You let out a deep sigh as you stood in the control room. You had already helped Olkarion, escaped Zarkon multiple times and then acted as a substitute to teludav lenses, and you had done all that without any sleep. You were so very tired and you couldn't wait to get to bed.

Allura had still asked you to gather in the control room before you could go anywhere. And as you were standing there, waiting to hear what she had on her mind, you glanced at Keith. He was standing further away from everyone, his arms crossed tightly over his chest while staring at the ground. And you frowned as you looked at him. You had no idea what was bothering him, and you couldn't help but worry while seeing him so lost in thought.

"Zarkon is clearly tracking us through me." Allura then finally revealed what had been bothering her. And you immediately turned to look at her. You weren't quite sure of that theory. "That's not possible." Pidge said to her, trying to ease her mind. "Why would that be so hard to believe? Zarkon's forces showed up on Arus only after I awoke." Allura still tried to reason, but Lance just started to smirk. "Well I would absolutely travel across the galaxy to find you." He said while bowing down to her like a gentleman while flashing a wide smile. But she wasn't amused at all, just glaring back at him.

But just then Keith spoke. "It's not you, Princess. It's me." He suddenly said with a low voice. And you immediately turned to look at him. And as your eyes met, he turned his gaze back on the ground. Was that what had been bothering him?

"Why would he track you?" You asked him, wanting to know what was on his mind. "I just think Zarkon must've imprinted on me during our fight...or something." He tried to explain a bit unsure, keeping his gaze still firmly on the ground.

"Look, we don't know how Zarkon is tracking us. It could be through the Black Lion. Every time Zarkon gets close to it, Shiro has to fight him for control." Pidge then said, trying to reason with both Allura and Keith. But Coran quickly objected her theory. "That's only when Zarkon is nearby. No Paladin has ever been able to connect with a Lion over a vast distance." He explained.

And that's when you took a deep breath. There were many possibilities of how he had found you, but one thing was certain, you couldn't resolve it right now since you were way too tired for that. "So how are we going to figure out how he's tracking us?" You then asked, trying to keep your thoughts in order.

But then Shiro let out a deep sigh. "It doesn't matter how he's tracking us because we're gonna take the fight to the Galra soon. They've been chasing us from galaxy to galaxy. The last thing they expect is for us to come after them." He said firmly while looking at you.

And that's when Lance again smirked happily. "The hunter becomes the hunted, hmm? Awesome! That's the tagline from like six of my favorite movies." He said excited. But you just sighed. Your favourite tagline right now would be 'the sleepless becomes well rested'. And immediately you started to chuckle at your own stupid joke which you would never say aloud.

Straight after that Pidge started to explain something about analysing Galra attack sites and creating an algorithm of target-rich Galra environments, in the hopes of finding them. But you weren't really paying attention. You had pretty much just zoned out, too tired to listen to her ramblings.

Until the room was filled with a holographic map, showing multiple planets, stars, moons and whatnot. "So, it's a Galra finder?" Hunk then asked from Pidge while smiling. But she just looked back frowning, like he had just underrated her invention. "Well, 'finder' suggests that it locates the Galra, whereas it would be more accurate to say that my model predicts their likeliest..." She started explaining before seeing how you all looked at her. Your empty eyes pretty much said it all, you were too tired to listen. So Pidge just sighed. "Fine. It's a Galra finder."

"The nearest ones are right here. A planet called Taujeer." Pidge then said, pointing at a planet that was marked in red on the map, as if to highlight your next destination. "Then that's where we're headed." Shiro then firmly said. But you again frowned.

"I hope you're not suggesting right now..." You said disgruntled. But when Shiro turned to look at you, you saw that his eyes also were as empty as yours. "No, everyone should get some sleep. Tomorrow, we'll find that Galra fleet and take it out." He said. And almost like from command, everyone started heading out of the control room, relieved to go to bed.

You waited for Keith to head out of the control room too. But as you were walking next to him towards the rooms, he didn't even say a word to you. He was still just keeping his eyes on the ground, and it really started to bother you.

