You had no idea what time it was as you started to stir from your sleep. How long had you slept? All you knew that you didn't want to get up. You just felt so warm, and too comfortable. You didn't want to let go of that feeling.

But you still opened your eyes slowly, focusing them on the wall in front of you, feeling like you had slept really well. You didn't remember when was the last time you had slept so soundly, and you felt renewed after such a good rest.

Just then you felt a warm hand on your waist and heard Keith's breathing behind you, really close. For a moment you just listened to his deep breaths, relaxed. You knew he was still asleep.

Then you carefully turned to face Keith, trying not to wake him up. But as you turned around, your heart suddenly skipped a beat. He was lying there, his eyes still closed, his hair all messy. And it just made you smile. You were so glad that he was there. Everything that happened last night had brought you closer, closing the gap between you two.

But you still wanted to feel more of his warmth, so you snuggled up closer as you wrapped your arm around his back. His warm, bare skin made you feel all tingly as the events from last night came rushing back to your mind. And you smiled again. You felt so free and so loved. But most of all you felt like you were in a place you belonged.

With those thoughts circling in your mind, you planted a small and gentle kiss on Keith's bare chest. But that's when he finally woke up, letting out a slight grunting noise while stirring from sleep. "Morning." You said to him quietly and gently as you slightly backed away.

"Morning..." Keith answered with a husky voice, still probably half asleep while turning to look at you. His eyes were calm and content as he looked at you silently, like he was in awe of you. And then he let out a deep breath while turning on his back and pulling you with him, making you lean against his side. "I slept so well..." He then added quietly. And you smiled again. "Me too."

For a moment Keith just stroked your hair with his hand, not saying anything, almost like he was trying to make you feel secure. Until he stopped hesitantly. "So, umm..." He then started saying before cutting himself off, like he didn't know what to really say.

"What?" You asked while turning to look at him. And you saw his gaze was now wandering around the ceiling, like he was feeling really uncomfortable. "So, umm...are you all right?" He then asked a bit timidly while turning to finally look at you.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" You answered, slightly puzzled. And immediately his gaze started to wander around the ceiling again, like he didn't want to look at you straight in the eyes. "I mean...what we..." He then started saying before cutting himself off again.

Then Keith suddenly sat up on the bed and leaned against his legs, covering his face with his hands. "Why are we talking about this!?" He suddenly raised his voice, sounding really embarrassed.

For a moment you looked at Keith's bare back, slightly baffled by his sudden yelling. Until you smiled. "You started it." You then said, letting out a chuckle as you sat up too, wrapping your arms around his waist and hugging him from behind.

Then you leaned your head against him, listening to his heartbeat for a moment. "Really, don't worry. I'm fine. I'm better than fine." You still reassured, wanting him to feel comfortable. And that's when you felt his body relaxing as he slightly leaned against you, putting his hands on top of yours.

"I was able to forget about everything else for a moment." Keith then said with almost a whisper. "You know I love you..." He still added, his voice low, sending shivers down your skin as he stroked your arms with a gentle touch. "I know. I love you too." You replied in a quiet voice, not wanting to disturb the intensity of the moment.

"Also, my cheek is a bit sore. You have any idea why?" He then added. And you could hear from his voice that he was smiling, immediately making you let out a giggle.

That's when Keith moved, turning towards you, like he wanted to say something. But as he turned, his eyes suddenly wandered lower, to your bare chest. And for a split second, his eyes went wide. Until he quickly lifted his gaze back up to your eyes.

But by that time, he had already lost what he was about to say. He just looked at you, slightly in a daze.

That's when you just burst out laughing. "Silly. There's nothing you haven't seen before." You just laughed at his reaction. "Well, this is different..." He tried to say something to hide his embarrassment. And that again made you remember how adorable it was that sometimes Keith got flustered around you so easily, and how you loved teasing him.

"It's not different. I'm the same." You just giggled as you poked his chest with your finger. And that made him finally laugh with you. "That's not what I meant." He said as he wrapped his arms around you to make you stop poking him. "Whatever you say, leader." You still said teasingly as you let out a giggle.

