dent-de-leon:

YES,, THIS,, Listen there’s so much I could talk about with this, I could go on and on. So I’ll try to keep this brief, but–our very first intro to Keith is him saving Shiro. He’s not just rescuing someone either, he clearly cares so much for Takashi, looks down at him like he means the world and softens up completely, tenderly reaches out to turn his head a little closer. Right off the bat, our first impression isn’t cocky or cold or aloof. Its seeing Keith fiercely protect someone he loves and then just melt. You know within the boy’s first scene that he’s got a big heart:

And even though he’s not thrilled to have the other paladins along for the ride at first, he still drives them to safety and lets them crash at his place. Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t impulsively hate or antagonize Lance either. Quite the contrary, he didn’t have any problem with Lance until Lance made it a problem and continually instigated everything. Even still, rather than continue pushing his buttons, Keith ends up being the first to let the “rivalry” fizzle out. 

And he does so as early as season 2. Lance thinks Keith wants to steal his Lion, and Keith does his best to politely apologize and try to explain rather than fighting back. Lance doesn’t like that he has to share the pool with someone, but Keith tries to mediate the situation and work out a reasonable solution. Lance angrily yells that Keith’s a hothead, yet he says nothing in his own defense. Keith could have easily let himself continue to be baited by Lance, but it’s obvious he doesn’t like having a temper and does his best to keep those kinds of emotions in check. You can tell he really wants to bridge that gap, and makes a conscious effort to do so. He didn’t have to do that. 

We also have the way Keith is very understanding when Allura distances herself from him. Is he hurt by this? Yes, that much is clear. Like the rivalry with Lance, is any of this his fault? No. Unlike Lance however, Allura’s feelings aren’t completely unfounded–they stem from deeply rooted trauma, and he understands that. “Allura, it’s okay.” He never asks for an apology, nor does he ever expect one. He could have felt entirely betrayed by Allura’s behavior, but he doesn’t. Again, his compassion and concern for others wins out over his own emotional needs. 

Going back to first impressions for a minute, because this is incredibly important–when Keith only knew everyone for about a day, when they were all veritable strangers with the exception of Shiro–when he thought he was dying, his last words were literally, “It’s been an honor flying with you boys.” Keith is incredibly selfless and always puts others’ needs above his own. Instead of lamenting that he might die, he instead tries to comfort his fellow paladins. That was his first instinct and it’s very indicative of the kind of person he is. 

When left alone on a mission with Hunk, Keith could have easily been dismissive about his friend’s fears and stress. Instead, he tries to alleviate some of that anxiety by joking around with Hunk to cheer him up, as well as offering physical affirmations of reassurance (cue the signature shoulder touch). Ironically, even though Keith is often depicted as an excessively violent, aggressive harbinger of war, he’s actually very nurturing. And I’d argue that’s more in tune with his nature, and any hostility is more so a side effect of his fiercely protective instincts. See: Keith attacking Lubos for enslaving his own people, Keith immediately rushing to defend the Arusians when they’re “invaded,” Keith taking on Zarkon solo to defend Shiro, ect. 

He also takes his duty as a paladin very seriously–when everyone but Shiro wanted to leave, Keith was the most intent on staying. He was harsh on Pidge, but that was because he was looking at the bigger picture. “Everyone in the universe has families.” Everyone but him, but he’s still willing to lay his life on the line and see this through to the end so that everyone else can return safely to their families. That’s commitment. He truly cares about others, and it always gets me. 

And don’t even get me started on Keith’s galra arc, because he shows so much remorse for simply existing. He thinks he’s the reason Zarkon’s tracking them, so he packs his things and leaves. Despite how much he loves his newfound family, he cares about their safety too much to selfishly stay. And when Allura tries to convince him that all galra are innately evil? Keith’s trying so hard to rationalize this with his own feelings and his intentions. Because he doesn’t want to be a monster, because he desperately wants to believe he’s still him. Because he cares enough to ask, “But at the same time, couldn’t at least a few of them be fighting for good?” He wants so badly to be a good person, to do what’s “right.” It’s both incredibly endearing and upsetting.