"Can't wait to get some sleep." You then quietly said to him. But when he still didn't react to that, you suddenly stopped. "Keith." You firmly said his name and finally got his attention. And when he stopped too and turned to look at you, you saw that his eyes were not focused at all. He was clearly distressed.

And when you had finally gotten his attention, you looked straight into his eyes. "Keith. I don't think Zarkon is tracking you. Why would he?" You said to him honestly. "I don't know. He might. I'm the only one that has made contact with him." He tried to explain while still avoiding your gaze. "No, Allura was his prisoner. So more likely it would be her. And whatever it is, we'll figure it out as a team, right?" You then firmly said to him while giving a small smile, trying to ease his mind.

But for a moment Keith just looked at you, like he was pondering your words. And then he gave you a small but tired smile. "Thanks..." He just said as he leaned in to give you a good night kiss. And as you leaned against him, you gently kissed him back. "Good night Keith." You then said as you backed away and started heading into your room. But before you went in, you still glanced back and saw as Keith lowered his gaze again, looking even more troubled than before.

But as you finally got into your room, you practically fell onto your bed, lights out immediately.

----------

You gasped as you opened your eyes. It was dark and the castle was shaking violently while going through a wormhole. You were sitting in your chair in the control room. And as you looked around, you saw that the others were sitting in theirs.

As the castle emerged from the wormhole, you saw Zarkon's huge fleet in front of you. Like it had been there waiting for you. It was intimidating, shadowing your small castle. How did it find you?

And suddenly the control room door opened up. "(Y/N)?" A familiar voice called out to you. And you gasped. It wasn't Zarkon who had found you. It was him. He had found you. How could he always find you? Was he tracking you?

You tried to run to the others, but couldn't move. Nobody paid any attention to you, like you were invisible. And then your body started to ache and you fell on your knees. You tried to yell but no voice came out. And as he looked at you, your body gave up.

You couldn't move. You were his, again. How could he always find you?

----------

You woke up sweating, gasping for air, feeling somewhat nauseous. Your heart was racing as you tried to calm yourself down. Why did you have one of those nightmares now?

You guessed that you had only been sleeping for an hour or two. You had been awake for so long that you should have gotten enough sleep to be able to function the next day as you were on your way to kick some Galra butt. And you felt so very tired. Why did you have to have a nightmare now?

You rubbed your forehead as you let out a deep sigh. You knew you couldn't get back to sleep anymore. You just couldn't relax. And as you looked around the room, you suddenly felt so very cold and so very lonely. The whole room seemed so desolate as the darkness surrounded you.

As you sat up on the bed, you couldn't help but think of Keith. And then you suddenly remembered that he had told you that you could wake him up if you ever had another nightmare again. And as you sat there silently, you thought about it. You really felt anxious and you didn't want to be alone. But would you dare to wake him up? He needed sleep too.

But then you sighed. You really wanted to wake him up. It had been so long since anyone had given you a hug after a bad dream. You missed the warmth and comfort. So, maybe you dared after all?

Then you finally made up your mind and got up from the bed, feeling the cold floor beneath your bare feet. And as you walked along the empty hallway of the castle, it seemed so dark and dreary. Every single sound seemed to echo in the silence. But when you were outside Keith's room, you suddenly stopped. You were really going to wake him up.

Then you quietly opened the door and went inside the room, closing the door behind you. But that's when you immediately started to smile as you saw Keith sleeping so soundly with his arms and legs spread all across the bed. And you knew that he was in a deep sleep since his breaths were slow and deep. And immediately you regretted coming there. You didn't want to wake him up as he looked so peaceful while sleeping.

So you changed your mind and decided to leave. But as you started to make your way out of the room, you suddenly heard a husky voice behind your back. "Huh? (Y/N)?" Keith's voice broke the silence in the room. He was awake.

