Pidge's POV

"I never really mentioned it before since there was all this chaos going on, but you're an orphan right? That's why you didn't care if we went back to Earth or not." I was sitting next to Keith in the lab. He was helping me reorganize all the files since the others went on a mission and claimed I wasn't suitable for them unless they involved Voltron for a movement or so and Keith volunteered to stay behind with me.

I don't usually help you, but what the fuck is wrong with you!

I was curious, sorry. I should've thought before I acted.

No shit.

I looked back at Keith, his eyes widened and he dropped his papers.

"W- who told you that?" He gasped.

"I- what?"

"Who told you!" He grabbed the helm of my shirt and pulled me closer. I've never seen him get this angry, not even with Lance.

"I- I hacked into the files of the Garrison the night we were at that shack to find information about you. It was an invasion of privacy and I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry!" I started hyperventilating. This feels oddly familiar. 

Doesn't it?

"Never tell the others. Only Shiro knows, and I don't want anyone else finding out." His eyes felt like they were piercing into my soul. Soon he got off though. "Ah, sorry! I forget sometimes about the whole situation, you know?" He was quiet now. Silently picking up the papers he dropped.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

What are you doing Katherine?

"What?"

"I'm probably not the best person to talk about it to since I'm emotionally unstable, but if there's anything I can do it's listen."

You can't even get your shit together and now you want to help others?

Shut up, I'm doing something.

Someone finally grew some balls

My god.

"Thanks for the offer, but nothing important happened at all." He handed over the stack of papers. Altean language is hard to understand, but try putting files under alphabetical order. 

"Even if it isn't important to you, we should still talk about it." I pressed.

"What's with the sudden interest?" He questioned. I don't want to make him uncomfortable especially if there's something that did happen in his past. I know what it feels like when someone's trying to pry into your personal life, but he hadn't officially said no. I think he wants me to keep prying, so he has a reason to tell someone.

Learning are we?

You know, you don't annoy me as much as you used to.

Ouch, you wound me.

"Because I know from previous events that it's better to let everything out. It helps. Even if you don't think it's important to talk about, I want to get to know you better. The Keith before all the Garrison rumors and Lance." I smiled softly. Hopefully he'll be comfortable enough to talk to me. Maybe I would relate to something he says and he'll have someone else to talk to about it.

Wouldn't it be shitty if you hope you can relate to him since your life seems to be this ever-lasting roller coaster that only descends?

Ouch

"Well, uh. My dad died in a fire, they kept me in foster care for a short period of time,  but after getting sent back from 12 homes in under a year they decided I had no hope left and brought me to an orphanage."

That's rough buddy

Shut the fuck up

"12 homes? A fire? Keith. How old were you?" I kinda don't want to hear the answer, but I need to.

"I don't know." He paused to think for a bit while scratching his hair. "It was the day before my 4th birthday, I believe." He said it without any emotion. As if he were reciting the answers for a test.

Why did he get sent back from 12 homes?

Why did you hate Kenneth?

Oh my god, no. How do I bring this up? I can't just flat out ask him, can I?

"D-did they hurt you?" 

"Yeah, I guess they did." He looked up at the ceiling. Why was he so calm? And why did it piss me off so much?

"Who did?"

"Who did what?"

"Who hurt you?"

"Honestly?" He looked back at me and I nodded. "Who didn't?"

We sat in silence until he spoke.

"But I'm fine! No one cared, so why should you now? It'd be pointless." He softly chuckled, but everything's not fine!

"Yo- you were 4! What did you do about school?! How'd you get by?!"

"I uh didn't go to school. Parents said it was too expensive especially since I wasn't staying long. I did go to preschool with my dad before though, it wasn't the best, but I managed to make do."

"Then how do you know Shiro?"

"He came to my orphanage one day to talk to us about astronauts. At the time I didn't even know what that was, but the other kids did. I guess Shiro saw something in me cause he taught me how to read and write and sent me to some school before I had to take the test. It was definitely hard at first since the last time I've ever been to school was in 8 years plus I'm dyslexic."

"What about fighting? I thought you took karate lessons or something." I mumbled.

He started laughing. "I would've taken Taekwondo. I may be Asian, but I'm Korean, not Japanese. And I said I lived in an orphanage, though I rarely did, I still had to learn how to fight."

How could he talk about this and be so calm?! I was in tears when I told Hunk about my past, but Keith seems rather bored talking about his.

"How can you be okay with this?"

"I'm not. Just like you there was something that helped me get through a bit."

"What helped you?"

"It was something Shiro said before he left for space. He said he'd adopt me as soon as he came back. It was a promise. So I had to stay alive for it. If it weren't for that though, I would've ended this all by now. Wouldn't be the first try."

There is something wrong about this. He's not okay, but I don't know how to help. I'm terrible at this.

I could've told you that from the start.

But why don't I understand. I can't relate to foster care or the orphanage, but I know a thing or two about child abuse.

It's. Different.

How? You feel helpless under the person hurting you, knowing you can't reach out to others no matter how much you want to because you're scared of the consequences.

Think of it in his point of view. He's getting hurt, but people DO know and aren't helping him at all. Every time he reaches out, he gets shot down, but then he finds one person who helps and accepts him then poof he's gone before he even got to tell the truth. He's truly helpless.

Why are you helping me?

I'm not. I just need you to understand.

Odd.

"So, do you know how to speak Korean?"

"God, no!"