[ there are any number of answers to that question. best friend. paladin of voltron. right hand. obviously, whatever differences there are between their realities, some things have just held true. enough of them really, that keith can't bring himself to tell shiro about the end of their fight with xarkon. more repetition of commonly held facts would at least set some kind of grounding for this spiraling feeling at the pit of keith's stomach, but he doesn't get told he's a soldier or a friend.

you’re the one person I can’t stand to lose.

keith actually startles somewhat, enough so that he turns to look over his shoulder at shiro with a truly miserable expression on his face. has shiro always felt this way? keith searches his memor. sure, shiro had told him way back when that he wanted keith to lead, that he believes in keith, but this goes a hell of a lot deeper than that.

nobody's ever said anything like this to him. not when he left team voltron after the clone's discovery. hell, even after that stunt he pulled on naxzella, most of what he heard was justifiable outrage over the stupidity of his kamikaze strategy to take down haggar's cruiser.

keith stares, something inside him fracturing further into tiny pieces as he offers up a faint smile and shakes his head. ]

That kinda sounds like ...

[ you need me. keith trails off, realization hitting like a sledgehammer to the back of his head. need. is that why shiro had turned sour and cold out of nowhere? needing someone had always been dirty to keith. needing like a child needs a lost parent. keith looks down, biting hard on the inside of his cheek. ]

You're not gonna lose me if you never give up on me, you know?

[ it's meant as a joke, but there's something choked up and vulnerable in keith's tone of voice. he turns then, head bowed and again feeling guilty and exhausted. ]

....doubly so because I'm never giving up on you. Just... I had a really bad day, Shiro. I can't deal with you questioning who you are to me any more than you can, okay?