I'm back guys! So I apologize for my late update! I went to see Kingsman on Thursday and ugh I was so disappointed that I had to cleanse my eyes with fanfiction. If you guys want to know more or rant to me just visit me on tumblr.

So thank you time! Thank you to PastelGuts, StarMaiden + BLANK (you guys are hilarious), KarmaDash_is_ShippingTrash, Masterliful, fallingmistinthedark, Fire_Kissed and StardustFlames for your lovely reviews. I ma happy you guys enjoyed the chapter and I actually have some comments of yours to address.

So Masterliful brought up the point that while the Galra side of Keith manifesting is not canon they enjoy it and I have to say I agree! I wanted to explore this side of Keith a lot since it's a head canon of mine that Keith's sides starts to show after he unlocks his heritage.

To Fire_Kissed I am happy you picked up on the tune. It does play a huge significance in this fic and you can actually find some foreshadowing in my earlier chapters. I will definitely be explaining it and stuff in the chapters to come.

So as far as notes for this chapter and actually this whole fic, this is where I branch off of canon again. To be honest I wasn't really the biggest fan of the majority of episodes in season 3 and have a lot of other ideas I want to explore that would fit perfectly with their current predicament. It wont be to far from canon but as I want to see what happens with season 4 but its not going to follow the episodes. I'll explain more in chapters to come.

But for this chapter just know that I skipped everything in episode 3. In all honesty I didn't want to change anything as I liked that episode the way it was. So this takes place a few days after that episode. Also this chapter it shorter for the others but that's because I wanted to end it the way I did. I felt it was better like that and will have a longer chapter next week as a result.

With all of this please comment,kudos and bookmark as you enjoy the show!

Red was…interesting to say the least. Flying them was an adventure all in its own with Lance struggling to figure out how exactly to fly Red. They were responding to him which helped but still the speed was something he still needed to get used to. But besides their flying that wasn't the only thing interesting about Red. No it was more of their personality and thoughts that had Lance raising an eyebrow or chuckling every now and then. Keith must not have a sense of humor cause in Lance's opinion Red was hilarious. If they could speak Lance was sure they would be cussing up a storm whenever they were fired at. Their mind buzzing with cock sure gusto as they flew but it wasn't like Red didn't have the bite to back it up either. Oh no, they enjoyed tearing into the Galra fighters and Lance would be lying if he said he didn't feel a tiny amount of sadism bleed into him from Red. Yeah somebody really didn't like the Galra.

However even with Red's haughty attitude or their need to put everything in its place they were not unkind. No, quite the opposite actually. Unlike Blue's soothing coolness for his emotions Red was a soft warm blanket wrapped around him while he sat next to the fire place. He would have thought with Red's fiery disposition that they would not have any desire to comfort and coddle their paladin. That it would be all "stop crying and grow a pair". He could have not been any farther from the truth though.

If anything Red enjoyed surrounding him in their warmth while feeding back jokes and happy emotions of their own. Lance was actually surprised when instead of receiving calm amusement from one of his pick up lines like with he did with Blue, Red sent back what could only be the equivalent of shit eating grins and loud chortles. They enjoyed his pick up lines and sense of humor which of course Lance could appreciate. Lance could feel affection and fondness from Red whenever they sat together. At first he thought perhaps it would Keith's influence but with their recent fight and the whole incident with Lotor he was surprised when he felt Red's agitation with the other. Their frustration leaving an almost bitter taste in his mouth. But who could blame them?

It was by a miracle they got out of that confrontation with Lotor unscathed. That Allura had managed to unlock Blue's sonar ray and get them out of there. Never mind that Keith didn't exactly show his leadership though, there was also now the personal issue of how he felt about Allura being able to bond with Blue so quickly. He wasn't bitter towards her at all for it but there was no denying the spark of jealousy he felt at the fact that she had done something that had taken him many months to unlock. Like how come Blue seemed to be so much receptive to her in those moments than they ever did for him? And then they missed him? How could that even be when they were the one to reject him first?

"You cant even get the equivalent of a giant cat to want you, aren't you pathetic."

