Keith's eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated on swinging his sword with as much force as he could at the training robot. Sweat trickled down his neck as he forced himself to move faster; to be stronger. It was well into the night, but he had no intention of stopping anytime soon. Keith was mad, he was heartbroken, he didn't want to be alone with his thoughts.

'Lance McClain…'

Keith walked into the lounge area of the ship, annoyed by Hunk's enthusiasm.

"I'm coming! I'm coming, okay? You don't have to push me!" the red paladin exclaimed, looking over his shoulder.

When he turned his head back, he saw Lance and Allura standing close to each other, smiling.

"What's going on?" he asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, Lance and I…"

"We're together!"

If he hadn't been so close to a wall, Keith was sure he would've fallen over. The word rang through his ears over and over again; haunting him, taunting him.

'Together…'

Keith, having taken down the trainee, called out to the ship to move up to the next level.

"Keith? Why are you still up?" Shiro asks, rubbing his eye as he walked up to him.

Not responding or even acknowledging Takeshi's presence, Keith charged at the robot, baring his teeth as his eyes turn yellow.

"Keith? Keith!"

"What?!" the younger man bellows, plunging his sword into the robot's head, ending the simulation.

"What's been up with you? You've been so...short and moody lately."

Breathing heavily, Keith wipes the sweat from his forehead, brushing his hair out of his face.

"What are you talking about?" he asks, his voice bitter as his eyes return to normal.

"At first, I noticed it a few days after Allura and Lance announced their courtship. But, as I looked back farther, you've been acting different for several weeks."

"Sorry that I'm not the person you thought I was."

"Cut the crap, Keith. I've watched you grow up; you're caring and want people to love you. This isn't like you at all and you and I both know it. Now, I'll ask again. What's been up with you?"

Keith sighs before returning his sword to its bayard form.

"Look, I'm tired. Can we just talk in the morning?"

"...Sure," Shiro agrees, knowing full well that Keith has no intention of returning to the topic.

"Goodnight, Shiro."

"Goodnight...Keith."

The young man walked silently through the corridors of the castle that had been his home for years; and yet they still felt foreign to him, as if he were a visitor or trespassing. His home was still the shack in the desert, a place that felt forever away.

When he reached his room, he closes the door without turning on any lights. He heads into the bathroom and turns on the water, stepping into the shower. Allowing the cold to run along his warm body, Keith felt his energy seep through the floor.

'Lance…'

He tried to deny his feelings for the Blue Paladin for so long, but one night when they were celebrating another victory against Zarkon's forces, things changed in what he had thought was the best way possible.

Keith bit into a slice of a lime as Lance took another shot. Loud music blared as the other paladins and Allura drank while Coran was doing some weird dance that didn't at all match the tune. Everyone was laughing and cheering, and Lance slung his arm around Keith's shoulder.

"You having fun, Mullet?" he exclaims, his words slurred as his brain became increasingly intoxicated.

"Yeah!" Keith replies, hoping that the lighting hid his blush from Lance's face being so close to his own.

"It's a bit loud though!"

"Oh?"

"Do you want to go somewhere quieter?"

"I can just ask Pidge to turn down the music if you want!"

"Nah! Let them have their fun! Come on!" Lance yells, grabbing Keith's wrist and pulling him out of the room.

The two laughed as they stumbled together down the hallway. When they reach Lance's room, he opens the door and Keith follows him in, his own thoughts fuzzy as a warm feeling washed over him. Lance swayed slightly, staring into the other man's eyes.

"Much better now, dontcha think?"

"Heh, yeah. So what do you want to do?"

A coy smiles spreads across Lance's face, and he walks towards Keith, backing him up against a wall. Placing his hand under his chin and tilting his head up, he gazed down at who he had considered his rival ever since he joined the Garrison.

"I think we can find a way to have a bit of fun on our own."

Keith bit his lower lip, sure now that Lance could see how hot he was making him.

"Oh...kay."

Keith stepped out of the shower, barley drying himself off before staggering into bed.

'Does he even remember that night? I had quickly left before he woke up, and all evidence of what we had done...his marks...were on me.'

While he didn't know if Lance remembered their night of lustful passion, he felt sure that he meant nothing to him. The Blue Paladin had been ignoring him, as if his very presence put him in a bad mood.

'And then there's Allura…'

Lance did seem genuinely happy with the Alteann Princess as far as Keith could tell. Then again, he mostly kept to himself lately, only leaving his room to train or be part of Voltron. He couldn't handle much else. Keith put his pillow over his face and groaned loudly, his mood shifting back into peeved. His heart was truly conflicted. He wanted Lance to continue being happy, but he also wanted to be the one to make Lance happy.

'Why would he sleep with me if he likes someone else? Was he using me as an outlet for his frustration? What the hell?!'

