for just a minute. But Shiro was relentless, catching up with him in the narrow corridor.
"Stop!" Shiro ordered, his voice form yet hinged with concern. "We need to talk about what happens back there."
"Talk?" Keith scofs, ( < May have spelled that wrong.. Oops! ) spinning around to face him. "What's there to talk about? I messed up, Shiro. I can't just pretend it didn't happen!"
"Keith, your not alone in this," Shiro insisted. "Were a team. We all make mistakes. This one was all of us. You didn't expect another ship to come. None of us did."
Keith shook his head, his fists clenching. "You don't get it. I put you a in danger. Those civilians... I could have saved them it I hadn't hesitated."
Lance stepped forwards, his voice softer then it had been before. Their old rival competition over, as Lance had understood it wasn't anger or jealousy he felt towards Keith, it was love. He'd come up accept that now. "You didn't hesitate because you were scared. We all were. It was a tough situation. You can't blame yourself for what happens." He explains calmly.
"But I should have -----"
"No," Pidge interrupted, her tone sharp. "You did everything you could! We all fought hard. We can't control everything. The Galra are unpredictable. You cang place the blame all on yourself.
Keith turned away again, he ache in his chest intensifying. "I'm not cut out for this," he whispered. " Maybe you should just kick me out of Voltron and find a new one. I'm not cut out for anything... I've know that all my life sense the day I was born."
"Kick you out?" Hunk exclaimed, his eyes wide, unshed tears gathering. "Are you serious? You're one of the best paladins we have! We'd never---"
"Maybe I'm not," Keith snapped, the pain spilling over his chest into anger. "I'm just a failure. I'm always a failure. Sense the day I was born, sense the day my parents left me. Sense the day I was tossed around, only to be deemed useless and tossed back. All i'll ever be is worthless... A failure."
The silence the followed felt like a heavy blanket, stifling and cold. Shiro stepped closer, his expression softening. "We're not going to give up on you, Keith. You mean to much to us, to me. Were a family."
"Family?" Keith laughed bitterly. "Family doesn't abandon each other when things get tough. They leave when you fail. Like right here, right now.
"Stop!" Lance shouted, his house breaking. "We're not going anywhere. We care about you, Keith! You cang push us away. Besides, I love you. I love you so much and I was so naive to think it was something else... I love you. We all do."
Keith's shoulders trembled as the fight and anger drained out of him. "I just don't want to hurt you all anymore. I thought I could just be better, but I'm not..."
Pidge stepped closer, her voice gentle. "You don't have to be perfect, Keith. None of us are. We learn from our mistakes. That's how we grow."
Hunk nodded vigorously. " We've all been there. Remember the time I almost blew up the entire command center? We laughed it off, and we learned from it. Your not alone in this. This is a shared burden we can all carry together."
Keith's resolve wavers, the weight of their words slowly breaking through is tightly constricted walls. "But what if I can't get better?"
"Better at what? Fighting. Everything just fine. You can do anything you set your mind to. We'll help you. Well work through anything together. You've never failed us, Keith. Were stronger as a team, and that includes lifting each other up when we fall."
Shiro explained, setting a hand gently onto Keith shoulder.
Tears stung Keith's eyes, and he swallod hard, overwhelmed by their unwavering support. For the first time in awhile, he didn't feel the overwhelming isolation grip him. "Thank you. Truly." He managed to say.
The others smiled at each other, and they all slowly head back to the lounge. Allura and Coran having over heard the discussion over the coms that were in the walls for emergency's, were making the Altan ( < Don't know if that's right ) version of human hot chocolate. After making it, and heading down to the lounge where they were at, they quietly gave the mugs to the team, sitting down beside them in comfort.
If one of the paladins were to say that they saw Keith and Lance snuggling and giving small kisses, they would deny it. Even though their relationship was adorable, and truly perfect, they would keep it a secret. Lance would smother Keith in love, always making sure he knows he is wanted, and Keith just reciprocates that same love, making everyone and everything feel special and worth it.