You quickly turned around, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry I woke you up." You immediately started to explain in a quiet voice as you went next to his bed. But Keith just ruffled his hair, still half asleep, seemingly puzzled. And you couldn't help but feel somewhat giddy as you looked at him, his hair all messed up after sleeping.

"Is something wrong?" He then asked concerned when you just looked at him. And then you let out another sigh as you sat down on the edge of the bed. You went there to wake him up, but now you felt a bit ashamed of it. "Well...you told me I could come and wake you up if I ever have another nightmare...so I came to wake you up, but then you looked so peaceful while sleeping, that I didn't want to wake you. So I decided to leave and then you woke up..." You explained, realising that you were just babbling nervously again.

But to your surprise, you suddenly felt Keith's arm around you, taking a hold of you. Then he lifted his blanket and just pulled you under it. And you were thanking that it was quite dark, so he couldn't see you blushing of the way he just pulled you next to him, close enough that you were leaning on his chest.

And he felt so warm, and you felt so comfortable. You didn't know if it was because he was still half asleep, or that he had gotten used to your closeness, but he felt really relaxed next to you now. And as you took a deep breath, you wrapped you arm around his chest.

Then he started to stroke your hair with his hand, making you feel secure. "I'm sorry you have to have nightmares." His husky voice then broke the silence again. "Thanks Keith." You said back, almost whispering, not wanting to break the feel of the moment. And as he continued to stroke your hair, you started to feel drowsy. Like your eyelids were starting to get heavier by the second.

"(Y/N)..." Keith then said your name. "Yes...?" You asked, almost half asleep already. "I'm glad you're here." He said, sounding somewhat melancholic while saying that, like he had something on his mind. But you had already closed your eyes. He felt so good and so warm. And with that you drifted into sleep.

----------

As you carefully opened your eyes, you felt well rested, like you had gotten enough sleep. You had no idea what time it was, and as you tried focusing your eyes on the ceiling, to get fully awake, you suddenly remembered what had happened. You had a nightmare last night and you still had slept after that. What? Really?

Then you realised that the other side of the bed was empty and cold. Maybe Keith had already went to the training deck and left you to sleep? You must have slept really soundly, not waking up when he had left. But then you smiled. You remembered how comforting it had felt sleeping next to him. You would have wanted to see him waking up with his hair all messy.

But then your smile cooled down as you felt a strange feeling in your gut. And as you glanced at the side Keith had slept in, you let out a sigh. You knew something was bothering him. He had been so lost in his thoughts lately, and it made you uneasy. You couldn't help but worry.

But you still got up from the bed and left Keith's room. And as you opened the door, you first peeked outside. But when you didn't see anyone, you quickly rushed back into your room. Everyone knew of you already, but still, you didn't want to be seen sneaking out of Keith's room in the morning. You would never hear the end of it, especially if Lance would catch you.

After you had taken a quick shower and changed your normal clothes on, you went to the training deck. But Keith wasn't there. Then you went to the dining room, but nobody was there either. And after you had a quick breakfast, you headed to the control room. Maybe everyone were there already? But as you entered the room, you still saw no trace of Keith, even though most of the others were there already. And suddenly the feeling in your gut got worse. Had something happened?

You went to Shiro who was sitting on his chair, looking at the holographic screen. And as he saw you coming, he smiled. "Morning, I hope you slept well." He said kindly. And you smiled back. "Morning. Yes...but have you seen Keith today?" You then asked. And when Shiro saw your concerned expression, he frowned. "Is something wrong?" He asked while lowering his voice so that the others wouldn't hear.

"Well, he has been kind of alienating himself lately. He clearly has something on his mind, but I don't know what. And he wasn't there when I woke up and now I can't find him anywhere..." You explained to Shiro while averting your gaze, like you didn't want him to realise how troubled you actually were.

"Yes, I have noticed him withdrawing from everyone else recently." Shiro then said while nodding. And that's when you let out a sigh as your worry grew. But Shiro just looked at you straight in the eyes. "Don't worry, he's probably just worried about Zarkon and everything that has been happening lately." He tried reassuring you.

