"Shiro…please." Keith choked out his words through rasping breaths as his hands desperately clawed at the robotic arm that was clasped tight around his neck. His pleas only caused him to tighten his grip and a crooked grin spread across his face as the paladin's grasping hands grew limp. At his feet lay the other three paladin's, bloodied and beaten. They had foolishly believed that they could defeat him; the champion and the leader of Voltron, the most powerful weapon in the universe.

"Stop it!" Shiro screamed but his words got lost somewhere, never making it out of his mouth. He pulled and struggled to gain control of his own limbs, but his body wouldn't move like he commanded. He had no control over his own body and found his mind stuck in a void that he couldn't climb his way out of. He was forced to watch the horrified expressions of his team as they were violently attacked by their own leader and friend. His screams fell unheard as he had to hear the dying pleas of his found family at his own hands.

"You could have been our greatest weapon!" Haggar's words echoed in his mind, and he wanted nothing more than to shut out her villainous cackle that ricocheted throughout his brain.

"No. No, no, no!" Shiro struggled to regain control. He watched as he used his Galra arm to tear the castle apart. He saw Allura's terrified expression as he swung at her. He had to fight this. He had to stop this. They could never take over his control. He wouldn't be their weapon. He wouldn't be their pawn. He had to get control. He had to fight this. "I will never stop fighting you!"

Shiro shot up straight in his bed, sweat dripping from his forehead. Every muscle in his body was tensed and his hands were balled into fists. He was breathing fast and heavy and it took a few moments for the bedroom to come into view. A dream. It was just a nightmare…

He let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes, willing himself to relax. It was just a dream, Shiro. The castle was fine. Everyone was fine. Relax.

He ran his hand through his hair and looked down at his prosthetic arm. He consciously flexed his fingers, finding relief when they moved as he commanded. He clenched and unclenched his fist a few times as he allowed his heart rate to slow down and his body to relax.

These nightmares seemed to be plaguing him more and more often. He tried to convince himself that they were just dreams…but he couldn't get rid of the fear that someday they wouldn't be just dreams anymore. Someday he could become the monster that they had intended him to be…

He tossed his blanket off and stood up, pulling on a shirt. If he tried to go back to sleep now, he'd just lie there and be overwhelmed with thoughts, so it was best to walk around and get some air.

The halls were quiet and his every step echoed. He made his way to the observation deck almost by habit. As a child, whenever he had felt tense, he would look up at the stars and find comfort. Now he was constantly surrounded by stars…but yet he still found himself here.

It was only about two years ago, he was a promising young pilot with a handful of successful missions under his belt. He would stare up at the stars from Earth and could tell you every constellation by name. Back then, space had been nothing but vast and fascinating nothingness; A world of mystery and exploration that he had dedicated himself to discovering. When they had told him he would pilot the mission to Kerboros, he could remember the thrill he felt. The idea of travelling to the edge of their solar system and finding life among the stars had been exhilarating.

It really was amazing how quickly everything changed.

Space had turned out to be even more intimidating than any human could have ever imagined. He had travelled to galaxies so far away that Earth wasn't even a distant star. He had travelled to incredible planets thriving with plant life and met aliens of all kinds. It was amazing. There was an endless amount of planets to travel to and species to discover.

But yet…thinking of it made him feel both in awe but also sad and angry. Every planet they'd landed on had been marred by the Galra. Entire planets had been wiped out, completely obliterating cultures and species. If the planet wasn't completely decimated, then the Galra were exploiting its resources and harming both the planet and its people. The Galra managed to reach from one end of the universe to the other, plaguing everyone in its path. Including him.

How long would it be before they reached Earth and did the same to it? If they hadn't found the Blue Lion and led the Galra away, it's likely that Earth would have been destroyed that very day. It was only a matter of time before they would go back to conquer it, if they hadn't already. If they ever returned to Earth…what would they return to?

"Hey." He turned to see Keith coming towards him. He stopped beside Shiro and followed his gaze out into the stars.

