Keith dreams of Galrans.

He dreams of Zarkon, laughing at him, dreams of Keith acting like a puppet on strings as he turns against his team.

He dreams of Shiro vanishing, dreams of Keith, left alone as he screams and shouts, dreams of that empty time when they announced that Shiro was missing (in space, in outer space, if someone vanished in outer space they were gone, they didn't come back, Keith knew that, he knew, but he hoped, quiznak, he had hoped), dreams that Keith had never found him, that they had never found Shiro, never found the lions, that he was still back on earth, angry and scared and alone.

He dreams of them finding Shiro's dead body, he dreams of screaming and denying as they send him to a grief counselor just like before, dreams of himself walking in a desert, searching for something but never being able to find it.

He doesn't know what he's looking for, but ever so often, he'll stop, and he'll think I've found it and he'll dig in a sand dune, dig and dig and dig until his fingers bleed and his skin is raw and he'll find nothing as he keeps looking and looking and never finding.

He wakes up with the half distant memory of his dream, still wanting to look for something but not knowing what he wants to look for.

He buries his face in his hands and picks up his bayard and heads to the training bay before he remembers that Lance made the rule for it to be closed between 11pm and 5am, that Lance had been all "you need to sleep, Keith" and had told him that training was good, but rest was where you built muscles.

He also remembers scowling at Lance and mocking him for caring, though he remembers an odd warmth in his chest, fond and thankful for the fact that Lance cares about him enough to try and ensure he gets proper sleep.

Still, he doesn't want to go back to sleep, doesn't want to dream again, and as soon as he closes his eyes he can see Shiro's face, bloody and still and cold, and his heart leaps in his chest as he swings at the air with his sword but it doesn't matter, does it, he's still angry and jittery and he can't stay still enough for the monsters in the shadows to devour him.

He's terrified, Keith realizes, of absolutely nothing, he's gone paranoid and stupid but he can't shake the feeling of terror in his chest, so somehow he ends up storming out of his room and padding mindlessly down the hall before he ends up in front of Shiro's door.

Keith is familiar with Shiro.

He knows him, he's close to him, the two of them have a relationship that could rival Lance and Hunk's.

But he's never done this before, has never stood in front of his door, hesitant and unsure as he presses a hand against his arm and stares at his feet and tries to convince himself that he's being stupid and Shiro doesn't need to hear about Keith's stupid nightmares when he's already dealing with his own.

Keith's stupid imagination, compared to Shiro's very real PTSD, is unimportant.

It's stupid, and dumb, and he should return to his bed and go to sleep or just do push ups or whatever.

Except he ends up knocking, his body moving without him thinking about it, and within a second Shiro's door is opening and he stares at Keith in surprise before he exclaims, "Keith!" as though he were expecting someone else.

The thought makes Keith curious, but he doesn't comment on it, instead saying quietly, "I just wanted to see you."

Shiro's forehead creases, confused and concerned, and then he asks, voice equally quiet, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Keith thinks of Shiro, dead and gone and silent, and he whispers childishly, "Yeah," embarrassed and feeling dumb but relieved to get it off his chest.

Shiro reaches out a hand, holds it in front of Keith, open and ready but unsure, and Keith takes it as Shiro pulls him into the room and seats him on the bed. He hears Shiro mutters something under his breath, puzzled, like, "Do they all do this on purpose?" before Shiro looks back at Keith, and his face softens like butter in a microwave. "Want to tell me about it?"

Keith shakes his head, and lowers his eyes as Shiro runs a thumb across his knuckles. "It's... it's no big deal," It's a lie, and Shiro knows it, Keith knows that he's not much of a liar, and he won't even meet Shiro's eyes.

But all Shiro says is, "Alright," soft and sweet and accepting, and then he just keeps running his thumb against Keith's knuckles, silent and patient.

They sit there for a while, silence overwhelming them, before Keith gives in and says, "You were dead."

Shiro stiffens, shoulders and neck tensing, and then he looks down at Keith's hand as he murmurs quietly, "Oh."

Oh. Like that little revelation, like the thought that Keith dreamed about something like that was simply unimaginable.

Once Keith starts, though, he can't stop, so he babbles on and on like an idiot (quiznak, he's not Lance, why won't he shut up?), "You were on the ground and you were bleeding out and your eyes were shut and when I touched you, you were cold and I never saw you again and I was alone just like last time and I couldn't..."

"Keith," Shiro's grip on his hand tightens, and his thumb stops moving. "I'm right here."

Keith sobs, tight and terrified and childish. "For now," he replies, trying not to cry but doing it anyways. "But this whole situation, with you and Zarkon and Voltron and with us constantly putting ourselves in danger and you even more so, the chances of you dying are so much higher, and I'm not strong enough to protect you yet and I can't..."

"Wait," Shiro raised his eyes to stare at Keith, brow furrowing in confusion. "Keith, your job isn't the protect me. It's my job to protect you."

"It's not," Keith shook his head, refusing to look Shiro in the eyes. "You're the leader, you're the one who's the most important, it's you that..."

"It's not. Keith, why would I be more important than you?"

"Because you're..." His tongue feels dry and heavy in his mouth, and he wants to say because you're the leader. Because you're the Black Paladin. Because the Black is more important than Red. But he knows that none of those excuses are true. "Because you're important to me."

Shiro's forehead creases, concerned and angry. "More important than yourself?"

Keith closes his eyes. "I don't know."

"Yes, you do."

"Shiro..."

"Keith."

"...Yes."

"Quiznak." Shiro draws in a breath, sharp and tight, and then he starts crying, too. "That's not true, Keith. I'm not more important than you."

"To me, you are."

"But you know that you aren't, you know that you and I are equally valuable, right?"

"Shiro," Keith shakes his head, "Look, Shiro, I'm just some kid that pilots a lion, alright? But you're so much more, you're a lot more important and..."

"Stop." Shiro mirrors Keith's movement. "Stop. That's not..."

"It is..."

"No it's not..."

Shiro stares at their hands, stares like it holds all the answers, like it might tell him how to deal with the situation. "You're all messed up," He sighs, closing his eyes regretfully, "But you're my family, you know that? And family's important."

Keith purses his lips. "You're my family, too, Shiro." He responds softly, "And I can't lose it again."

"Ohana means family," Shiro replied firmly, "And family means nobody gets left behind."

"Did you... did you seriously just quote Lilo & Stitch at me?"

Shiro turned bright red. "You... you know that movie?"

"Shiro, you forced me to watch it, remember?"

Awkward laughter ensues. "Let's go to sleep."

"You're not avoiding the question that easily."

"What question? AHAHAHA..."

"STOP LAUGHING!"

"Shhhh, Keith, go to sleep."

"Like you ever sleep."

They do end up falling asleep. In each other's arms, no less.

Not that Keith will ever admit it.