But just then Coran suddenly turned around from his control panel. "Where's Keith and Allura? We will soon be near Taujeer. Usually it's (Y/N), or Lance who are late." Coran looked around while wondering. And that's when Lance suddenly got up from his chair. "Ooooh, I'll go wake her up like a sleeping beauty." He said while wriggling his eyebrows.

But before Lance could go anywhere, Coran stopped him. "No!" He just said strictly while turning back to the control panel. But that's when he immediately gasped, like he had just realised something. "What is it Coran?" Shiro asked while standing up from his chair.

"It appears one of the pods has been launched in the middle of the night" Coran then said a bit hesitant. And you immediately frowned. You weren't quite sure what that meant, but you had a bad feeling about it. And just then Lance opened his mouth again. "Wait...Keith and Allura aren't here? The pod was launched in the middle of the night?" He started to reason while frowning.

That's when everyone got dead silent. And suddenly your head was filled up with numerous thoughts and it felt like you stopped breathing for a moment. Had Keith just left? Without saying a word? Was that why he had been distancing himself?

And then you heard Lance being a jerk. "You don't think they're sitting in a tree?" He asked, clearly displeased. But that's when Shiro cut him off. "Lance!" He firmly said, wanting him to shut up. And as you noticed how Shiro glanced at you after that, you started to feel even more uncomfortable.

"Well, contact the pod." Shiro then firmly said to Coran. "Yes! Contact the pod!" Lance yelled straight after him. But you couldn't say anything, so you sat down on Shiro's chair and crossed your arms, feeling yourself really uncomfortable. Had he really left? Did you trust him for nothing? And even though you didn't know what the situation was yet, you already felt hurt nonetheless.

"Princess, Keith, are you there?" Coran then contacted the pod. And soon you heard Allura's voice. "Yes, we are here, exactly where we should be, far away from the castle." She said determinedly. And that's when your heart just sank to your stomach. So they really had left.

"What, why?" Shiro asked, clearly confused. "We must know if we are the ones Zarkon is tracking" Allura then answered. And you could understand their reason, but not why Keith didn't say anything to you. Did he not trust you? Maybe you didn't matter after all? And pretty soon all your thoughts just ended piling up inside, feeding your hurt. And every time you got hurt, you just shut down completely.

"They're isolating the variables. Well, isolating two variables." Pidge then stated calmly. And straight away you wished that you could also be as rational as she was, but you had your feelings involved. "In English, please!?" Lance just snapped, clearly irritated. "In order to test a hypothesis..." Pidge started to then explain, until Lance interrupted her again. "I said English!" He just yelled as the tension in the room got thicker.

"Pidge is right. If Zarkon finds you despite our absence, we will know with total certainty that we are not the ones he is tracking." Allura then explained. But Shiro just covered his eyes with his hand while taking in a deep breath. He was clearly starting to get annoyed by this new twist. "Splitting up makes us more vulnerable. Come back immediately." He then demanded.

But Allura didn't comply. "I'm sorry Shiro, I cannot do that. We have to see where this leads." She tried to reason with some sadness in her voice. And while listening to her, your thoughts again started to wander. Did they plot this together? Did he know he was leaving when you went to him?

And then you heard Keith's voice. "If Zarkon finds us, I can pilot us to safety. We're in wide-open space with plenty of room to maneuver. Plus, we'd be able to outrun him. Pidge added that booster rocket." He explained with a serious voice. And even though you were glad that he was safe, hearing his voice made you feel that much more worse. And that's when you let out a sigh.

"Keith..." Shiro then started to say while quickly glancing at you. But he didn't continue. And after a small pause, you heard Keith's timid voice. "(Y/N)?" He said your name. But you didn't reply. You just glanced at Shiro and slightly shook your head. And immediately Shiro's expression changed to a sad one. "Keith, you better take care of the Princess." He then just said. And again, after a pause, Keith spoke. "Of course..." He said, disappointment clear in his voice.