And then there’s how, aside from Shiro, Keith is the only one actually upset by Ulaz’s sacrifice. Everyone else cheers when a man literally blows up saving all their lives, and Keith is the only other person who’s distraught. For everyone else, Ulaz’s sacrifice was a rather fortunate convenience. The fact that everyone else viewed the value of his life as lesser simply by virtue of being galra, that’s incredibly alienating in ways I can’t even begin to explain. Even more telling, rather than ruminating on his own demons, Keith’s first impulse is to comfort Shiro instead. Again, Keith’s compassion for others–and Shiro especially–eclipses his own pain. He sets aside his personal dilemma to stand by Shiro’s side and speak up on his behalf against Allura’s claims. 

Then you have all of season 3, where Keith is the only one unable to move on. Where he’s the one person still burdened by their grief, still frantically searching for Shiro day after day because he’d never just leave him. And he can’t understand how the others can just go on with their lives, erupts into grief laden outbursts that boil down to None of you care about him like I do. “We don’t have Shiro either. Everyone seems to have forgotten that.” “Shiro’s the Black Lion.” “No! I’m gonna find him.” We as the audience feel Shiro’s loss entirely through Keith, and that’s very purposeful. His heart is the one that’s breaking the most, his life was the one thrown into chaos. Shiro was the literal manifestation of his greatest hopes and dreams. 

If there’s one that that indicates Keith’s gentle heart, it’s his unparalleled bond with Shiro. And the fact that Keith can care so much for others at all after having been burnt at every turn–“Shiro is the one person who never gave up on me, I won’t give up on him.” Abandonment is a big part of his life, and it stemmed from the fact that even his own mother left him behind. The fact that he could still keep an open heart to others after so much loss and rejection, the simple fact that he will lay his life on the line for a bunch of strangers when he has no real reason to do so, the fact that he’d defend even a “home planet” where there’s no home there waiting for him–it’s incredibly humbling. 

Even so obviously depressed and scarred by grief, Keith willingly puts his own feelings aside and takes up the mantle of the Black Paladin. For the sake of the rest of his team, as well as in honor of Shiro’s last wish. “This one’s for you, Shiro.” Keith puts everything else on hold and takes on a role he neither wants nor feels he can properly fulfill. And when “Shiro” returns, Keith does everything in his power to return Black to her “original” paladin–in his mind, that’s setting things right. Even if it means leaving the team again. Keith obviously cares about the other paladins very much, but he’s willingly to make sacrifices for the greater good. That’s just the kind of person he is. 

All his life, the universe seems to just take and take when it comes to Keith. So the fact that he’d still be willing to sacrifice himself after all that, the sheer notion that he’d still care so much about others when all his life he’s been ostracized and abandoned–it’s heartbreaking. The universe really doesn’t deserve someone as kind and gentle hearted as him. 

dent-de-leon:

I think it was meant to show how younger Keith was a kid that was really struggling–he has no one in his corner. It’s more than just “acting out” too. Because, he dealt the blow to Shiro very deliberately–he wanted Shiro to notice his skill, to take him under his wing, to sign him on for the garrison. He pilots that sim with deaft control and total command. When Shiro shows Keith an old spaceship, Keith knows the whole history behind it. He’s interested in this stuff, wants to build a life around it. 

When Shiro first arrives, he catches Shiro’s eye–because he’s so blatantly withdrawn and closed off, and you can see that Shiro wants to kind of reach out to him. Keith very deliberately has his walls up here, is trying so hard not to get his hopes up. 

And you just have to look at how Keith’s entire mood lifts when Shiro asks him if he wants to give the sim a try. No one’s ever been like Shiro before, no one’s ever really given him a chance. 

And you know what?? Shiro’s so impressed!! Keith can do every one of these drills in his sleep, and Shiro knows a pilot when he sees one. When the teacher gives Shiro the list, Shiro makes a point of asking about Keith and doesn’t even mention anyone else, “Is this guy on there? Looks like he’s just about ready to fly the real thing.”

