You were on your way to the kitchen to get some breakfast. You were fully awake. And even cheerful, which was not common in the mornings.

You had slept so well, and felt so relaxed as you woke up. No nightmares. Maybe it really was just a one-off? Just a good night's sleep and suddenly everything felt so wonderful. It felt like you were alive again as the feelings from yesterday still lingered. And you couldn't help but smile as you entered the kitchen, finding Hunk sitting there, eating breakfast.

"Oh, morning Hunk." You said smiling. "You're in a good mood." He said with his mouth full. "I slept so well." You said, letting out a satisfied sigh. And then you realised what Hunk was eating. It wasn't the same old goo.

You stopped and went closer to Hunk, who seemed to get a bit uneasy as you just stared at his bowl of food, almost drooling. "What are you eating? It looks so good." You said, getting way too close. "Okay, please, step away from my food." Hunk said, pushing you back, getting him some room to breathe.

"I made it." Hunk then said, taking the bowl to his hands, trying to protect it. And you rolled your eyes. "Of course I knew that, but can you make one for me too?" You looked at him with your puppy eyes and the worlds most adorable smile. With that smile you knew you could get away with almost anything.

Hunk immediately stood up, letting out a sigh. "Of course. How can I say no to that." He said smiling as he started to prepare his mysterious breakfast. "Thank you Hunk. You're the best." You said smiling as you sat down. And he really was. He was such a wizard. You didn't know where he had found those alien ingredients, and if he even knew exactly what those were, but you didn't care. Anything was better than the damn goo.

"I just couldn't eat that goo this morning." Hunk then hesitantly said while cooking. And that's when you remembered that him and Pidge had been attacked by it. And it had probably really traumatized him.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" You asked him. And he nodded. "But just barely. I had to take a walk. I even thought about going to the training deck to wear myself out! And I never do that, so I was desperate." He confessed, slouching his shoulders. And then Hunk went silent. The kind of silence that was almost pressuring.

"Is something wrong?" You asked Hunk, who was chopping something in dead silence. And then he sighed, turning to look at you. "No." He said smiling. But you could see that it was a fake smile. You knew something was troubling him.

And as Hunk saw you staring at him, he sighed again. "I just can't get rid of the images I saw in the training grounds. I saw Zarkon destroying Earth and Balmera. Pretty much the two planets I care the most." He then confessed to you. "Oh Hunk..." You let out a sad sigh. Those images will haunt your minds for a long time. "But it's fine, cause now I'm more determined to...you know, to save the universe." He then smiled again. And this time it was real, and full of confidence.

Then Hunk put a bowl in front of you. "There you go." He said, sitting next to you, continuing on eating his own breakfast. And as soon as you got the bowl, you started to eat the food. And it was delicious. You could almost taste some familiar herbs in it, even though you knew the ingredients were not from Earth. "Hunk, this is so good!" You sighed in admiration.

"Someone will get a really good husband out of you." You then said giggling. Until you saw Hunk's expression changing again. And you wanted to slap yourself. He had just told you what he had seen in the training grounds and you had to open your mouth. "I'm sorry, I didn't think..." You started until he cut you off. "No, that's okay. I know we will go back there some day." He said to you smiling.

Then suddenly you heard Allura's voice on the speakers. "Paladins. Could you come to the control room immediately." She said. And Hunk let out a groan. "Oh man, my breakfast." He said frustrated as he stood up and took the bowl with him, deciding to eat it on the go. You on the other hand gulped down the remains of your breakfast swiftly and left the kitchen.

As you entered the control room, you saw that almost everyone was already there, except Lance, who was still absent. "Morning." You said, looking around. And then you saw Keith sitting on his Paladin chair. And your eyes met as he looked back at you.

You had to quickly lower your gaze or you would have started grinning like an idiot. You had decided not to tell the others yet and you didn't want to act like something was obviously going on. But then you noticed that Pidge was looking at you and smirking. And you looked back, frowning, not knowing what she was thinking. Why did she stare at you?

Just then Lance entered the room wearing his morning gown and slippers. And he always looked so refreshed in the mornings. It was so bizarre. "No surprise that number 3 is the last one to arrive." Coran stated bluntly. And usually the last one arriving was either you or Lance.