Just then Keith pushed you back against the bed, immediately kissing you, not giving you any time to prepare for it. You were slightly baffled, but as his bare skin pressed against yours, you closed your eyes, just enjoying his kisses as you felt exhilarated again.

You felt his messy hair tickle your forehead as his kisses slowly grew deeper. As a response you wrapped your arms around his back, pulling him as close as you could. Until you suddenly heard the speakers in the castle turn on and Coran's voice ringing out in the room. "Paladins. Please gather in the control room. We have a situation in our hands."

Keith immediately stopped kissing and let out a frustrated sigh while letting his head fall down against your shoulder. "Don't they ever sleep. Or relax." You said jokingly, even though a bit annoyed too. After that you just heard Keith mumbling something against your skin and his frustrated sighs as he pulled himself up reluctantly.

Then you got dressed, got out of Keith's room and made your way to the control room. Everyone else were there already or just arriving, but nobody seemed to pay any attention to you two coming in together. Everyone had their attention on a warning sign flashing on the large screen.

For the first time Keith went to sit on Shiro's chair, to the front. "Oh, look who decided to show up." Lance just then said, realising that you had arrived. But Keith just glanced back at Lance, not responding to his comment. "What a coincidence. Keith and (Y/N) arriving at the same time." Pidge then added with her all-knowing voice. And when you turned to glare at Pidge, you saw that she had a huge grin on her face. So much for nobody noticing you arriving together.

"What's happening here?" You quickly asked, trying to change the subject as casually as you could while walking to your chair. "You guys look like you've seen a ghost." Hunk then pointed out, looking at Allura and Coran. And that's when you noticed it too. They were like frozen, just silently staring at the screen.

"That's just the thing...It's an old Altean distress code. One used by King Alfor's ships." Coran finally spoke, seemingly baffled. And that's when you silently gasped. What? Altean distress code? But, if Allura and Coran were supposed to be the last Alteans alive, who would use the signal?

"I have been wondering. Are we not the last Alteans alive?" Allura then finally spoke, waking up from her daze while letting out a wishful sigh, clasping her hands together. But you weren't feeling as hopeful as her. Something about it seemed odd. Why now? Why after all this time?

"Wait. What if someone's cloning the signal to try and lure us in?" Keith said, suggesting of another possibility. Seemed like he wasn't that hopeful either. "Allura, if there's something I've learned while being here, is to trust my instincts. And I agree with Keith." You said, trying to sound as sincere as you could. And that's when you saw Keith glancing at you, giving you a small smile and thanking for your encouragement.

But Allura clearly wasn't listening. "The signal is from an Altean ship, and we're going to find it." She just bluntly replied to your concerns while starting to get ready for a wormhole jump. It seemed that there was no options for you then. You had to go. So you leaned back on your chair, feeling skeptical about the whole thing.

Soon you emerged from the wormhole and arrived to a place filled with debris and asteroids floating all around. But when you saw what was in front of you, you let out an audible gasp.

You saw a huge whirlwind vortex that flickered with light, like it was on fire. It was almost like a huge active wormhole, and a ship was stuck in the center of it. Well, half of a ship at least. Where was the other half of that ship and why was it stuck there?

"So, what am I actually looking at right now?" You asked hesitantly. "That looks like a Tel-Galax exploration shuttle. One of my father's deep space vessels." Allura said while looking at the ship. And then Coran started to tap on the control panel and all kinds of figures appeared on the large screen, and on yours too. "According to the ship's identification code, it's Commodore Trayling's ship. But I don't see any records of its destination or mission." He said while scratching his head.

"What happened to it?" Lance asked. "Is it stuck in a wormhole?" Hunk also asked curiously. "Is that even a wormhole? It kind of looks like it, but at the same time it doesn't." You also wondered. "That's unlike any wormhole I've ever seen." Coran answered, seemingly lost in thought.

