Love is Weak

Chapter 26 - The Sky

Lillian
I was happy that Keith and I had worked well together to plan such a successful mission. I had a feeling that Kolivan would pair us together again, but I didn't want to spend too much time with Keith. I was worried about our relationship status. We had agreed to date, but we were done with public displays of affection. Neither of us wanted to be too "out-there." Our relationship was only going to be special if we kept it to ourselves.
The fact that we had both felt the same thing earlier that morning concerned me. I was worried we had some sort of telepathic link the universe was using to tell us we were meant to be together.
A bit creepy, honestly.
It seemed unlikely, and I resorted to the idea that we both felt the same thing specifically for our relationship and no other reason.

I found Kiana sitting in the Med Wing with Josh later that day, holding his hand. I had always hoped they'd get together, but neither Josh or Kiana had initiated a relationship. It disappointed me a little bit, but I didn't want to push them. I didn't want to be pushed either.
I sat down next to Kiana and rested my head on her shoulder.
"How are you guys?" I asked.
They both grinned at me.
"You look exhausted, General," Josh smirked.
I noticed he was rubbing his thumb across Kiana's hand.
"Exhausted and drained, yes," I said. "What's going on with you two?"
Kiana shrugged. "Nothing much. Just telling him about our mission."
"Oh, it was super easy." I waved my hand a little bit to show how easy it was.
"Ki told me that. No injuries, good piloting, great planning. I'm proud. Besides, I wasn't left out completely. You came to me how you normally would," he said.
I nodded.
There was a slight moment of pause.
"So what's going on with you and Keith?" Kiana finally asked.
"What? There's drama with you and Keith?" Josh gasped dramatically.
I rolled my eyes. "No drama, actually. We're just not being public."
"You know, they slept together a few times." Kiana leaned toward Josh a little bit as she spoke.
He arched an eyebrow. "How did that work?"
"How it normally would," I said. "In a bed in our barracks."
"In front of the whole unit?" He asked.
Kiana nodded, and I felt my face burn.
"Wow. I can see why you would want to go private," Josh said.
"Okay, you guys. You're hiding something. Spill the beans," I said.
Kiana blushed, and Josh looked at me confidently, holding up their clasped hands.
"We are finally together," he said.
"Wait, actually?" I asked, not daring to show my true feelings yet.
Kiana nodded.
"I have shipped it forever," I smiled, my serious demeanor coming down for a moment.
"You're joking," Kiana gaped at me.
I shook my head. "Nope, I've been waiting for a long time."
Josh grinned. "Well, now the four of us have something incredible in common. I've had a crush on Ki for the longest time."
Kiana smiled at me. "I'm glad we have your blessing."
We sat in happy silence for a while. I didn't want to ruin the moment.
Finally, something happy rather than mildly successful.

I made my way to the Mess Hall shortly after my visit to the Med Wing.
"It's been a long ass day," Keith muttered when I sat down next to him with my tray of food.
I agreed. "No doubt about it."
"Do we have another mission to plan?" He asked.
I shook my head. "I'm not sure. I haven't seen Kolivan yet. I probably need to check in with him, though."
Keith nodded. "Yeah. Shiro's wanting to start working with the Blades. He thinks we could accomplish more together."
"He's definitely right," I said. "We'll go track Kolivan down after lunch."
Keith nodded again, and we sat in silence.

I took a bite of my lunch and looked up to watch Keith. His shoulders were slumped, and he wasn't looking up.
Depression.
It was then that I realised he hadn't left for a mission with Voltron. I decided I should ask him about it.
Besides, he clearly needs to get something off his chest.
"Keith, why did you leave Voltron?"
He didn't look up as he whispered, "I'm not needed. All the Lions have pilots."
"I suspect there's more to it than that," I said softly.
"You guys were doing some fantastic stuff. I didn't want to miss it."
I set my fork down. "Why did you actually leave?"
Keith looked at me, furious, and raised his voice just a little bit. "Because I needed to." He brought his volume down a bit, having realised his tone was loud and biting. Then he shrugged, defeated. "When Shiro left, I was forced to be the leader of Voltron, and I took over the Black Lion. We shifted pilots a bit, and we were still able to defend the universe. When Shiro came back, he reestablished his bond with the Black Lion, and since Lance had Red, I wasn't needed."
I was silent for a moment, thinking.
"There's more," I said.
"What do you mean?" He asked, angrily.
"In an ideal situation, you would have been needed in Voltron, obviously. However, you had another option. The Blades. So you took it because at that moment, Voltron had enough pilots. That wasn't wrong," I explained gently. "Your opinion is valued very much in Voltron, I can tell. And there will come a day when they won't be able to go on without you, Keith."
He looked hard at the table, hating his emotions.
I was still trying to figure out where that small speech had come from. It was like I could feel the universe telling me his fate, and I didn't know why.
I shook my head, returning to my normal self, and stood.
"Let's go."
I turned to the counters to drop my tray off and headed for the door, not waiting to see if Keith was behind me.