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Lance and Keith are two very different individuals—almost opposites. Where Lance is more talkative and goofy, Keith is quiet and serious. Their differences often cause them to argue and fight. More than that, however, they argue because of their miscommunication and stubborn natures. Lance desperately holds onto his supposed rivalry with Keith in an attempt to create normalcy, and to hold onto part of what he left behind on earth. Their rivalry is a welcome distraction for Lance, and Keith is hot headed enough to go along for the ride.
Lance loves the competition; it drives him to try his best. He missed that at the Garrison. He was eternally glad to get admitted into the fighter pilot program, but he didn’t have the competitive motivation he needed. Lance subconsciously resents Keith for leaving. Keith’s departure meant Lance got into the program, but it also meant Lance no longer had a goal. Before that year, Lance always strove to be at the top. To do that, all he had to do was run full throttle after Keith. Without Keith, Lance had no competitor to keep him focused and serious, and he was failing miserably. He crashed the flight simulator and made constant jokes. He had just started the program, but with no motivation or goal to work towards, Lance was failing fast.
Then, everything changed. Lance’s childhood hero and role model, Shiro, crash-landed back on Earth after a year of being presumed dead. Even more, as Lance and his team started planning how to save Shiro, Keith jumped back into his life. As soon as Keith showed up, Lance knew what to do—where to go. He ran towards Shiro and helped carry Shiro to Keith’s vehicle.
Lance teamed up with his Garrison team—Hunk and Pidge—along with Shiro and Keith. Hunk and Pidge designed a device to help their search for the source of the strange energy Keith had been tracking. They travelled to the area where Keith had noticed the highest energy spikes, and they followed the invention from there. They came to a cave with ancient drawings, which Keith had previously explained were in multiple places and all told similar stories involving a blue lion. As Lance touched the wall, the markings started glowing blue. The group stared at the walls, amazed by the glowing designs. Their admiration was cut short, however, when the floor fell through and sent the team falling down, into a puddle of water. Looking up, everyone gasped at the sight of a giant, blue robotic lion. Keith walked towards the lion, noting the energy field, and Lance followed closely behind.
Even though Lance was unaware of his feelings and what he really thought of Keith, instinct told him to follow. In Lance’s mind, he followed Keith to show himself and everyone else that he was better than Keith. Lance was unaware of all that really meant, though. He didn’t see how important Keith was to him. He didn’t dare dwell on the thought of Keith beyond the idea of “Keith is the most annoying person in the world” and “Keith is my rival.”
So Lance followed after Keith and right up to the lion. He knocked on the energy field and was happily surprised when it opened. Lance only gaped when the lion moved to open its mouth. Since he was given permission to enter, he smirked and walked in. The inside was amazing and he eagerly sat at the control panel. Though initially shocked when the seat moved forward to bring him closer to the controls, Lance quickly decided to try controlling the lion.
Fast-forward to after Sendak tried to take over the castle and Lance emerged from the healing pod. Lance sits with everyone, listening to the recap of their most recent battle. Lance remarks at how little Keith did during the fight, because how could he pass up an opportunity to tease Keith?
Keith is shocked at the jab, assuming they had gotten past all those stupid arguments now that they bonded and acknowledged each other. Whether or not Lance remembers what happened between him and Keith, he isn’t ready to give up friendly teasing. It is part of his personality and how he connects with people. He finds teasing and arguing to be the easiest way to communicate with people and keep up a conversation. He enjoys the banter and the attention it gets him; nothing catches someone’s full attention like a snide remark or a small personal attack.
Keith and Lance work better together after the team defeats Sendak. Lance realizes the seriousness of this mission and he knows holding up the appearance of their rivalry is counterintuitive. It takes too much effort and it disrupts their teamwork—something much too dangerous for their current situation.
Lance and Keith work well together when Lance isn’t being stubborn. Lance needs Keith to balance him out. When Lance is not serious, Keith calls him out. When Keith is being rash and trying to run headfirst into a fight they could avoid, Lance holds him back and calms him down. They both benefit from working together, and the universe benefits from their teamwork.
Keith has always been a ‘lone wolf’ so-to-speak; he has survived all alone for years. He never needed anyone else when he was thriving in school and the space program. He never needed anyone when the Garrison kicked him out for being too disruptive when the Kerberos Mission went wrong. He didn’t need people when he lived in the desert alone, and he got by fine on his own when he went searching for he-didn’t-know-what.
Keith benefits from trusting Lance and leaning on him when the battles get tough. Keith works well close-range, but is at a serious disadvantage in most fights since most Galra Soldiers have guns. In these times, Lance and his great shooting skills come in handy. Lance fires at them or uses his ability to gather attention to create a distraction; meanwhile, Keith can sneak around and attack before the enemy realizes what happened.
Both Lance and Keith are great alone, but they are better together. They complement each other and make everything better. Without Lance, Keith would run in without a plan or risk getting hurt while trying to get close enough to attack with his sword. Lance keeps Keith safer. Without Keith, Lance has no direction and no motivation. Keith is Lance’s guide, showing him where to go, what to do, and reminding him to take it seriously.
The two also benefit from each other’s presence during the downtime in-between battles. Keith doesn’t know how to relax and have fun, and he could learn so much from Lance. Lance loves telling jokes and having fun. He is happy to have another person to joke with. Lance is from a large family, so he grew up in a happy, relaxed environment. He always had people to play with; whether it was an older sibling who taught him jokes, or younger relatives to whom he can teach jokes. Lance feels more at home when telling jokes and goofing off, so he loves that he can teach Keith how to have fun.
Keith is red and Lance is blue. Alone, they are wonderful—but together they are complete.