"There's a massive amount of energy emanating from it, centered right where the ship is stuck." Pidge then explained what the figures in the screen meant. "We have to see if anyone is aboard. They may need our help." Allura immediately said, not even considering the possible danger.

"We could send a probe over to it, see if we can get some kind of idea what this thing is?" Pidge suggested another way. And that seemed to please even Allura. "Do it." Keith also replied firmly, confirming the first step on finding out what that vortex was.

As Pidge sent a probe towards the vortex, a silence fell over the control room. Everyone seemed tense, but all you could think about was that strange feeling you had in your gut. Was it the Altean distress signal that made you so worried? Or that weird ship that was stuck in the vortex? Whatever it was, it was getting worse as you watched the probe close in on the vortex.

"The energy shows no signs of radioactive decay and it's not thermal." Pidge explained what was happening as some new figures appeared on your screens from the probe. "It's not gravitational, our probe is steady on course, and the light is radiating out, not in, like it would in a black hole." Hunk also added to the explanation.

"That energy signature, I know it..." Coran then started to mumble silently. Until he suddenly raised his voice, surprising everyone. "It's radiating quintessence!" He just yelled. And that's when you frowned. The same quintessence that the Galra was extracting and gathering before, when Zarkon was in control? What did it have to do with that vortex and that ship?

But just then you could feel the atmosphere tensing up as the probe was getting close to the center of the vortex. Everyone seemed to almost hold their breaths as the pulsing and glowing vortex started to pull the probe within it. And then the probe just disappeared. It was gone, just like that. Like it had evaporated into the space.

"What happened to it? Where did it go?" You instinctively raised your voice, your eyes wide and your head full of questions. "Ooh! That's weird." Hunk mumbled. "Okay, well, let's not go anywhere near there." Lance then said, his voice getting high-pitched out of nervousness.

But Allura remained calm. "We must." She said, replying to your worries like she didn't even care what had happened to the probe just now. "Hold on. Didn't you just see what happened?" Hunk immediately protested, noticing the same as you.

"Voltron's compositional strength far exceeds anything else in this universe. We received an Altean distress call, which must mean that someone is alive on the ship." Allura disregarded Hunk while speaking with such calmness and severity that nobody had a word to say in the matter. "As Paladins of Voltron, it is our duty to help." She still added firmly, almost blaming you for not wanting to go there.

Everyone knew that you couldn't oppose Allura when she was like that. You knew she couldn't be objective when it came to the Alteans. She was like a one woman army, and you were mere ants when she was that determined. You knew she wouldn't listen to you.

"Princess, I still think there's a chance that this whole thing is a trap." Keith still spoke, trying to persuade her and keep his cool, like a true leader. And you were actually quite surprised at how calm he seemed to be. Usually he would have raised his voice in objection, or say things in a harsh manner, but now he seemed really calm and collected. And you were so proud of him.

"Even if it's not a trap, it's far too dangerous to go in there." Coran also still tried to talk to Allura pleadingly, agreeing with you others. But Allura just turned to look away, like she didn't want to listen to what you all had to say. "I'll do it myself if I have to." She just bluntly stated.

"Allura, please reconsider. I really don't have a good feeling about this." You stood up while still trying to get her back to her senses, even though you kind of knew that it was meaningless. She really couldn't be objective when it came to the Alteans.

That's when Allura looked at you, her gaze piercing. "No. There might be someone alive. And you want them to possibly die, because of your instincts? We are the Paladins of Voltron. It is our duty to help." She spoke in such a strict manner, repeating her words like you didn't understand the situation.

"Allura, why don't you even consider that it might be a trap?" You still asked demandingly, looking back at her, not budging either. "It is one of my father's vessels. We are going, and that is final." She just replied, almost spitting the words at you. "Allura, you tend to be blind when..." You still started to say, but she cut you off coldly. "We are going. That is final."