No one had ever made him feel this way, and it was confusing and frustrating for Keith. He both wanted to reach out to Lance and continue shutting him out at the same time. He wanted to find out whether he remembered their night together and also forget it himself. His mind was at battle with itself, and it was draining to deal with it all by himself.

'Maybe's Shiro's right…'

The last of his energy being used to pull the covers up over him, Keith falls into a restless sleep full of a multitude of random glimpses of dreams.

The next day, Keith was surprised by being jolted awake by bile rising in his throat. He leaps up from bed and darts into the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before emptying his stomach. His throat and nose burned, as tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

"Guess I pushed myself too hard last night," he mumbles as he stands up, his muscles screaming at him.

Swishing water in his mouth, he spits into the sink before looking at his complexion. There were traces of bags under his eyes and his skin was a bit paler than usual, but he just scoffs before leaving the room and throwing on some clothes that he didn't care if were clean or dirty. Opening the door leading to the rest of the castle, he comes face-to-face with Coran.

"Good morning, Keith!"

"What? Oh, uh, morning…"

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"If you don't mind my asking, would you please come with me to the medical bay?"

"What? Why?"

"Shiro mentioned that you haven't been yourself lately! So I'm just going to check and make sure that you're not being controlled by some nasty space parasite! I had one of those too, y'know?"

"Coran, that's not what Shiro mean-"

"Nonsense, it's better to be safe than sorry! Come along now! We shouldn't waste another tick!"

Begrudgingly, Keith follows Coran as he rubs the sleep from his eyes and lets out a yawn, too tired to put up a fight.

"Just lay down on the table okay?"

"Okay…"

Keith lifts himself up onto an examination table, and props both arms under his head as he lies down.

"This'll hurt just a pinch!"

"What wil-?" Keith begins to ask before Coran sticks a needle in his arm, drawing blood.

When the syringe is halfway full, he pulls it out and sticks a pink band-aid on Keith, smiling proudly.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Hard? No. Unnecessary? Yes."

"I'll just run this through the machine and it'll tell us if and where any parasites may be in your body."

"Coran, this really isn't-"

"Now, now, Keith! We don't want a Paladin of Voltron to be out of commission now, don't we?"

"I...no?"

"Great!" the Alteann exclaims before turning to collect a piece of paper the machine printed out.

"Aha! I was right!"

"What? I have a parasite?"

"Yep! Right there!" Coran says, putting a finger on Keith's lower abdomen, "Peculiar thing is that your body isn't in any way rejecting it. In fact, it seems to be sharing your DNA with the parasite! How strange!"

Time freezes and several curse words coarse through Keith's head as he finds himself panicking.

'No...It can't be! I'm a dude!'

"W-what does it look like?"

"Ah, yes, of course! We won't know how to kill the parasite without knowing what kind it is!"

Keith tries to control his breathing as Coran pulls over a strange Alteann machine.

"Take off your shirt please!"

He complies and pulls off his black t-shirt, not having bothered to put on his red jacket when he got ready earlier.

"Lie back down and try to be still, alright Keith? This'll be a bit cold!"

The Paladin stares up at the ceiling, a million thoughts running wild in his head.

'It's not what I think it is! It's not what I think it is! I just somehow managed to get a space parasite! I'm not-!'

"Here we go!" Coran exclaims, pointing at a screen.

Keith gazes at the monitor, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of him. Snapping out of it, he pushes Coran away before grabbing a towel.

"Don't tell anyone else about this! I'm going to head out for awhile," he says, pulling his shirt back on.

"But, Keith-!"

"Just drop it! I know what I'm doing!" Keith yells, storming out of the room.

He breaks into a sprint as soon as the door closes, making his way towards the hangar with the Black Lion. Whipping around a corner, he collides into someone and falls back onto the floor.

"Ow!"

"Keith? What's the rush? Where're you going?"

Keith looks up into Lance's eyes before accepting the other Paladin's extended hand. Breathing heavily, he avoids eye-contact as an awkward silence consumes them.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Do me a favor and tell everyone else that I'm heading out for awhile. I'm not sure when I'll be back."

"Where're you going?"

"Why do you care?" Keith asks, his voice venomous as his anger resurges.

Lance takes a step back, looking hurt.

"Jeez, buddy, I was just asking. Don't let me keep you waiting," he says, crossing his arms over his chest as he turns his head away.

Keith regrets snapping, but doesn't say anything. He continues jogging towards the hangar, forcing Lance out of his mind.

Reaching the Black Lion, he skids to a stop before entering the magical ship. Sitting down, he breathes deeply, his chest rising and falling.

'Where am I even going to go? Who do I talk to about this?'

"Black? Where should I go?"

The Lion lights up, and hovers as it makes its way out of the ship before blasting off into space. Keith, able to see the route, grips the handles, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration.

'If this is what I think it is, what am I going to do?'

"...Lance…"

His heart felt heavy as the future weighed down on him.

