Guardian of Air (oc x Shiro)

Red Paladins

Everyone had taken to the lounge to discuss our position of what we would do.

"Allura, when we came here, you told me I would fly the Green Lion, and I thought there was no way. But then I found it, and I flew it. And then Hunk flew the Yellow Lion, and he's not even a pilot. In fact, you told everyone who would pilot which Lion." Pidge spoke.
"Yeah, how did you do that? Did we ever find out how you did that? Can you do that now?" Hunk asked looking over to Allura with wide eyes.
"Sadly, no. When you arrived at the Caslte, I immediately recognised the special qualities in each of you. But I don't know how to search the entire universe for a new Paladin." Allura explained as I looked to my hands trying to think.
"Keith, you piloted the Black Lion when you had to save Shiro. Perhaps you're the one." Coran spoke as I looked up to the younger male standing away from us.
"Keith would be the worst leader of Voltron!"
"Yeah, we all have our thing. Keith's the loner. I'm the brain. Iris's is the engineer. Hunk's the nice one. Allura's the decision maker. Coran's the wise old guy, and Lance is the goofball." Pidge spoke and I looked over to the young girl getting to my feet.

Lance and Keith started to argue and I took it as a great cue to leave seeing as if they came to a conclusion they would come and tell me.
Parting with no words I headed out, down to see Aqua.

I stepped into the hangar and sat down by Aqua's paw looking up to the magnificent lion.
"Hey girl." I sighed out patting her paw.
"My Paladin, your upset."
"No, just.. worried." I sighed out as her paw bumped my back and my face hit the floor.

I picked myself up and looked to the paw that was hovering where I had been sitting.
Aqua's apology fell on silent ears as I climbed onto her paw and she moved her paw up and I climbed up to her head, laying down on her head drawing a circle with a finger.

"We need a new black Paladin." I spoke as Aqua purred through our bond.
"And I don't know what to do, and somehow that's terrifying. I mean nowhere near what I've been through. But the thought of placing one of them in charge, it just doesn't seem right." I sighed out as I continued my act of drawing a circle over and over again.
"Paladins will figure it out."
"I know, we usually do after a while. But I dunno, I just don't want it to be them. Their so young, and Shiro's gone, I'm responsible for them now. And there just- I dunno."
"Keith is impulsive, and while that's perfectly fine, that attitude could get us in trouble. Pidge works better with tech than she does a pilot, and I'm not trying to be offensive, she just does. Hunk seems so nervous all the time and that could cause a missed call, or we could do something to early. Lance is great it's just that he's young and has so much life left. Their just so young and I don't want any of them to get hurt."
"Why not you? My Paladin?"
"And let them suffer through Haggars bond with you. Even if I did become the black Paladin, some one would have to pilot you, and I wouldn't force them to fight that bond with Haggar.
It's better if I stay as your Paladin. We've been through a lot that I don't think I could give you up." I smiled a bit giving Aqua a pat as she purred through our bond.
"My Paladin." Aqua hummed contently and I patted her again.

I felt almost calm with Aqua, almost. So why did I feel so bad for thinking of what I had done. Before, in the past. Because of Haggar.
"Aqua, I need to tell you something. Someone has to know.
I've done horrible, terrible things." I had to take a breath to stop myself from crying. Why am I so pathetic? I seriously can't bring up some things that have happened months and years ago, without wanting to cry? What's wrong with me!?

"Cub take deep breath." Aqua purred and I obliged only feeling my heartbeat quicken.
"I don't understand. Why? Why am I like this? I'm a terrible person, I shouldn't even be a Paladin." I spoke shuddering as Aqua purred through our bond, the purrs getting more insistent as my rambling continued.
"Cub want to talk?"

"I killed. I killed innocent people. Because of that witch. She said I had to, for my own, for Janice's safety. And.... and I believed her." I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, but I couldn't cry. Not now.
"I hurt to many people, I shouldn't be a Paladin. I've killed to many poor innocent people, people who shouldn't of met their end like that."

"Cub take deep breaths, and calm."  Aqua purred and I nodded listening to the lion.
"Cub didn't know what was happening, Cub made best decision cub could at moment. And Cub continues will continue to do so." Aqua spoked giving me a mental nudge to get off of her.

Complying I slid down and looked up as the hangar door opened and Lance smiled at me.
"Great I found you. Wanna go put your armour on and let's go see who's going to pilot the black lion." I forced myself not to frown at the excitement in his voice, but allowed the younger Paladin to pull me out.

Making a quick detour to the armoury I pulled on my armour and followed Lance to Blacks hangar.
"So who goes first?" Hunk asked after a minute of standing silently.
"Should we draw straws?"
"I have it! I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 50! Allura, you go first, Pidge is second, and then the others." Coran spoke and I shrugged.
"Wait, don't we get to guess the number?" Lance asked as Coran looked towards the Cuban male.
"But I already know the number."
"Allura just go."

Everyone took turns, Allura, then Pidge, then Hunk, then Lance. I had some hopes for him but twenty minutes went by and I had to break it to him.
"It's useless. The Black lion hates all of us." Lance grumbled sitting on his helmet after emerging and I silently wondered how he wasn't breaking the helmet.
"How about you try Iris?" Keith asked and I picked up on the slight desperate tone in his voice.
"Alright."

I stepped inside and held my helmet tightly, refusing to put it on as I entered the cockpit resting my hands on the pilot chair for a minute.
"I know what you want Shiro." I whispered almost silently as I sat down on the pilots chair resting my hands on my legs, and setting my helmet beside me.
"Things aren't going to happen how you want them to, and I'm sorry for that. But you can't keep holding me back. I love you and I know your doing this to protect me, but I have to protect them." I whispered resting my hands on the controls almost able to hear Shiro's voice asking me what I was doing.
"I have to protect them." It almost worked.

The control board had lite up for a second only to die away the next and I could hear Shiro's voice telling me it was for my own good, it was better for me to pilot aqua.

"Hate to tell ya Keith, but I think your it's new Paladin." I spoke as I slid over to the rest of them.
"Your wrong, you should be the black Paladin."
"Keith, as much as I agree, the black lion doesn't want me as its Paladin, and Shiro wouldn't want it either. You have to try, okay?"

Having no choice Keith walked into the black lion and surely, it powered up to life, roared and let the young male out.
Lance and Keith talked as we posed the question of who would take Red, and I left as Allura exclaimed that she would try.
We settled down in the lounge as Allura came back saying that she couldn't do it.

What happened after was a mess, Keith could barely pilot black, Lance had become Red's Paladin somehow, and Allura piloting Blue. The battle itself wasn't to hard, me and Aqua could pull through. It would of been great if Keith could actually give orders and make a battle plan, but I'll try really hard not to be hard on the kid.

Maybe things will be looking up for us.