Listen,
I know we all like to make fun of Keith’s fixation with bonding, but let me tell you how this boy—who emanated this starter-pack reclusive bad-boy type vibes in the beginning but was actually not at all so— takes that shit seriously.
We’ve seen how he’s behaved in season 1 after getting caught up with Voltron–how he starts to enjoy the company of his team, how he comes to deeply cherish it. It’s possibly something he has craved for so long, people to trust, people who can believe in him and follow more or less the same wavelength. He yearns for companionship in the camaraderie level. Which is why besides Shiro, the Voltron family is so important to him because he can find a sense of fulfillment with them that he never received at the Garrison.
So Keith works hard to keep this fulfillment alive. He shows off, he fights impulsively, he adds to conversations and participates in lighthearted moments, not simply because he’s the dork that he is, but because he wants to show that he’s a valuable member of the team and can be useful. This is an important aspect of how Keith wants to be seen among his comrades. He craves these ‘bonding moments’. He even uses this methodology to bond with his lion– to show his worthiness, because hey, that’s something he knows how to do. It also kind of explains why he gets so appalled when Lance denies them having one, because, this sense of ‘bonding’ is what reassures Keith that he is wanted, that he is also worthy to be considered a friend and a comrade. For Lance to deny that had hurt him (if just a little). It’s almost sad to think that he does what he can to be included, to hold this bond so close because of how ‘fleeting’ casual friendships tend to be. He takes that shit to heart, bond or go solo, there is no in-between. All, in all, Keith is a really deep fella.




