Shiro wasn't proud of his recent actions towards Lance. If you would have told him about the current situation a week ago he would have been appalled at his own behavior. Despite the fact that he really should have felt more guilty, he didn't truly believe he deserved a lot of the blame. Keith hadn't exactly made things easy on him, though he could hardly be upset with him for that. Keith was a little ignorant when it came to this kind of stuff. His crush on Lance was a prime example. Lance obviously wasn't going to like him back, but he kept on pining away and hurting himself. Regardless of his skill or discipline, it was clear Keith needed Shiro's guidance the most. And of course, Shiro needed Keith. No one else could possibly understand him at his weakest and still respect him as a leader. They both fed of each other, and Shiro was a little frustrated it had taken Keith that long to put two and two together.

But, after Lance confessed that he likes to lead Keith on in his free time, it all made sense. How was Keith supposed to see what was right in front of him when he was blinded by deception? And how did Lance live with himself knowing he was preying on someone who couldn't possibly understand what was happening? Shiro had never expected such foul behavior from Lance, but whether he continued to act that way or not, Shiro now knew that Lance had the capacity. And he couldn't risk Keith falling victim to that again. Telling the boy would crush him, so Shiro would have to pull the strings to keep him out of trouble. He's just too foolish to know any better. That's why he needs me.

Shiro had been waiting in the dining room for Keith to have breakfast, hoping his now boyfriend would not continue to skip meals. Keith came at last, and Shiro greeted him with a warm hug. He loved how tense Keith would be at the sudden contact, slowly melting into the hug. Shiro didn't know why Keith was so nervous about touching him all the time. He guessed some people just had to be continuously coaxed out of their shells, even when in the company of familiar people. It sort of bugged him that Keith wouldn't even spend the night in his bed. Shiro prided himself on being trustworthy, and he hoped Keith knew that he'd never do anything they both didn't want. Shiro was a cuddly guy, and he just wanted some cozy one on one time. Why was Keith so opposed?

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. You?"

"As well as I could without you there."

"I'm sorry. I'm just not used to sharing a bed."

"Well you'll never know if you like it until you try." Shiro gave Keith his most swoon inducing smile.

Keith just shrugged and continued eating. Not exactly the reaction Shiro had been hoping for. Before he could come up with something else (perhaps pouting), Allura and Pidge entered the dining room. Pidge slumped down in a chair across from Keith, nonchalantly typing away at her computer. Allura greeted the two boys, and then her expression changed as if she'd just remembered something.

"Shiro, I've got some new tests I want to run on the lions. Pidge has been helping me with some new software. Could you and your lion be my guinea pigs? I'm not entirely sure we can even make modifications, but it's worth a shot."

Shiro wasn't exactly thrilled about having to leave Keith's side, but he knew he couldn't say no. "Sure, let's go. I'll see you later, Keith." Shiro leaned in for a quick kiss, hating Keith's hesitance but loving his blush. He followed Allura out of the dining room and prepared himself for a conversation that was less about modifications and more about his relationship.

Keith gave an inward sigh of relief after the pair had left. Shiro had been much more overbearing than he'd originally anticipated. It wasn't that Keith didn't like spending time with him; he was just very unprepared for everything that came with being in a relationship. He felt so inexperienced compared to Shiro, wondering if he was even ready for this. It wasn't anything serious, right? It was just casual. Keith would have been lying if he said he knew what the difference was. He was still shocked at the sudden change, and adjusting was taking longer than he wanted. Granted, his ideal adjustment would have been instantaneous, but that obviously wasn't possible.

Pidge seemed to pick up on at least some of what Keith was thinking, raising an eyebrow and closing her computer. "Romance too much for you?"

"Why do you say that?"

"You look very overwhelmed."

Keith was embarrassed at how obvious he seemed to be. "It's just sort of unexpected."

"I knew he secretly had a thing for you. I didn't know you felt the same way. You seem more like a fighter than a lover."

"Truthfully, I am."

"Well, love is a battle all it's own."

"That's very wise, Pidge. Are you speaking from experience?"

"Actually I'm pretty sure I stole that from a book."

Keith smiled for the first time that morning. Pidge smiled too, reopening her computer. Keith was about to stand up and take care of his plate when the doors opened again, this time producing Lance. Keith's smile only brightened as he greeted his friend. That's right. His friend. Nothing else. Not a secret crush. Who looks flawless even after just waking up. As usual. But just a friend.

"Good morning Lance."