But Lance just glanced at Coran, smiling his fresh morning smile. "Do you think that this amount of handsomeness is achieved in just 10 minutes? No, no. This takes time." He raised his eyebrow. And you chuckled at his comment. "Lance, you are impossible." Allura said, rolling her eyes. "Impossibly handsome, you say?" Lance just smirked back at her.

Then Hunk interrupted everyone. "So, yeah, I was in the middle of my breakfast. Why are we here?" He asked while still eating. And Coran glared at him annoyed. "A little respect. If the Princess calls you here, there is a good reason." He said, crossing his arms. "Like the time you decided to wake us up with an alarm, even though nothing was wrong?" You then asked Coran. "Well, that was just a test." He said, turning his glare on you.

"That's fine Coran. Some of our gear got corrupted due to the recent crystal infection, and Coran had to take them apart." Allura started to explain. "Yes. To get the castle properly working now, we're going to need a couple of new parts." Coran explained while twirling his moustache. And again he had that suspicious look on his face. That sneaky fox had something planned for you.

"We're going shopping?" Lance asked curiously and partly excited. "No." Coran just bluntly stated, making Lance's excitement cool down immediately. "But there are two places I need you to go. We'll be needing parts from the planet Krorum that the Punctanian tribe create from the lava rocks. Then we'll need some Swisvum from planet Mistor." Coran explained while looking at you. And he had pretty much lost you at the first strange name. "So, we're going to go and get them? Sounds simple." You just stated, shrugging your shoulders.

"Well, what a clever mind you have there (Y/N)!" Coran smiled at you, but for some reason it felt sarcastic. So you frowned at him. "It's not exactly that simple. We're going to have to split you up." Coran then continued. But you were actually glad. It would be great to get out of the castle, especially with what happened yesterday.

Then Coran turned to Keith. "Keith, you will take the Red Lion to Krorum. The outer layer of the planet is covered in fiery ash, and your Lion can withstand it. The planet itself is fine, once you get through it." Coran explained. And then he turned to you. "(Y/N), you will go with Keith." He said. And as soon as he said that, you calmly nodded, even though you were screaming out of joy inside.

"You're going to have to deal with the Punctanian tribe. You will be able to persuade them to trade. And well, Keith is not exactly a people person." Coran still added. And you smiled at what he said. "Hey!?" You heard Keith raising his voice. "I get along with people just fine!" He said offended while crossing his arms.

"Yeah, with people who are nonexistent." Lance said smirking at Keith. And you couldn't help but laugh. And that's when Keith glanced at you. "Hey, what, no...I..." He got distracted and couldn't think of anything to say. So he just shut his mouth.

"Yes, amazing social skills." Lance then smirked at you. "Come on, don't tease him. We can't all be that smooth." You said to Lance. And then you smirked at Keith, who just frowned at your banter.

"Alright, please, let Coran continue." Shiro said while slightly smiling too. "Yes. Hunk and Lance will take the Yellow Lion to Mistor to gather the Swisvum." Coran then said. And they seemed to be happy about getting to go together. "What about us?" Pidge then asked, pointing at her and Shiro. "While the others are away, I need you to analyse the data we got from Sendak." Coran told her. And you could see how disappointed Pidge was. She probably wanted to get out of the castle too. Poor Pidge.

"Alright Paladins! On your way!" Coran then cheered. And with that, everyone started to make their way to where they were needed. You quickly changed into your Paladin armour and headed to the storage room to meet Coran.

"Oh, good number 5. Take this." Coran immediately handed you a pouch as you entered the storage room. "What's in here?" You asked as you took the pouch. It had some weight in it. "There's no need to worry your little head with it. Just give this to the Punctanian tribe and they will trade." Coran just casually said. "Okay then." You said, looking at the pouch a bit suspicious.

"The Punctanians are peaceful, but slow to warm up. You have to gain their trust before they will trade with you." Coran then explained. And you nodded. You just had to try to approach them carefully then. "Thank you Coran." You said as you started to take your leave. "Good luck! Don't let Keith intimidate them or you'll come back empty handed!" Coran then said his last advice. And you chuckled. Oh Keith. He was temperamental. But you kind of liked him because of that.

