So, this has been bothering me a bit. 

I had a whole load of other scenarios and reasons why the ‘rift’ would happen, what would cause it, and what the fallout will be. But this is the one that hurt the most, I think. 

Because… Keith doesn’t belong anywhere. He said it in S3: they ask him to lead, and then complain about how he leads. When he gets a purpose, something worthwhile and important to him, it’d played down. “We’ll discuss it later,” Shiro said, more than once. 

His feelings never seem to matter. And you know what? He’s used to this. 

So he’ll shoehorn himself into a space he doesn’t fit in until something lets him escape. He’ll hurt himself just until something comes along that might hurt less. He was happy with Red. But they shoehorned him into Black, hell, they forced him to shoehorn himself in there. And then complained. Even Shiro overrode and undermined him. 

He’s good at being a Blade. He realizes that he fights and moves and acts in a way that suits their function. Autonomy with purpose. And the Blade are used to death. They’re used to not maintaining deep bonds, because they can die at any moment. 

And that suits Keith fine. Who’s gonna miss him, right?

Whenever Shiro or Allura say, “Voltron / We need you,” who do they mean? The Red Paladin, or Keith?

Answer: it’s not Keith. 

Hell, in the above clip, Allura says even the Blade don’t really need him. Thanks, Allura. Race of diplomats, yeah?

And the team are going to miss him, are they? They didn’t even say hi to him when he was on the screen. No one asked about him. No one said, after he leaves, “Hey, I wonder how Keith is doing?”

But that’s okay. Keith is used to being forgotten about. He’s fine, right? That’s why he’s been pulling away. This was his plan all along. Maybe.

And he comes sailing in at the last minute, ready to die for the cause, knowing that, hey, everyone will be fine. No one is going to miss him, right? No one ever has, and so why would it matter?

He doesn’t tell the team what he’s doing. Matt knew. I think Coran knew. 

So if Lotor hadn’t shown up, and the whooping and celebrating dies down, and “Good work, Keith!” comes through the comms, what are they going to hear?

Matt saying, “He’s gone.”

He’d be gone, he’d have never said goodbye, because, hey, it’s fine, right? They’ll be fine. 

Then what, huh, Team Voltron? 

Then what?

Learn to miss him more, Team. Because that boy is losing himself, and if you don’t tell him – someone, anyone – that you love him and you don’t want him to die or go or that you can’t imagine a world without him…

You’re not gonna get him back.