"Hey." Shiro let his shoulders loosen a bit. He hadn't realized that he had been tensing up as he thought about the Galra. "You should be resting. You were fighting for almost an entire day out there."

"I'm fine. I just woke up from the healing pod. Besides…I kind of have a lot on my mind." Keith stretched out his stiff arms for a second and rubbed his shoulders before crossing his arms. He glanced at Shiro with a raised eyebrow. "And what about you? You haven't slept in two days either."

"I was sleeping, I just…" He struggled to find the words. The leader of Voltron should be a composed, stoic figure. Not someone who sat up in the middle of a night unable to fall back asleep because of a silly nightmare. He tried hard to be the leader that Voltron needed. He tried to keep calm in tough situations and keep his fear and anxiety hidden in front of the others. But this was Keith. Keith was the only one who knew who he had been before all of this. The only one who had seen him at his worst, and whenever Shiro found himself in trouble, it was always Keith there to help him. And Keith…was Galra. But even after finding that out…every ounce of him still trusted him. That didn't change who he was. He couldn't even fathom that Keith could even come close to committing the crimes that his race had committed. If someone with Galra blood in their veins could fight against everything their entire race did, and had been doing for thousands of years…then maybe Shiro be all right too.

He glanced down at his robotic arm, and followed the creases on his palm. Someday, this arm might betray him. He didn't know what information lay among the Galra code or to what extent it could be used. What Hunk had said about the use of it to manipulate his mind and fabricate thoughts a memories…it wasn't impossible, and that's what scared him. The fear of that unknown wasn't something he could easily shake. But if that day came he had to maintain control in any way that he could. He could not allow himself to be used as a pawn.

Keith was watching him with a face etched with concern, but he remained silent. Shiro finally looked back at him, seeming to contemplate his words. "I keep having these nightmares that the Galra find a way to take control over by body. What Pidge and Hunk said about fabricating my memories and feeding ideas into my mind…I worry that someday they'll find a way to use me to fight against you and the others. In my dreams they use me to attack and kill everyone here and take Voltron."

"Shiro, you would never do something like that. You know that." Keith was quick to retaliate. "You're stronger than them. They can't control you."

"We can't know that, Keith." Shiro looked back at his hand, balling it into a fist. "This technology is a mystery to us. We don't know what it holds or what it can do. This thing is connected to my brain. It's not impossible for them to gain control that way. Keith, someday, if I lose control, and I ever try to hurt you or anyone here, I need you to stop me. I need you to promise that you can stop me, whatever it takes. If I were to ever hurt anyone here, I…I couldn't…I just need to know that you'll be there to stop it."

The words were difficult for him to say, and he felt vulnerable admitting these fears. But if he kept it hidden, and those fears came true, he felt better knowing that someone was aware and that Keith would be able to take action. Even when he couldn't trust his own mind, he knew he could trust Keith. He would make the right decision.

A range of expressions flashed across Keith's face before he could respond. Shiro saw fear, doubt, and denial, among others that he pushed away into resigned determination. "That's not going to happen, Shiro. They can't control you. You're here, with us, they can't get to you anymore."

"Please, Keith." Shiro's voice was so soft it was almost begging. His expression and turned intimidatingly serious, and his eyes bore into Keith's with pleading tenacity so intense that Keith involuntarily took a step back. "I need to know that if it ever happens that you'll be there to stop me. Please Keith, I just need you to promise me that."

"I…" Keith's words hitched in his throat. Shiro was asking him to kill him. He knew it would never happen and that Shiro could never lose control, but the idea of agreeing to kill Shiro…it wasn't something that was easy to say. He wanted to deny it, to say he could never kill him, to admit that he couldn't make this promise. Shiro was all he had…he couldn't promise that he had the strength to take that away. But the look in Shiro's eyes was so desperate. He needed so badly to know that he wouldn't hurt anyone here. He needed so badly to be reassured that his fears wouldn't come true that his eyes were practically begging him to make that promise. It almost felt like he himself drew the words from Keith's lips. "I promise…"