Soul and Heart || Keith Kogane x Reader

The Rise of Voltron: Part 4

The Red Lion was magnificent, to say the least. Though Y/n's bias shone through, what with being the White Paladin, the girl had to admit the beast was a sight to behold.

She let out a low whistle, patting at the red force field protecting the Lion, a fuzzy, warm sensation tickling at her fingertips. "Time to get outta here."

The Red Paladin grinned, placing a hand on the shield, stunned it hadn't gone down as Blue did for Lance. "Open up."

"I mean, she's supposed to be temperamental, right?" Y/n pointed out. "Gotta earn the lady's respect. I'll watch your six." An amused giggle sang through the half-Altean's head, flinching at the sudden occurrence at a thought that was definitely not hers.

She glanced back at Red, whatever connection being formed vanishing just as quickly as it began.

Keith grumbled under his breath, violet eyes glaring intensely at Red as she refused to yield. "It's me. Keith," he huffed. "Your buddy."

"Way to earn her respect, Mullet!" Y/n hollered over her shoulder, manifesting her pistols and spinning them like a cowboy from those cheesy southern films.

"I'm trying!"

"Try harder!"

"It's me, Keeeeeiiiiith!" he drawled in frustration, knocking at Red's force field. "I. Am. Your. Paladin!"

The h/c haired girl doubled over laughing, quirking a brow at the Red Paladin's expertise in earning people's respect. "Mullet, seriously, you gotta—"

Gunfire abruptly interrupted the White Paladin, startling her out of her wits as a pistol clattered to the floor with a yelp. Keith dashed over, a shield projecting from his left wrist guard and a bayard-turned-sword in his right as he covered Y/n with a disappointed parent stare. "What happened to watching my six?"

The half-Altean began firing back, a scowl on her lips as she flipped to time-to-beat-shit-up mode. "I was distracted with how appallingly well you did bonding with Red."

"You've got guts to be saying that after White," Keith retorted, sprinting into the fray with Y/n on his tail, a blaster in each hand. "Come on!" he gritted, sparing a glance at Red as she remained unmoving. "We're bonding!"

A laser shot narrowly skidded the half-Altean's cheek, emitting an angered hiss from her lips as she smacked the sentry's head with the butt of her gun, blasting it in the face not a second after. The two fought effortlessly at each other's backs; where Keith would swoop in without a care, she would cover his openings, and where sentries would close in a little too nearby to Y/n, he would ensure not a hair on her head harmed. Their teamwork was instinct, melding into their old ways effortlessly, as if not seeing one another in a year had never mattered.

But it wasn't enough.

A new wave of sentries entered the hangar, and Keith and Y/n were not invincible. The Red Paladin let out a cry as he took a shot to the shoulder, the White Paladin enraged as she snatched his hand in hers, sprinting to the console before Red.

"Bond now, die later, visor up!" she shouted over the destruction of gunfire, slamming a fist onto the main panel as the hangar doors creaked open beneath their feet.

In an instant, the two were pulled into the vacuum of space, fighting for their lives as they clung desperately to the console. Despite it all, Red remained closed off, eyes lifeless as the Paladins fought relentlessly against the pull. "C'mon, Red!" Keith cried out as a piece of debris whacked against his helmet.

"For Quiznak's sake, White isn't responding to me either!" Y/n barked, straining as her fingers began to slip. She clawed for her connection to the White Lion, screaming in her head in a futile plea for help, begging her to do something– anything.