And then there was that. Irant's taunting voice echoing in his head. Bringing him down further and further with each mocking word. Combine that with the nightmares (which leads to a lack of sleep), the depression and anxiety that enjoyed sneaking up on him, oh and don't forget his shredded self esteem which all came together to form the ball of misery he currently was. And as much as he tried to forget it, to get over it as he should he found he couldn't no matter what he did. His mind wouldn't let him rest until he felt every tie to his sanity snap. He was breaking from the inside and he didn't know what to do or who to tell. Keith and him weren't talking except when it was necessary for the team. Pidge was busy trying to find her family while Hunk was always trying to either help Coran or Pidge. Allura on the other hand was in the midst of trying to get the hang of this new paladin gig. There was also the fact that they were all still struggling with the lose of Shiro. There was no way he could go to any of them and saddle them with more problems. At least not at the moment but he did know he would eventually have to tell someone. It wasn't healthy otherwise. To be honest he had not felt this alone since those 4 long hell filled months.

But before he could travel down that road anymore a sudden aggressive but warm love embraced him. Adoration and care coursing through him as Red held back their anger at the way Lance was made to feel. Even though he wasn't their true paladin and they had only been together a few a days, it seemed they were quite fond of him.

Smiling Lance opened his eye from where he was concentrating on bonding with Red and let himself take in the site of their soft glowing controls. A comfort in the now long dark hangar. Ever since the incident with Lotor he had taken it upon himself to spend quality time bonding with Red. Just sitting in the cockpit and learning everything he could about the other while in turn letting them do the same. He needed to catch up now more than ever considering they had all new formations that he was still trying to learn while he was with Blue. If he was going to live up to Allura's and Kolivan's comparisons than this was one of the key steps even if it cost him some sleep and his beauty routine.

Lucky for him though the others had no idea he did this. How could they when he waited till every last one of them was asleep (even the night owl Pidge) before he ventured down to Red and commenced their bonding time. And while the castle may be dark and creepy at night he kind of liked it this way. He didn't have to answers anyone's else's questions and Red was more than generous in letting him sit in them in his pajamas as well as bring food when he was hungry. It had gotten to the point where he had fallen asleep in the other and had awoken to find that they had put up their particle barrier as well as used a function he didn't even know existed to keep the cock pit a cozy warm temperature. Hell the pilot chair had even been moved to recline by them while he slept in it. Red may be temperamental with Keith but to Lance they were just one big softy.

With all of this of course Lance had come back that night. Sitting in the pilot seat in his pajamas while he let Red's soothing heat surround him. If it wasn't for his desire to not take the chance in offending Red he would compare the way they let their heat surround him to that of a lovers embrace. Perhaps it was only him missing Keith but there were times that it felt like someone was holding him. Warm arms around his back as he sobbed his heart out over the controls at times. Red may not know all his thoughts but Lance could say for sure they knew what he felt. Knew when he needed to feel something other than the cold air sticking to his skin.

Tonight was no different. It had been a few hours since he sat down and the whole time Red had encased him with their warmth. Fighting off the worst of the cold and his emotions to the best of their abilities. Lance appreciated it with all his heart and always made sure to thank the other before heading out. Today he would do the same as well like always as he begun to stretch before standing. To bad though that tonight wouldn't be like every other night for him.

Making his way out of Red's open mouth he turned and gave the other a soft smile, "Thanks again Red, I'll see you tomorrow." His smile growing even bigger when Red sent back a happy agreement.

Padding down the hallways and back to his room he took his time in getting there. No need to rush back to his cold, empty bed. Passing Keith's room was torture enough as it was. Lance would have to say that so far that was the only thing that sucked about being the new Red paladin. Whenever he piloted Blue his route back took him to his rooms first. But now even though his and Keith's rooms were next to each other Red's path took him past Keith's room now. Funny what the small distance between the two lions hangars could do.

As he walked his mind turned to Keith and the recent development between the two of them. Even with all his anger it appeared Keith still did let his words have effect on him. It seemed Kolivan was right when he said that his opinion did weigh heavy with Keith. Nice to know that underneath all that rage and frustration Keith still cared somewhat of what Lance thought of him. Lord knows Lance still cared in turn for Keith's views on him.