Keith stealing Shiro’s car isn’t payback. It’s a confused and cornered kid desperately attempting to take control of a situation that was always out of his hands. He’s not mad at Shiro, he’s mad at himself for believing that he actually had a chance, for “falling” for Shiro’s nice guy routine and thinking he could reach for the stars. When the teacher says his name’s not on the list, given how everyone else has treated him in the past, he feels like Shiro’s just going to turn on him too. And he doesn’t want to wait for that. He doesn’t want Shiro to see him as just some troubled kid and write him off. 

It’s the confirmation that–yeah, this is too good to be true, time to wake up. Stealing Shiro’s car puts an end to that fantasy, but at least it’s an end he decided for himself rather than one that was dictated outside his control. 

So he turns on Shiro first. He makes him leave. If they’re gonna say he has a discipline problem, why not at least give them what they asked for? Keith outright admits in his vlog that he pushes other people away before they can reject him. And that’s exactly what he’s doing. But of course, Shiro isn’t like everyone else. When he hears Keith’s name has been omitted from the list, that he’s just a discipline case that would never make it at the Garrison–his previous enthusiasm is completely gone. He can’t believe that they’re literally going to just count Keith out like that. 

And it’s obvious from the way that Shiro treats Keith afterwards that he can tell there’s so much going on beneath the surface there, that Keith’s dealing with a whole lot and he needs some sort of support or else he’ll just keep punishing himself until he starts to crash and burn. Keith’s act of defiance is a pretty clear warning sign, and Shiro’s not about to let him just fall through the cracks. 

And I honestly do believe his giving a second chance to Keith was very important on a personal level, because honestly, at some point or another, he probably needed to hear that. We know he’s been told he wasn’t well enough to be capable of certain things before–it’s not a stretch to say he may have even struggled to get into the garrison’s flight program becasue of his chronic illness. People like Sam Holt were there to vouch for him on missions so he got that chance. He wants to be there for Keith because he knows how much it means to have someone in your corner. 

dent-de-leon:

This is a common misconception I think so let’s get into why Keith is just as important and beloved to Shiro, because he really is. First things first, I’m going back to the beginning here, becuase we already know there’s this hidden past that’s intrinsic to their bond in the present. Shiro brought Keith to the Kerberos launch. Not his parents, not any other semblence of family or friends, just Keith. To emphasize the importance of that fact, my understanding is, astronouts typically only bring their immediate family right to the site of the launch (as in, they’re the ones that get talked through what’s happening by NASA and have a private sendoff and such). 

Which also explains why we only see Matt and Sam with Colleen and Pidge–again, it’s limited to just their immediate family. The fact that Shiro was even allowed to bring Keith is huge, and it absolutely speaks volumes as to the depth of their intimacy–even before everything with Voltron. I’ve also said many times before I think it’s heavily implied that Shiro was either estranged from his family or never really had one. So in leiu of that, it’s Keith he takes to the mission launch. No matter how you interpret their relationship, the fact remains that Keith is the person Shiro wanted to spend his last day on Earth with. No one else but Keith. And in fact, that little glimpse into their time at the garrison is something the show runners got very excited about:

• Lauren: “I think that’s a storyline that we’ve always wanted to explore, and that we have every intention of learning a little bit more of what that relationship is between Keith and Shiro. How much does Shiro mean to Keith and vice versa. And so, to see that they were friends before this is something we want to just lay in there in little ways, until we eventually get to tell that story.”
• Joaquim: “I mean, we knew right? We knew that Shiro meant a lot to Keith, or else Keith wouldn’t have attempted to break him out when he landed and all that. We were stoked when people saw that. We thought it’d be an Easter egg that would be around for a while. Day one, somebody was doing screen grabs all blown up and enhanced. It was supper cool.” (source)

Going by what Keith said–“Shiro is the one person who never gave up on me, I’m not giving up on him”–we also know that he did a lot for Keith. I think it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he quite literally turned Keith’s life around, since we hear it directly from Keith himself, “My life would be a whole lot different without you.” I think it’s likely Keith was in a very bad place, and Shiro was his support through a lot of it. Shiro gave him coping mechanisms like, “Patience yields focus,” and did his best to be a grounding influence. Whenever Keith was struggling, it’s implied that Shiro was there to help him through it, that he never left Keith’s side. 

