Chapter Text
Red never wanted to be taken from Keith.
He shared many aspects that Red admired in Alfor. He was resourceful, quick on his feet, skilled in combat, yet shared Alfor’s impulsive nature.
And yet… Red had known their time together was limited. He knew the moment Keith’s side of the bond wavered, connecting to Black for a few moments instead. He didn’t know when it was set to happen, it could be years, decades even, but Red hadn’t anticipated the Black Paladin’s disappearance merely a few months later.
He didn’t expect any of them to lose yet another Paladin so soon.
While he had stayed adamant on keeping his Paladin, unsure of the other’s ability to handle him, he had been convinced to let Keith go. To let Black take his new Black Paladin.
But that left a new issue.
He was still unsure of if any of their current Paladins were even capable of flying him. If they could match Keith’s ability and become the next Red Paladin. But they didn’t have much of a choice.
The lions had taken some time to themselves the day the Paladins finally decided to find a new Black Paladin, all itching to fill in their next gap in command.
All had suggested the princess, for her to take up the lion her father had left behind. Or at least that was the reasoning they had all settled on, Red had no doubt Yellow, Green, and Blue were doing their best to avoid shutting out their own Paladins.
But ultimately, when it came down to it… Allura wasn’t fit to be Voltron’s second in command. There was no doubt that she had potential, she had been in charge of the Paladins throughout their entire trek so far… but she wasn’t a good fit to act as Keith’s second in command.
While Keith had the makings of a fine leader he was incredibly hot headed and stubborn (much like Red himself). While he had been the perfect fit to be Shiro’s second in command, he needed somebody who knew how to reign him in. Who knew how to reason against his temper.
Someone who could stand by his side and help Keith become the man Red knew he was destined to be.
His mind was made up the second the Blue Paladin made sure Keith accepted his place alongside the Black Lion
Despite all the hostility, the bickering, and the snide comments, the two had grown as a pair.
The Blue Paladin was exactly who Keith needs as his second in command, and he was who Red needed as a Paladin.
Blue grieved the loss of another Paladin, but wasn’t as stubborn about him as Red had been with Keith.
Red sends a wave of sympathy her way, but Blue’s quick to put up a brave front. She trusts Red to take care of her pilot. Trusts Red to keep him safe.
She does request for him to be patient, to give him time to adjust.
It doesn’t take long before it’s time for Red to claim his new Paladin, a battle raging out in space and Red can’t stop the wave of anger at the thought of Keith getting hurt. He calls to his new Paladin, desperate to get out there. Desperate to help Keith.
Blue swiftly swoops in to claim the princess mere seconds after the Blue Paladin leaves in Red, swallowing her own guilt in an effort to keep the lions together.
And his new Paladin is… OK.
He nearly blows the two of them up while taunting Keith, but Red is doing his best to keep a level head.
As expected, it’s a little hard to do so.
While his new pilot was a perfect match for Keith, at first glance he didn’t seem to be the perfect match for Red. He wasn’t necessarily who Red typically sought out, the Blue (Red) Paladin wasn’t as reliant on his instincts, instead approaching problems with a more level head. Red of course had already known this, he had known his new pilot specialized in fighting from afar rather than up close like Keith and Alfor, that he took his time and calculated his shots. That, much like Alfor, he was more extroverted than Keith and grew distracted easily.
Red had known this going in, he had prepared himself for it.
While he could handle their first small outing together as partners, Red couldn’t help but hold back a growl and question his decision as he bore witness to the Blue (Red) Paladin’s flying on their second outing.
He made Red shoot forward, bump into Yellow, and lag behind (he was going slow with Red of all lions!) out of fear of overshooting on multiple occasions while on their trek to confront prince Lotor. While he wasn’t fairing nearly as badly as the princess was, keeping his emotions restrained was a challenge Red was swiftly failing.
A wave of annoyance would wash over his pilot every now and again, only to have a quick apology sent back to him.
He can feel Blue’s icy aura lashing at his from where the princess flew her, her attachment to the Blue (Red! He’s the Red Paladin now) Paladin blinding her to the complications set before Red. Set before the team.
Of course, his pilot and the princess weren’t the only Paladins having issues.
It doesn’t take long for Keith to lose his temper, for him to lead the team into a fight they were nowhere near ready for. Red can’t help but send his first wave of approval his pilot’s way as he attempts to calm Keith down, to make him see reason but Keith doesn’t listen. Instead he leads the Paladins into a gas planet, their communicators becoming disrupted upon entry. His pilot steps up when Keith can’t, helping to spit out orders in an attempt to keep the team in line but it’s no use. Red feels a flash of frustration from his dwindling bond to Keith as the prince ambushes them, splitting up the team and causing them to lose communication in the process.
He’s alone with his pilot, searching for someone, anyone, and Red can feel the Paladin’s anxiety spiking. He can feel his breathing quicken as his eyes dart around, desperately typing and calling out into Red’s dashboard in a desperate attempt to reach anybody else on the team. All he receives is static.
There’s a moment when his pilot sits still for a moment, doing his best to control his breathing. Just as Red begins to worry, just as he begins to reach out into their still fresh bond, he feels something.
He can feel Keith approaching before either can see Black’s glowing eyes, and Red lets out a small roar to catch his Paladin’s attention.
It only takes a matter of seconds for his pilot to snap his gaze back up, his breathing easing as Black comes into view. Red can feel relief flood their bond, yet his tone is sharp as he interrogates Keith. As he tries to help him figure out how to move forward.
It only takes a short exchange but Red can feel Keith’s rekindled determination.
He could feel his fire beginning to burn once more.
He could feel his appreciation for the new Red Paladin, and any concern Red had for his new pilot is washed away.
This is why the Red Paladin was chosen. This is why he’s sitting where he is now.
He can’t help but let a purr enter their bond and he doesn’t miss the way his Paladin stiffens at the sound. He looks around the cockpit, eyes wide.
His pilot hesitates before letting his thumb absentmindedly giving a comforting rub to Red’s controls.
It doesn’t take long before Allura and Blue find them, swiftly followed by a reunion with the rest of the team. A reunion that seemed to include some insults thrown at his Paladin but Red is more surprised by the hint of anger welling up within him at the sound of the team bringing his pilot down.
Red decides to bring this up with his Paladin later, sending a growl his way and making sure to make a point of directing it at his teammates. Although all he does is shrug and assure Red that he was over it as they enter Red’s hangar bay.
His Paladin is most certainly not over it because Red can still feel his hurt through their bond, but that’s something they’ll need to work on at a later point in time. For now his Paladin needed rest, and he seemed to be more than happy to oblige.
But, as his Paladin steps out of Red for the second time that day, he pauses and looks up to his lion.
It takes a moment but a small smile spreads onto his face as he places a hand on one of Red’s front legs, giving it a pat.
“We were great out there,” he says. “Thanks for choosing me.”
His Paladin lets his hand drift from Red’s leg as he takes a few steps back. His gaze rests on Red for a moment longer before turning away and disappearing into the castle.
While no, Red wouldn’t necessarily say they were great today (he wouldn’t even say they did good), he can’t help but feel amusement well up in him at the statement.
This Red Paladin was different.
He was more calculating and careful with his words than what he had grown used to with Keith, yet he was oh so familiar to Alfor in that regard. And yet… his charisma was unique to him and him alone, and Red couldn’t help but admire that.
Yes, there was an incredible amount of work that needed to be done, especially in the technical department, but they had time.
He had faith that his Paladin could work through their lion swap.
That Lance could adapt.
And that they could adjust.