Keith didn't want anyone watching when he did the vlog, he said it felt weird to talk to a camera while his friends were off to the side. So only Coran was allowed in the room for about five minutes.
Hunk had a worried scowl across his face, Pidge's eyebrows were pinched together, Allura was staring into space and Lance was focusing on his jacket. So when Keith stalked out of the door past them, the remaining Paladins jumped to their feet.
Keith had one arm over his face and the other out like a shield, "I'm fine." He said, very obviously not fine.
Lance grabbed him by the shoulders and Keith's head leaned even further down, "What's wrong?" Lance asked.
Keith shook his head, the only visible thing was his overgrown hair at that point, "I need to be by myself, okay?"
Lance knew by the sight of him that wasn't true, but he was ransacking his brain trying to come up with something to keep Keith from putting up his wall, a movie, food, and nothing seemed to be good enough.
"Lance." Keith said, a failed attempt at vigour. The now Red Paladin realized he was squeezing his shoulders with all of his might, so he let go and Keith saw it as his chance, continuing down the hall and out of sight.
The team looked at Coran, who was now standing in the doorway, "He's upset." Coran informed them.
"Duh." Pidge grumbled, "But why?"
"He doesn't think he's a good Paladin, or not good enough to lead you all. He's had a rough life but he wants to be a good person and encouraging but he doesn't know how." Coran sighed, "And as I heard a earthling once say, old habits die hard."
"But he is a good leader, and a good Paladin." Hunk insisted.
"And a pat on the back isn't going to make anything less like a war zone," Allura added.
"Keith does not see it that way . . . I think he's trying to make himself Shiro."
There was a silence before Lance burst out, "But that's terrible! He can't just-just, pretend to be Shiro for our sake! Black chose him!"
"Under dire circumstances," Allura reminded quietly, "Had Shiro not disappeared, the Black Lion most likely would not have felt the need to choose a new Paladin."
"What??" Lance demanded, "So you're saying Keith's the leader by default? It doesn't matter what the circumstances were, Black chose Keith and we owe him the same respect we gave Shiro. We don't get to pick and choose who pilots what, the Lions do, and it's about time we started treating them like living things instead of machines that we own!"
"The Princess is not suggesting any less," Coran stepped in, seeing Allura's eyes wide with shock.
Lance took a breath, looking around and seeing how surprised at his outburst his friends are.
"I was merely suggesting the conclusion that Keith has reached on his own, not agreeing with it." Princess Allura clarified, trying to soothe him, "And as for the Lions, I must second your declaration Lance. Voltron and the Lions are our guides just as Keith is."
There was a healthy silent agreement and then Pidge spoke up, "So who's gonna talk to Keith? Because I would, but I'm rotten at pep talks."
"I think my presence might embarrass him," Coran hesitated, looking at the floor with obvious sadness.
Hunk, Allura and Lance looked at each other. Lance saw Allura's draw back, something inside her eyes not wanting to make things worse. Hunk's eyes were layered with fear but also determination.
Lance nodded as they came to the agreement, "I'll go."
Unsurprisingly, Keith was at the training deck, taking his anger out on the Gladiator. Lance didn't wait for the sword fight to end, he took out his bayard and blasted the robot in the back. Normally, Keith would have been pissed off at Lance for not letting him finish but he just stood there.
"Come to make me feel better Lance?" He managed to sound disgusted, his hair in his face but not hiding the teary scowl, "Because I don't need it."
Scratch that previous statement, Keith was still pissed off.
His face was crinkled up in the way that shows someone who's about to cry, his shoulders were slumped and he looked generally exhausted.
Lance tried to think of something encouraging or helpful or funny but when Keith convulsed with tears, Lance surged forward and hugged him.
Keith's shoulders tensed but he let out weak little sniffles, his hands by this sides. Keith didn't hug him back and Lance tried not to take it personally.
This is probably really awkward for him, he probably doesn't get hugged often . . .
With a shock, Lance wondered if Keith had ever been hugged in his life. Bloody hell, why did everything bad happen to Keith?
Lance pulled back and took him by the shoulders, "You're okay."
He nodded weakly, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand.
"You can trust me, you know. Now that you're Black and I'm Red, that makes me your right hand man." Lance offered a smile that probably looked pitiful, since seeing people in tears always made him cry too, "Or right arm man."
Keith sobbed, tears falling down his cheeks again, "That's the shittiest pun I've ever heard." He croaked.
Lance gave a little shrug, "You wanna hear another one?" Keith didn't refuse so he continued, sitting down on the training deck floor, "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
Keith sat down too, "I don't know, why?"
"To get to the amazing leader's house." Lance answered simply and kept going before Keith could ask confusing questions, "Knock, knock."
"Who's there?" Thank god he knew how to knock, knock joke properly or Lance would've lost it with him.
"It's the chicken." Lance didn't explain, he just waited as Keith silently analyzed the joke.
Then slowly, a smile came to his face, "That was so lame."
"You're smiling, aren't you?" Lance checked, "It's supposed to be an insulting joke, because the chicken usually goes to the idiot's house, which also applies in your case, but I'm trying to not be a jackass right now."
Keith shook his head, "Got anymore?"
"Would it be inappropriate to make Yo Momma jokes?"
He shrugged in response so Lance started, "Your momma's so short, her feet are in her driver's license picture."
Keith laughed a little.
"Yo momma so poor, she runs after the garage truck with a grocery list."
That got a entertained snort.
"Yo momma so fat, her belly button got home fifteen minutes before she did."
Keith was laughing now, shaking his head and rubbing his teary eyes like he couldn't believe this guy was piloting one fifth of the most powerful creation of all time when he was this idiotic.
"Your momma is so stupid, she eats cereal with a fork to save milk."
Lance had never seen Keith laugh so hard in his life, which made him fall into hysterics too, watching the usually serious Paladin find something so funny.
After they finally pulled themselves together, Keith smirked some, "I only know one Yo Momma joke."
"Let's hear it." Lance said. Because it was probably just stupid and ridiculous enough to get him laughing again.
"Your momma's so fat, she got arrested for openly carrying fifty pounds of crack."
Lance's jaw dropped because one, he had never heard that one and he prided himself on knowing all the good jokes. Two, it was actually funny and Keith looked super proud of himself.
So when Pidge and Hunk came down a minute later to stop what they thought was arguing, Lance had a hard time explaining through his laughter.