We knew he was the one person really able to anchor Keith when he was overwhelmed by his emotions–he’s the only person that can be tactile with Keith right from the beginning without Keith freezing up. And Keith very readily nestles closer when they initiate that contact. He trusts Shiro wholeheartedly, implicitly. Shiro was the only person that never abandoned him. Clearly, Keith matters quite a lot for Shiro to invest in his wellbeing to such an extent:

• Joaquim: “He latches onto Shiro at times because Shiro’s sort of the only thing that can really calm him down and keep him in check.” (source).
  

• Joaquim: “[Keith’s] got this emotional side to him.”
• Lauren: “It’s kind of exasperated by the fact that Shiro’s gone. Like he’s having a hard time dealing with it, he doesn’t really know how to feel. And I think he just goes back to that inner part of himself where it’s just—he can’t control his emotions. And that comes from the galra side.” (source).

• Lauren: “Shiro was still his guiding light. It was good.” (source).
  

There are notes of their intimacy scattered throughout the series. When they’re standing outside the shack, Shiro’s question is, “How did you know to come save me?” How not why, because of course Shiro knows Keith would come running in an instant as soon as he could. In Shiro’s Story he makes a clear distinction between Keith and the other cadets, “Then an old friend of mine named Keith came to my rescue,” he very clearly credits Keith for his safety here, and confirms that Keith is someone he’s known for a fairly longtime. 

In Across the Universe, Shiro is constantly trying to reassure Keith that he’s alright–tries to get to higher ground even as he’s struggling to stand because contacting Keith is his first priority, is incredibly relieved just to hear his voice, “Keith, Keith. I’m here.” And when Keith promises to save him? Shiro goes from gritting his teeth in pain to visibly emotional over those words. Just like the look on his face when he realizes Keith remembered his words of comfort–that’s incredibly touching to him, and it shows. “That really stayed with you, didn’t it?” Even delerious with pain he can’t help but be delighted by that. The fact that he really was able to make a difference to Keith, that Keith cared enough to remember? It struck a cord with him. Shiro’s clearly invested in this relationship as well. And these are only just a few instances of it.

Moving on to The Blade of Marmora, I’m going to really stress the fact the trial was just as much a test for Shiro as it was for Keith. Here, we also see Shiro’s loyalties tested–to the team, to his cause. And to Keith. Because ultimately, it’s Keith he cares about above all else. He readily throws away the only possible ally they have–an alliance they can’t afford to lose–and he does it in an instant for Keith’s sake. For a connection to a past that he didn’t even know Keith had. But instead of asking questions or trying to talk him down into giving up the knife, he’s immediately at Keith’s side and goes on the offensive. He knows Keith can’t fight this battle because he’s been hurt so much already, so Shiro does it for him. This is not his fight, but he growls and goes after the BOM, galra tech blazing, because he knows how much this means to Keith and he won’t let him sacrifice it. When Keith’s restrained by Antok earlier in the episode, he says, “Shiro, you know me.” And that’s cemented by the fact that Shiro would give up Voltron’s best chance for him. 

Even before that, we see how heavily all this weighs on Shiro. He tries to talk Keith out of accepting the trial at first, but reluctantly allows him to proceed when he realizes how deeply personal this is to him. Even still, he’s tense the entire time. We see him fixated on the monitor and saying, “Come on, Keith”–he says the same thing when he’s nervous about Keith taking too long to shut down Central Command with Thace. In both instances, Shiro is singled out as the character most attached to Keith and concerned for his wellbeing, and I think that’s a very deliberate choice. It’s something I’ve mentioned before, but Keith carries out a lot of tropes associated with the romantic knight archetype, including an instance where he must choose between either his partner or his duty, being faced with his loved one as the greatest temptation to lead him astray (which is the point of holo Shiro–“Your friend desperately wants to see you.”) The fact that Shiro was chosen to fulfill this role typically reserved for a love interest says a lot. And going by how fiercly Shiro protects Keith afterwards, I’d say the feeling is mutual–though Keith clearly fears otherwise. 