Even more surprising than Keith listening to him though was that the other had admitted his fault in it all. Now it wasn't like Lance thought the other to prideful to do so but he did know that Keith had a hard time connecting with them all. It was an obvious fact in the beginning and he thought that the other had grown out of it. It appeared not though and it would explain how he reacted to his new leadership as well as why it took him so long to listen to even him. No one wanted to admit they were wrong especially to people they were still unsure of at times.

Eyes widening Lance slowed his in walk until he was just standing their in the middle of the hallway. Keith had trust issues. If it wasn't for the time of night Lance would have laughed in hysteria. God when he stopped and thought about it, it all made sense. Even after all this time Keith still had his walls up. They both had so many issues it was a wonder they had made it work until now without speaking about any of it. How in the hell had they not realized this about each other?

Lance wanted to cry at the sheer frustration of it all. But with his new fond epiphany he forced the tears back and begun to march his way down to Keith's room. No more messing around, no more barely civil conversations between the two of them. Kolivan was right, he needed to be the bigger person in this even if that meant calling bullshit on Keith. They couldn't avoid this any longer. At this rate his sanity depended on it.

However upon reaching the others room he stopped at the sound of a loud thump from within. Cocking his head to the side he listened as he more thumps and what sounded like grunts came from within. Raising a eyebrow in curiosity he pressed his ear to the door as he listened for more sounds. At first there was nothing but a few grunts but as he continued to listen he heard the start of something. Blocking everything out he listened until he realized they were words that he was hearing.

"Please…no."

Now concerned for the other Lance stepped back and pressed his hand to the scanner. Counting his lucky stars when the door unlocked and swished open for him. So it seemed Keith hadn't gotten around to no longer having the door open to Lance's hand as well.

Entering the room quietly Lance eyes roamed the barely lit room from the open door before letting them settle on the thrashing Keith. Taking a moment to let his brain process the scene Lance realized that the other was simply having a nightmare. It wasn't uncommon for Keith but it had been awhile since his last. A fact that had Lance approaching his bed with concern.

Reaching Keith's side he watched helplessly as he panted and thrashed in his sheets. A mumble of unintelligible words leaving his mouth as he twisted and turned. In situations like this Lance would hold the other until he calmed down but seeing where they were right now in their fight he did not know if that would be wise. Last thing he wanted to do was have to deal with a pissed off Keith in the aftermath. However it seemed the decision was out of his hands when the next set of words left Keith's mouth.

"No…don't, don't take him away. Shiro!"

Heart clenching at the site of Keith calling out for the man who he looked up to Lance didn't hesitate to reach out and let his hand settle on Keith's shoulder. Being as gentle as he could he tried to shake the other awake as he whispered words of comfort.

"Keith wake up. Its ok, its not real. We'll get Shiro back I promised."

However nothing seemed to work as Keith's nightmare intensified and Lance was starting to really worry. He couldn't just sit there and let Keith suffer through something like this. But no matter what he did the other wasn't even stirring. To lost in his fear eaten mind as Lance could only watch helplessly. Thinking perhaps the other simply could not hear him he leaned closer. Mouth opening to once again try and wake Keith. He never got the chance though.

Not it all happened so fast. With how dark the room was even with the dim hallway lights and with his focus on Keith's face and words Lance missed the others hands clenching in the sheets. He missed the sound of fabric tearing from nails starting to grow and extended as he tried to make sense of what Keith was saying. And as he leaned closer he missed the way Keith's eyes scrunched and his lips twisted into a ugly snarl as he lunged forward. Hand coming up so fast Lance only had time to rear back in surprise as sharps nails zeroed in on his face.

Blood hitting the floor and dripping unto the sheets. Wide confused eyes darting everywhere as Keith's pants filled the room. His fingers a bloody mess from where his hand sat in his lap. Feet pounding further down the hallway as doors swished open. And Lance on the floor, clutching a bloody hand to the left side of his face as he screamed and screamed and screamed.

So before anyone comes and yells at me I promise you this was not pointless angst. I didn't do it for just some tears and stuff. Not this plays a important part in future chapters which you guys will see I promise. Also as you guys can see I really wanted to write Red as someone who likes Lance and wants to support him. I feel like they would bounce off each other and this is a good experience for Lance.