And then Allura just made her way to the lift leading to the Blue Lion, leaving everyone silent. And after she was gone, Hunk let out an audible sigh, almost an exaggerated one, to let everyone know how frustrated he was. "Uh, I guess we're leaving then." He said while raising his hands in defeat, getting up from his chair and walking towards his lift. And then Lance and Pidge did the same, also clearly frustrated.

You too started to make your way to your lift, feeling defeated. Allura's attitude made you feel like you had no say in anything, but more than that, you were worried about what you would encounter there in the vortex.

But before you got to your lift, Keith suddenly took a hold of your hand, making you slightly flinch from the unexpected touch. "Are you all right?" He asked, seemingly worried, looking at your slouched demeanor. But you just nodded back at him. "It will be all right. Right?" You then asked, probably trying to assure yourself more than him.

But that's when Keith suddenly started to glance around, like he was searching for something. "What? Is something wrong?" You asked him quietly, slightly puzzled of what he was looking for. And just then he turned his gaze back on you, leaned forward and gave you a small kiss on your lips.

Your eyes widened for his surprising behavior. But when Keith pulled away, he still glanced around, and that's when you smiled. That silly thing was looking around to see if nobody was watching. And it made you smile so wide.

Until you heard Coran's voice further back. "Don't worry, I didn't see a thing!" He yelled with glee in his voice. And that's when Keith just quickly let go of your hand and walked straight to his lift without saying anything. But you were sure that you saw a hint of red on his face, and it made you almost burst out laughing. You were so happy. Even though you were on your way to some weird whirlwind vortex, you were just so happy.

After that you quickly changed into your armour and went into your Lion. And as you soared out of the castle, your Lion let out a questioning purr. "What do you mean?" You asked her slightly puzzled. And she purred again. "Everything is great. We're doing great. You know that already." You said while letting out a chuckle and pushing the handles, flying to the others.

When everyone had gathered, Keith ordered you to form Voltron. And so you soared upwards in total unison. Your Lions let out loud roars as they started to change their shapes. Then they started to transform, everything clicking into place as the magnetism pulled you together, eventually forming Voltron.

With Voltron, you started to slowly approach the vortex. And the closer you went, the more nervous you got. It was glowing and pulsing threateningly in front of you, like a huge fireball. You had faced many things during your time as a Paladin, but every time you encountered something as unknown as this, it made you feel unsure and nervous.

"Pidge, any chance you can explain what I'm seeing right now?" Keith asked as you stopped just in front of the vortex. "The Euclidian space around the ship is obviously some kind of anomaly. But the energy source doesn't originate from anything that registers with my understanding of how reality works." Pidge explained casually, and immediately you heard a short sigh from Keith. "I'll take that as a 'no'."

"I'll scan the ship for biorhythms." Hunk then informed you. And for a moment everyone waited silently, until his hesitant voice was heard on the intercom again. "That's strange. I'm not showing any signs of life on the ship."

"Maybe not on this half, but there is more to this ship than we are seeing. We need to go through there." Allura spoke determinedly again. "The glowy, explode-y area?" Lance asked like he wouldn't believe what she was saying. "Yes, Lance." Allura just replied coldly, without any emotion in her voice, like she really had no doubts in flying to the strange vortex. And that just made you let out a deep sigh. She really didn't want to listen to you others.

"Fine. Pidge, keep an eye on Voltron's vitals." Keith then ordered, sounding slightly frustrated as you started to again move closer to the vortex. "Everyone, be prepared to abort if things get hairy." He still added with a tense voice.

"Roger that. Ready to abort immediately." Hunk said right away, probably really ready to leave at that moment. But it was too late now. You were so close already that your throat felt dry and your heartbeat was rapid. You were really going in.

Just then your screens started to flicker and beep rapidly. "Guys, my sensors are going crazy. Technically, we should be torn apart the same way the probe was. But somehow Voltron is completely unaffected by the stress of the spatial distortion." Pidge tried explaining, even though you didn't really register anything she said as you were too focused on what was in front of you. The glowing fiery vortex was pretty soon engulfing you all in.