This is abundlty clear when we compare holo Shiro to the real deal. The first thing holo Shiro does is congratulate Keith on his victory in battle–helps him stand up but then immediately moves aside. The real Shiro’s first words are, “Keith, are you okay?” he rushes over to Keith’s fallen form and stands there petriefied a moment before immediately seizing him and cradling him close. He clings to Keith because he absolutely can’t bare the thought of losing him, and he makes Keith’s safety his utmost concern. Whereas the hologram’s love for Keith is on his own terms–provided Keith does what he says–Shiro’s love for him is unconditional. As soon as he sees that the BOM have used his image to hurt Keith, he steps in immediately. Again, the thought of losing Keith is unbarable, and it’s when he’s faced by this very harsh reality that he can’t stand aside any longer, trial and alliance be damned, “You’re messing with his mind, you’re going to kill him!” 

Time and again, we see just how fiercely protective Shiro is of Keith. When they’re fighting a robeast that critically damages the Lion Hunk and Keith are in, we see Shiro look visibly upset before glaring and attacking headon. When Keith volunteers for what is classified as a suicide mission, Shiro is clearly torn. He says Keith’s name while clenching his teeth, then needs to close his eyes and take a moment to compose himself before he agrees. But you can tell how much that ached, how badly he wanted to tell Keith to just stay. Ultimately, he only agrees because he trusts Keith to return–a fact that’s verified when he tells Pidge there is no plan B and if Keith fails then they’re done. He’s only willing to let Keith go because he has faith he’ll return home safe. And I mean, we’ve seen before that Shiro struggled with letting go of Keith–when he finds out Keith and Allura are missing, he orders for someone to contact the pod immediately and demands they both come home. When Shiro saw Keith was fighting a losing battle with the BOM, he charged in and fought for him. Shiro just can’t risk losing him. 

Let’s also not forget that when Shiro finds out Keith is galra, his initial reaction isn’t rejection or disgust. He has no disdain for Keith, harbors no ill will towards him despite his galran blood. These are the aliens that have imprisoned and tortured him for over a year, and Shiro’s clearly suffering from PTSD. It would be understandable if he felt uncomfortable around Keith. But when that blade activates? He stares on in awe. Keith’s galra reveal isn’t horrible or monstrous in Shiro’s eyes, it’s ethereal and beautiful. It’s nothing like how Shiro reacts to Sendak insisting he’s part of the empire. He doesn’t subject Keith to the same hatred he inflicts on himself–Keith is still good and pure in Shiro’s eyes, still something precious to behold. And again, the fact that Shiro of all people is the one to bare witness to such a paramount moment for Keith’s character? That’s all very deliberate.

While everyone else is keeping their distance from Keith, Shiro walks right over and embraces him. Just the fact that Shiro and Keith are so tactile with one another is incredibly intimate, but it’s especially telling after everything that went down in BOM. It’s a short, but very charged way of affirming just how much Keith means to Shiro onscreen. And on that matter, Joaquim has literally stated that Shiro loves Keith, and I’m not about to let that go unnoticed here, because it puts so much into perspective:

• So we know how Allura and Shiro reacted to Keith’s galra reveal. What about the other paladins?
• Lauren: “I think the rest knew Keith well enough to know it’s not a big issue. And they don’t know much about galra–do you grow purple fur at some point? But Allura has that history, so…”
  Joaquim: “And with Shiro, we have that history. But he loves Keith, so he sees the good in him.” (source).

Shiro’s entire character arc with relearning how much he matters is also intrinsically linked to Keith, as is his growth as the Black Paladin. Much of why Shiro kept insisting Keith become his successor was because he lived in fear that he wouldn’t survive, and he wanted to know Voltron would be able to go on without him–that Keith would be able to. And he was preparing him for that “inevitability.” Keith’s refusal to lead is also a rejection of the possiblity that he must give up on Shiro. 

But we know Shiro doesn’t really want all that, becuase he’s so clearly touched when Keith tells him he’ll make it. He wants so badly to believe it. Time and again, Keith is the force that propels Shiro forward, the one that convinces him to keep fighting, the person who reaffirms his place as the Black Paladin at every turn. “You mean your bayard.” Keith won’t let Shiro give up, won’t let him succumb to his demons. And the fact that Shiro finds the strength to keep fighting because of that shows an immeasurable depth to their bond.