"Morning Keith. Morning Pidge."

The latter merely grunted in reply, now completely focused on her computer screen. Lance fixed himself a plate and Keith picked at what was left of his food to try and ignore the fact that he was lingering purposely. He did his best to hide the grin that appeared when Lance chose the seat next to him. He would have to learn to suppress these feelings very soon. Soon, but not now. Quitting cold turkey isn't good for you after all.

"So Keith, I was thinking about taking Blue out for a spin later. You and red are welcome to join us."

Keith should have been ashamed at the wildness of the butterflies in his stomach. "I mean I guess. Not sure if you'll be able to keep up though."

Lance flashed that competitive grin Keith loved so much. "Excuse me? I don't think you have the qualifications for that much sass Mr. Drop Out."

"Whatever you say cargo boy. I'll see you out there." Keith took care of his plate and headed towards his room to fangirl alone. He'd need to mentally brace himself for extended time in Lance's company. And although Keith tried to hide it, he also was hoping to avoid Shiro in the process.

Lance watched Keith leave, still smiling at where he used to be. He still didn't know what to make of the whole situation, but he was glad Keith was still so open to hanging out with him. Shiro clearly hadn't started feeding him any vicious lies about Lance's "true nature" (even if there was just a teeny bit of truth there) and he was content to keep it that way. Lance was very glad that Shiro had not been present in the dining room. Not only would he have been forced to keep his distance, but he would once again be faced with his growing jealousy. There, I said it. I'm jealous. Slay me now.

Pidge suddenly became interested in other people again and decided to get Lance's perspective. "You shouldn't flirt with people who are spoken for."

"Let's not go there, Pudge."

"Fine. I was going to tell you something about Keith, but if you're going to be salty…"

"What makes you think I care?"

"I guess you don't."

"...well let's just pretend I did."

"Mhmm."

"Just spit it out already."

Pidge played with the idea in her head for awhile, wondering if it was right for her to get involved. She decided it wasn't her place to deny Lance the facts. "Keith can't handle being the bride of Space Dad."

"How so? They always look pretty lovey dovey to me." Lance cringed at the image of them kissing once again popping into his head.

"They are. That's the point. Keith isn't really a touchy feely guy."

"So you're saying Shiro is smothering him and I should break them up for Keith's own good?"

"Not even close. All I'm saying is that Keith is uncomfortable. There's only two possibilities for how this can end."

"Which are?"

"He gets used to it and they stay together, or he doesn't and they split up."

"And then he comes to me!"

"If he does leave Shiro, it means he still isn't equipped for romance. What makes you think it'd be any different with you?"

"Because I'm me." Lance laid back in his chair, imagining Keith running away from Shiro and into his arms.

Pidge shook her head and returned to her computer. Boys. Why do I even bother?


Despite his earlier concerns, Allura actually stayed focused on the modifications for a relatively long amount of time. Only after they had finished testing the limit of how much they could do (without Pidge anyway) did the discussion stray from technical advancements.

"How's Keith doing?"

"He's good. Still a little distant, but I'm breaking the walls down as much as I can."

"That's good to hear. There's no room for metaphorical walls within a team. I'm sure it's easy for you. You're very easy to talk to."

"Talkings easy. It's the physical stuff that seems to bug him."

"I can't imagine why." Allura almost clapped her hand over her mouth, thankful Shiro didn't react much to what she had said. Although she knew she had to be professional in order to effectively keep the paladins in working order, she couldn't deny that she had a fondness for Shiro. His looks often distracted her, and his warm personality did nothing to douse the flames. She was proud of herself for not feeling any type of jealousy about his current relationship. Instead, she was delighted for both Keith and Shiro for finding love amidst what was basically a war.

"It's all very new to him I guess. I've just got to keep showing him he can trust me."

"Right. Communication is key. Huh. Who knew all my advice for the paladins could also be applied to relationships?" Allura momentarily contemplated the idea of a relationship consisting of more than two people. Altea had never had such a thing, but perhaps on Earth it was a possibility? She quickly rejected the idea, thinking of how difficult it would be to form Voltron if something were to go wrong in the relationship. Humans seemed to struggle with maintaining balance and keeping the peace.

"Well, if we're all done here, I better go find him. The more time he spends alone, the less time I have to work on him."

Shiro left without waiting for her to say goodbye. The princess felt a slight twinge of worry that this relationship wasn't exactly as positive as she'd hoped. She brushed it off as her jealousy finally rearing it's ugly head and went about her work.