'We're still at war with Zarkon. I don't even know how to...Allura.'

With his thoughts jumping all over the place, he hardly notices when he reaches The Blade of Marmora's base.

"I've gotten a lot from coming here. Let's see if it'll help me now," Keith murmurs as he exits Black.

Walking down the ramp, his arms dangle uselessly at his sides. With every step, Keith begins to be fill with dread. Kolivan exits the building to greet him, a stone expression on his face.

"Keith. What are you doing here?"

"I need to ask a question…"

"Long journey for just a question."

"It's important."

Trying to size him up, Krolivan turns his body and extends his arm, gesturing for them to go inside. Keith pulls out a chair from a nearby table, and spins it around so that his arms can rest on the back. The galra takes another chair and sits down stiffly, staring at him intently.

"What was your question?"

Saying the words out loud became impossible for Keith, but he swallows hard and squeezes his eyes shut as his hands ball into fists.

'Say it! Just say it!'

"Is it possible for someone like me to get pregnant?"

The words felt wrong on his tongue, and he wanted to take it back and fly away back to the palace.

'Better yet; let this all be a nightmare.'

But Keith knew that he wasn't having a nightmare, and that terrified him.

"What brings this on?"

"I...I slept with Lance, the Blue Paladin and rider of the Red Lion."

"Keith-"

"I know! I-...I'm an idiot. I know, but…."

'Don't cry.'

"What do I do?" Keith asks, his voice weak and trembling.

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to make Lance happy."

"What does he want?"

"Allura."

"I see. Do you wish to have the child?"

"I..."

"You don't have to know what you want to do today. Let's focus on what you are going to do right now."

"Okay?"

"You're going to leave here and ride your lion back to your ship. You will take your Paladin aside and tell him."

"But what if he hates me? What if he leaves his happiness behind to be noble?"

"I have faith that you two will find a way to be happy."

"But...how?"

"Figure it out; together."

Keith hesitates before nodding and leaving. He boards the Lion before zooming off into the stars; his mind buried with thoughts and possibilities. The castle appears in the distance far too early for Keith, and he reluctantly flies Black into its hangar. Panic overcomes him as he sees Shiro standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hey, Shiro," Keith greets as he tries to quickly bypass him.

Shiro grabs him by the collar of his shirt, his eyes narrowed.

"What is this I'm hearing about you snapping at Lance and leaving without telling anyone where you're going with the Black Lion."

"Yep, I did all that. Can you let go of me now?"

The taller man sighs before letting go, scratching the back of his neck.

"Keith, talk to me, buddy."

"Later."

"Keith-!"

The red paladin runs off, focused on finding Lance. As luck would have it, he slams into him again.

"Mullet! Stop running everywhere!" Lance exclaims, steadying Keith.

"Lance!"

"That is my name. Don't forget it," he says, flashing a smile and winking playfully.

"Can we talk? In private? It's...important."

"Sure? What's up?"

"Come on," Keith begs, dragging Lance by the wrist across the castle to his room.

"Keith? What's going on? Are you planning a surprise?" Lance asks with enthusiasm.

"No. Lance, focus!"

The two stare into each other's eyes, and realization dawns on Lance's face.

"Oh...I know what this is about."

"You do? How?"

"I may have been drunk, but I do remember our night together. I'm sorry Keith, but I-"

"You don't know what this is about."

"Huh?"

'Just say it. It'll annoy you to have to keep this hidden.'

"I'm…"

"You're...what?"

"I'm pregnant."

"¿Qúe?"

"That's all you have to say? 'Kay?!"

"You're joking, right? You're a dude!"

"I'm half galra."

Lance looks like he had just been socked in the chest, and it feels like such for him.

"Quiznack…"

"Yeah…"

"What are you going to do?"

"What?" Keith asks, having expected direction rather than a question.

"With the baby. What are you going to do?"

"I...you…" Keith bumbles, his face growing red from the swirling emotions consuming him.

Having never seen Keith like this before, Lance finds his heart becoming heavy.

"It's okay, Mullet," he coos, wrapping his arms around the smaller man, "we'll figure this out."

"But...Allura?"

While he wouldn't admit it, she hadn't even crossed Lance's mind.

"I...I don't know."

Keith, not liking that answer, pushes Lance back, looking at the ground again.

"I'll be in my room if anyone needs me."

His door only being a few feet away, it wasn't a long journey and he successfully closed the door to the rest of the world before his knees give out. He collapses in a heap on his bed before rolling over onto his back.

He doesn't hate the Alteann princess, but he didn't like her nearly as much as everyone else seemed to. No, he didn't hate Allura, but seeing her on Lance's arm made him sick to his stomach. But...then seeing Lance smile at her made him feel...conflicted. There's no way Keith could hate her; she makes Lance happy. And...that's enough. It has to be enough.