To quote one of my other meta real quick:

• Blazing Sword is the culmination of Shiro and Keith’s intimate bond, and it’s something both the episode and their respective character arcs build up toward. It’s Keith compelling Shiro to keep fighting, that he can do this, “You’re gonna make it.” “It was always meant to be yours.” It’s the sheer power and might you only get when both of them are piloting a Lion side by side.
  

Now, let’s try and conclude this with some mention of “Shiro” post season 2, because regardless of Kuron’s existance or not, that’s all very important as well. Real quick, from another meta, I’m just going over why Black chose Keith–because it was absolutely a result of how much he meant to Shiro: 

• I’ll go back to why Black chose Keith in Shiro’s absence–namely, the very intimate bond between them:
  
• Joaquim: “[Shiro] and Keith have the closest relationship.”
• Lauren: “The Black Lion probably got from Shiro what Shiro saw in Keith.” (source)
• At the end, that’s what it comes down to. The Black Lion was able to trust Keith because of Shiro’s own thoughts and feelings. Shiro and Allura just weren’t as close. Whenever people make suggestions like Allura and Lance piloting instead, I’m always confused–because for Shiro, it was never even a question. “Keith, If I don’t make it out of here, I want you to lead Voltron.”
  
• That was literally Shiro’s one request, and the Lion cared about him enough to respect that. Ultimately, it’s Keith’s love for Shiro, his devotion and loyalty to him, that lets him sync so easily with the Lion. The fist time he tries, it’s to save Shiro’s life. And the second, it’s because he wants to lead the team for Shiro’s sake. “I know this is what you wanted for me, Shiro. I’m not you. I can’t lead them like you.” “This one’s for you, Shiro.” That’s what called to the Lion.

Now, let’s talk about Kuron going through his memories while dying. Because the very first one he cycles through is Shiro’s reunion with Keith. That memory was at the forefront of Keith’s mind, it showed the person that mattered the most, the very first place his mind went to. And this also can read as a clear callback to when Shiro is doing the mindmeld with all the paladins, and we see he’s thinking of the Kerberos launch–you know, that same launch where he brought Keith? It’s just interesting how we would get two powerful memories, one where Shiro is leaving Keith, and the other where they reunite. 

Returning to Kuron, I also want to mention that he really does seem to try and reciprocate how much Shiro cares about Keith. They both try and reach out when they see Keith appears anxious and lost, albeit with varrying results. And when Kuron sees it’s Keith that’s come to rescue him, he couldn’t look more relieved. The way they both look so tender as they drift into each other’s orbit honestly resonates with some of the most romantic tension in this show. 

 Then there’s the whole bedroom scene, which I’ve analyzed in full, but just to try and keep it breif–we see that Kuron is laid bare and vulnerable before Keith. He cuts his hair and shaves before meeting the other paladins, tries to play it off like everything’s fine in front of the others. He wears his strong leader mask and smiles. Not so in front of Keith–he’s incredibly vulnerable and stripped bare (both physically in terms of being dressed down to his underclothes, but obviously also metaphorically–again, visual cues are huge here though). “Shiro” is able to be painfully honest with Keith, admitting that he might not feel up to moving around just yet, and clearly worrying that his Lion has abandoned him to the galra. Once again, he’s been imprisoned and tortured. 

But he won’t let anyone else see him like this. Keith is the only one he trusts to bare witness to his moment of weakness, Keith is the one tending to Shiro’s bedside. And again, it’s a role typically reserved for a character’s love interest. This is even more emphasized when Kuron calls back to Keith and jokingly asks, “How many times are you gonna have to save me before this is over?” Becuase, whether this is the real Shiro or not–he’s seen Shiro’s memories, and he knows. He knows that it’s always Keith who comes running to the rescue, knows that Keith has been his knight in shining armor. And the fact that he’s able to express his gratitude for that, the fact that he and Keith are both so unabashed and sweet about it? It really does show how much they mean to each other. Shiro’s fully aware how much he means to Keith, and the feeling’s very mutual.