You made your way to the hangars. You had your helmet on the other hand and the pouch on the other. And you couldn't help but wonder what was in it. Maybe you'll take a small peek later?

Lance was already waiting for Hunk at the hangar. "Hey Lance. Excited?" You asked as you walked next to him. And he turned to look at you. "Of course. Road trip!" He lifted his arms in the air excited. "It actually feels good to get out of the castle." You said to him, slightly laughing. And that's when Lance got serious. "Oh man, true..." He said as he turned to look at the huge empty hangar.

You looked at Lance for a moment as he seemed to get lost in his thoughts. He clearly got something on his mind, but you didn't want to ask about it now since you were leaving on your missions. So you decided to change the subject. "So, Swisvum, what is that?" You asked.

And that's when Lance snapped out of his thoughts. "Yeah, we're supposed to get it from some weird cave from some weird planet. I think it's just...weird. We have to recognize it from green markings, whatever that means." Lance mumbled. "Why can't Coran be more specific!?" He then exclaimed, frowning.

Just then you saw the Red and the Yellow Lions heading towards you. And Lance cheered up immediately. He really was happy to get out on a mission with Hunk. And when the Lions landed in front of you, they both opened their mouths, welcoming you in. "Good luck." You then said to Lance. "You're going to need it more than me." Lance smirked back as you went separate ways.

You climbed in the Red Lion. And even though the Lions were no different on the inside, it still felt like a new experience. And when you came in to the Red Lion's head, you saw Keith leaning casually against his chair, his arms crossed, waiting for you. "Hey." You said to him smiling as you felt the butterflies again in your stomach.

As Keith saw you entering, he immediately walked to you without saying a word. And you looked at him curiously. Why wasn't he saying anything? Then he took off his helmet and wrapped his other hand around you, taking a tight hold of your back and pulling you close. And you couldn't say a word since you were so surprised of his actions. Then he lowered his head and kissed you intensely. And your knees went weak. It felt like he was craving for it.

And as he pulled away, he looked at you smirking. And you were just dumbfounded at first. "Well hello to you too." You said, finally smiling, getting your composure back. "I've waited for that all morning." He said, looking at you with that sharp stare that made your mind so muddy. It was now your turn to get all flustered. Now you were the one blushing. When did he become so bold? What happened to that Keith who was all flustered around you?

Then you heard Coran's silent voice from the intercom and Keith quickly let go of you, putting his helmet back on. "Yes. I'm here Coran." Keith answered while walking back to his chair. And before he sat down, he once more turned to look at you. And he smiled as he saw your expression. He clearly liked that he had gotten you baffled. "We're ready to go." He said to Coran while taking a hold of the handles. But you just shook your head as you felt like blushing.

When the Red Lion soared out of the castle, you finally got out of your trance. "Good luck. Be back in few Vargas, before the wormhole closes." You heard Coran say in the intercom as you put your helmet on. "Thank you Coran, we will." You immediately answered him as you went next to Keith's chair.

You leaned on the chair as you saw the wormhole opening up before you. Keith guided the Red Lion into it, and soon you were on the other side. Everything went calmly as the Lion soon approached a planet in the distance.

"Look at that." You sighed as you saw the planet ahead of you. It was huge and covered thoroughly in fiery ash, the outer field moving like the surface of the ocean. Like a huge dark cloud. "Wow, it's so beautiful." you sighed aloud. "Well you are easily impressed." Keith said, glancing at you and smirking.

You punched him gently on his shoulder, playfully pouting. Until you realised. "You know, that kind of backfires on you." You smirked back at him, while laughing in your mind. And then Keith realised what you meant, and he frowned.

Then you playfully patted on his head. "Don't worry, you're doing good." You teased him. And he just groaned as he turned to look at the sight in front of you. Oh man, you loved teasing him. It was too easy.

Soon you arrived to the outer field of the planet. Keith stopped the Lion as you looked at the wondrous sight in front of you. It truly was beautiful, even though you knew it was dangerous. The ash field resembled volcanic ash. It was thick and glowing in red, like fading ember. Like it was alive. And you understood why Keith had to be the one coming there. You needed the Red Lion.

"That seems quite harsh." You said, putting your hand on Keith's shoulder. "You should take a tight grip, it might get rough." He said, glancing at you from the corner of his eye. And you took a tight hold of the chair. "You ready?" He asked. And you smiled and nodded. He was so considerate.

Keith pushed the handles and flew straight into the thick fiery ash field. And immediately as you dived into it, the Red Lion started to shake badly. It was like severe turbulence. And soon the visibility was starting to get bad too. You couldn't see anything from the window. "Okay, I trust you Red." Keith said to his Lion. "Good to see that I'm not the only one talking to my Lion." You said smiling.

Luckily the outer field wasn't that vast, and soon you emerged to the other side. And you let out a sigh. "Are you alright?" Keith asked. "Yes, why?" You looked at him questioningly. "You are squeezing my shoulder quite hard." He said while guiding the Lion forwards. "Oh, sorry." You said as you immediately let go of your tight grip. You hadn't even realised that you were doing that.

Then you saw the planet underneath all that ash. And it was an interesting mix of different shades of reds and oranges. And it seemed like the planet was made of separate continents as it was constantly moving. And that's when an image appeared on the Lion's screen, showing a village. "I guess we're going there." Keith stated while turning the handles of the Lion, making it soar down towards the planet.

Keith landed the Lion to a short distance from the village, just to be sure that the inhabitants wouldn't get frightened. And as you were safely on the ground, you picked up the pouch with the trading goods in it. Then you turned to Keith, who stood up from his chair. "Are you ready?" You asked. "No." He just said back as he started walking closer to you.

You looked at him questioningly as he leaned closer. You thought that he'd kiss you again, but he just took the pouch from your hands before smirking at you. "Now I'm ready." He said as he started to make his way out of the Lion, with the pouch. And you were left there dumbfounded. What the hell was going on? Was he teasing you again?

"I can carry that. You know, I'm not helpless." You said to Keith as you ran after him and out of the Lion. "I know." He just said without looking at you, still not giving you the pouch back. "Fine. It's not like I wanted to carry it anyways." You then said, lifting your hands up in the air playfully. But at the same time you were secretly smiling for his gentlemanlike act.

As you were approaching the village, you remembered what Coran had told you about the inhabitants. That they were reserved and easily scared. "Keith. When we get there, let me do all the talking. You just stay...invisible." You said to him, trying to think of how to approach them.

"Why? Are you embarrassed of me?" He asked you back while smirking. And the butterflies started going wild again in your stomach. What the hell was going on? Was he also joking now? If he acted like that when nobody else was around, then maybe you should try getting away from the castle more often. "Yes. Tremendously." You chuckled. "But seriously, Coran said that the people are a bit reserved. Better to approach them carefully." You said, getting serious. You had to concentrate on the mission ahead.

And as you soon entered the village, you looked around. You were careful with your movements since you didn't want to scare anyone. But the village was empty. You didn't see a single soul. "Where is everyone?" You wondered out loud.

There was an air of tension lingering. And Keith took out his bayard. "Be careful." He said, observing your surroundings, ready for anything. "Don't be hasty. Coran said they are peaceful. Maybe they're just somewhere else..." You said while looking around. But there really seemed to be no one. Or could it be that Coran was wrong, and nobody lived there anymore?

"Anyone here? We are the Paladins of Voltron. We are here to trade with you!" You raised your voice, trying to see if someone would hear you. And suddenly you saw something approaching. "Keith, behind you." You said in a quiet voice.

Keith turned slowly, only to see a green, insectlike creature behind him. It somewhat resembled a praying mantis, and it looked at you curiously, turning its head from side to side. And you suddenly had a bad feeling.

Keith slowly put the trading pouch down on the ground and took a firm grip of his bayard, just in case. "Wait. Are these the villagers?" You said unsure as you started to approach the creature. If it was one of the villagers, it might get scared. You couldn't just go and attack it.